Conor McGregor: Nate Diaz trilogy ‘does not matter now’
At UFC 241, Nate Diaz mounted a successful comeback, defeated Anthony Pettis via unanimous decision. And from the sounds of it, Conor McGregor won’t be far behind him.
Speaking to ESPN on Thursday night, McGregor announced his intention to fight again soon.
McGregor has plenty of options for his return to the cage, but perhaps the most compelling of the bunch is a rematch with Diaz. The pair have fought twice previously. Diaz won the first fight by submission, while McGregor won the second by majority decision. So, the grounds for a tie-breaking rematch are certainly there.
After defeating Pettis at UFC 241, however, Diaz set his sights on Jorge Masvidal, and made no mention of Conor McGregor.
McGregor doesn’t blame his rival for this. In fact, he doesn’t seem to think a rematch with Diaz is all that important at this stage.
“If [Diaz] does not want the trilogy bout, no problem,” McGregor told ESPN (via Bloody Elbow). “I don’t blame him. Look at the fights, look at the damage. They were intense bouts. That does not matter. It does not matter now. It’s time for me to just get back in.”
Given the way Diaz ignored McGregor after UFC 241, some fans felt he was boxing the Irishman out. McGregor doesn’t see it that way.
“Nate is a crafty individual,” McGregor said. “I did not feel like I was being boxed out. I boxed Nate out in reality.”
Conor McGregor has not fought since October of 2018, when he submitted by UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in the main event of UFC 229. Prior to that, he knocked out Eddie Alvarez to win the UFC lightweight belt. This win over Alvarez was preceded by his two wars with Nate Diaz.
What do you think is next for Conor McGregor?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 8/22/2019.
Topics:
Conor McGregor Nate Diaz UFC
