Conor McGregor Declares Nate Diaz Must Fight Him At Lightweight

Conor McGregor certainly achieved a great amount of success in his boxing match with all-time legend Floyd Mayweather last weekend from Las Vegas, as the MMA superstar was able to land more punches on the elusive great than many world-class boxers had against “Money.”””

But ultimately he succumbed to a tenth-round TKO after he faded badly and Mayweather poured on the pressure, and regardless of if you felt the stoppage by referee Robert Byrd was early or not, McGregor clearly had little left in the tank in the later rounds. He admitted as much after the fight, and it was hardly a surprise to hear him talk about returning to the octagon before the year is over – if his medical suspension is able to be surpassed.

When he does, the clear frontrunner for his next MMA bout is his oft-discussed trilogy bout with rival Nate Diaz after the two split a pair of record-grossing classics at UFC 196 and 202 last year.

“The Notorious” has already begun sowing the seeds of the bout in the media, and he recently took discussion of the fight to a new level in an interview with BBC News (via BJPenn.com), declaring that Diaz would have to cut down to 155 pounds where he holds the title after they met at 170 pounds in their two original bouts:

“I’m the 155-pound champion. I faced him at 170, he beat me, then I rematched him at 170, I beat him. Now I’m the 155-pound world champion, now if he wants that fight, he must come down — that’s a fair trade. I didn’t ask for the rematch at a lower weight, I asked for the rematch at the exact same weight. I thought that was a fair play move on my behalf and I came in and I won. So, now I won that and I won the 155 title after that, so if he wants the fight he has to make that 155-pound limit.”

It’s far from a surprise to hear McGregor insist Diaz has to meet him in the division he currently rules over (although some fight fans would say it’s a surprise) because the major advantage many felt Diaz had over McGregor was size. The Stockton star has had trouble making the 155-pound limit before, most recently in his late 2014 loss to former champion Rafael dos Anjos, a fight before which he said he was significantly injured.

McGregor vs. Diaz II was a bout that was going to made eventually no matter what, and putting the title on the line will make it the biggest fight the UFC has on the table right now. It’d be a perfect headliner for the New Year’s Eve weekend card on December 30, and would almost assuredly deliver the biggest pay-per-view numbers in a year that has been painfully short of just that thanks to McGregor’s absence from MMA.

Diaz may not want to cut down to lightweight at this point in his career, but taking into account the payday he would receive and the fact that it appears to be the only fight he’s willing to return to MMA for, it’s going to happen sometime, and most likely sometime soon.

UFC, the ball is in your court.