Yahoo Sports Nate Diaz No Longer Jumping for Joy for Third Conor McGregor Fight
The big debate following Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor 2 was centered on if, when, and where a third fight would happen. Following some heavy squashing by UFC president Dana White, however, even Diaz appears to have given up on round three taking place anytime soon.
After Diaz beat McGregor when they first met at UFC 196 in March, McGregor's fervor for a rematch couldn't be squelched. In fact, the UFC tried to make the fight as the UFC 200 headliner, even without a title on the line. That blew apart when McGregor and the UFC butted heads over media obligations, but it gave the promotion another top draw pay-per-view when they eventually fought a second time at UFC 202.
TRENDING > Conor McGregor Claims He was Training Two Days After UFC 202
On the scorecard, McGregor won the rematch, but Diaz immediately rebuked the judges, saying he believed he won the fight, and declared that he wouldn't be fighting again until the UFC made the trilogy fight.
He seems to have softened his stance since fight night, although not by much. In an interview with Chael Sonnen, Diaz backed off the idea of a third bout happening in the immediate future, but still believes he won the rematch.
“I was pretty crazy about it for a couple of days, but it's whatever to me. I won that fight and I'm not jumping for joy already for round three. I think I beat him twice, so it's 2-0 as far as I'm concerned,” Diaz told Sonnen.
“(A trilogy fight) might get made down the road, I don't know. I believe (McGregor's camp) know too, because he's got a smart coach on his hands. Him and his coach know what happened in the fight and they aren't stupid, so I think they are going to do what they can to return to his division and get onto a new stage.”
We don't know what's next for Diaz, but we also don't know what's next for McGregor. While he isn't going to press for a trilogy fight either, White has said numerous times that McGregor is at a crossroads. He either has to defend his UFC featherweight championship or give it up and move to another division.
(WARNING: Video includes explicit language)
(Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)
