Top Five Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor Moments

It wasn’t just the fight between Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor that rocked our world, it was the entire package, head-to-toe, and all crammed in to just 11 days. When UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos dropped out of the March 5 UFC 196 main event, unlikely replacement Nate Diaz stepped in to the frame. It would be a welterweight affair, but even so the bookmakers heavily favored the featherweight champion McGregor to take home the victory.

Diaz would throw up the middle finger to the underdog status he’d been labelled with, slapping and clowning ‘The Notorious’ en route to a crazy second round submission win.

Although briefly booked to headline the blockbuster UFC 200 card this coming July 9 weekend, McGregor and Diaz have instead been scheduled to rematch at UFC 202 on August 20. In honor of that amazing first fight and what will no doubt be an insane second scrap, we’ve gone back and selected the top five moments from the Diaz/McGregor rivalry.

From the press conferences, social media rants, all the way to the fight itself and beyond, this rivalry really has it all.

5. Touch Butt In The Park

When Conor McGregor tried to take a stab at Nate Diaz‘s training partners during the UFC 196 pre-fight press conference, he didn’t expect to get this response. Blasting McGregor for playing touch butt in the park with ‘the dork with the pony tail’ became an instantly classic moment in MMA history.

Diaz would end up feeding McGregor all his words and more when they met, and the next moment might well be what spurred the Stockton bad boy on to victory.

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4. Gazelle Argument

During fight week for UFC 196, Diaz and McGregor sat down with FOX Sports Jay & Dan or a now historic interview. The subject of an injured gazelle was brought up, and from there onward the debate spiralled quickly in to insanity.

You know it’s the real sh*t! Yes we did, and we loved every minute of it.

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3. Greatest Prediction EVER

When Nate Diaz gets on the microphone before a fight, you know there’s some good stuff about to go down. Much like his older brother Nick, the Stockton native doesn’t mince his words or try and come up with some sort of smart ass remarks.

When Nate Diaz gets asked for a prediction about his upcoming fight, you better believe he’s expecting some ninja sh*t.

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2. Gun Signs With The Left Hand

At the first of two pre-fight pressers in just 11 days, Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor squared off in a trash talking showdown for the media. This was perhaps the first and only time that McGregor really got the nest of Diaz in the mental game, and boy, it was hilarious.

Funny that he brought up BJJ there, as that would be McGregor’s downfall when the two eventually met.

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1. The fight, post fight interview and aftermath

We had to include all this in the last section of the list, as all deserve equal recognition for their place in UFC history. The fight itself was an absolute barn burner, back-and-forth striking exchanges before the inevitable submission win for Diaz.

Then ‘I’m not surprised motherf*ckers’ and the stream of remixes, memes and crazy reactions that spread like wildfire across the internet.

Check them out: