Third time could be quite charming for everyone
McGregor and Diaz each beat the other
The animosity between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz reached a brief truce following their fierce mutual interest in destruction.
Make no mistake, however: Each is plotting a decisive resolution to an undeniable trilogy.
“He’s a class competitor,” McGregor said late Saturday after defeating Diaz by majority decision (48-47, 47-47, 48-47) in the UFC 202 main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.
“It’s intense in the buildup. This battle was won. We’ll regroup, we’ll go our separate ways … and then we’ll be right back where we started.”
Diaz, of Stockton, Calif., said when he lifted up McGregor after trying to finish him with punches on the canvas at the close of the fifth and final round that he thought, “He tried, I tried.”
So Diaz told McGregor, “Hey man, until next time. It’s all good.”
But the path to that trilogy could become as complex as the road was to the first McGregor-Diaz fight in March — won via submission by Diaz on a rear-naked choke at 4:12 of the second round.
Diaz (19-11) smoked a vape pen during his news conference and said, for him, it’s not complicated at all.
“Whenever they’re ready to rock, but I ain’t doing (anything) until we go for round three,” Diaz said after pocketing a guaranteed $2 million plus a fight-of-the-night bonus. “You won’t be seeing me. I don’t think it’s a good business move for him to take any other fights. He’s a businessman, so we’ll see what happens.”
McGregor (20-3) had a shin injury to deal with first. He came to the news conference on crutches, headed to the hospital afterward and said it was the result of altering his fight plan from the first meeting by trying an estimated “40 kicks” on Diaz’s legs.
The hospital visit revealed no break, nothing serious.
Cryptically, the final words of his news conference came after a question about the possibility of him fighting in the UFC’s debut New York card in November.
“(Stuff) is about to hit the fan right now, I feel,” McGregor said.
He’s alluding to UFC President Dana White’s position that McGregor is obligated to return to the featherweight division for his next fight or have his belt stripped. The fighter, however, wants to select whatever he believes is his best opportunity.
“I don’t think they want to do that. How can they do that?” McGregor said of stripping the belt. “If they want to do that — give my belt to the guy I KO’d in 13 seconds — we’ll see. What would that do the division? We’ve got a lot to talk about.
“I’m in a beautiful position right now.”