Nate Diaz confirms plan to close out trilogy with UFC rival Conor McGregor: ‘I think it’s inevitable’

Ahead of his upcoming professional boxing debut in August against the 6-1 puncher, Jake Paul, former UFC lightweight championship challenger, Nate Diaz remains confident a trilogy rubber match with former duel-weight champion, Conor McGregor happens in the future. 

Diaz, who ended his Octagon tenure back in November of last year following the official completion of his contractual obligations with the promotion, exited the UFC with a victory.

Headlining UFC 279 in an impromptu welterweight main event against former interim lightweight gold holder, Tony Ferguson, Nate Diaz submitted the Oxnard native with a fourth round guillotine choke at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

As for his distinct rivalry with McGregor, the Stockton native became the first fighter in the promotion to hand the former undisputed lightweight and featherweight champion a loss, submitting him with a second round rear-naked choke in March 2016 at UFC 196.

In August of that year, Diaz was then defeated himself in an immediate rematch at UFC 202, with McGregor avenging the blemish in a close, debated majority decision success at the same venue. 

Continuously linked with a trilogy rubber match to finally settle their long-standing score, despite his exit from the Dana White-led UFC, Diaz is expected to make a return to the Octagon after fighting the Ohio native, Paul this summer at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

Nate Diaz confident trilogy fight with UFC star Conor McGregor happens

And according to him, a future decider with Dublin striker, McGregor is “inevitable”, confirming his intentions to fight the former champion again.

“I don’t think about it like that, but regardless of that, I would like to get the third fight with Conor (McGregor),” Nate Diaz told MMA Junkie after Tuesday’s press conference ahead of his fight with Jake Paul. “I think it’s inevitable. For sure, we’ll be fighting.”