UFC megastar Conor McGregor declares his ‘iconic rivalry’ with Nate Diaz ‘must be settled’ in trilogy fight
It’s been nearly eight years since Conor McGregor last stepped inside the Octagon with Nate Diaz.
Fighting one another in back-to-back bouts between March and August of 2016, McGregor and the ‘Stockton Samurai’ delivered two of the UFC’s top 10 highest-grossing pay-per-view headliners of all time, the first going down at UFC 196 inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Stepping in on just 11 days’ notice, Diaz handed the Irishman his first loss inside the Octagon, scoring a rear-naked choke submission in the second round.
Five months later, they would run it back at UFC 202 — this time going the distance with McGregor earning a victory via majority decision.
Ever since that night, fans have been clamoring for a trilogy fight between the two combat sports icons.
Recently, Diaz commented on McGregor’s long-awaited return to the Octagon which sparked a response from the former two-division champ on Instagram, suggesting that their “iconic rivalry must be settled.”
Nate Diaz steps back into the boxing ring on June 1
Currently, Nate Diaz is not under contract with the UFC. After 15 years with the promotion, he walked away in September 2022 after earning a submission victory over Tony Ferguson at UFC 279. He has since made his professional boxing debut against YouTuber star Jake Paul. Diaz lost the bout by unanimous decision after 10 entertaining rounds.
On Saturday, June 1, Diaz will return to the boxing ring for a scrap with former foe Jorge Masvidal. The fight will serve as a rematch following their fight for the inaugural BMF belt at UFC 244 in 2019. ‘Gamebred’ took home the bragging rights belt due to a doctor’s stoppage just before the beginning of the fourth round.
Conor McGregor’s ‘Road House’ remake hits Amazon Prime Video on March 21
As for Conor McGregor, the Irishman has had a frustrating year when it comes to getting back inside the Octagon. Despite kickstarting multiple training camps, the UFC has failed to lock down a date for his quote-unquote “greatest comeback in combat sports history.” McGregor was linked to a fight with former Bellator MMA champion Michael Chandler long before their time as opposing coaches on The Ultimate Fighter last year.
Unfortunately, we appear to be no closer to seeing that fight happen than we were during this same time last year.
On March 21, fight fans can get their McGregor fix when ‘Mystic Mac’ makes his feature film debut in a remake of the 1989 action classic Road House, which starred the late Patrick Swayze. Set for a release on Amazon Prime Video, this updated version stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Dalton, an ex-UFC fighter who takes a job as a bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse.
McGregor is set to play Knox, one of the antagonists of the film.
