Diaz: UFC is giving McGregor a gift
Nate Diaz: “It’s like, dude, I’ve been obsessed with every fight I’ve ever lost. This is a gift for him to get it right away.”
UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor is the biggest PPV draw in mixed martial arts. After he lost to lightweight Nate Diaz in a welterweight fight at UFC 196, he could have next defended his title, or potentially fought for the lightweight title. Instead, McGregor demanded and received a rematch. UFC president Dana White described McGregor as ‘obsessed’ with the rematch.
So Diaz and McGregor will fight again at UFC 200 on July 9. In an interview with Brett Okamoto for ESPN.com, Diaz, a long, longtime hero to the hardcore MMA fanbase, offered a theory as to why the UFC booked an immediate rematch.
“I swear to God, the UFC thinks it was an accident or something,” said Diaz. “They think it was an accident, and now they’re saying, ‘Let’s get Nate back in there and take him out before he gets any bigger.’
“I don’t think so. I’ve fought everyone in the UFC, and they better give me some mother f***ing compliments if I win this fight.”
“Since that last fight, have you heard any praise for me from Dana or the UFC? None at all. How much praise has that mother f***er got? I’ve never lost a fight and not wanted to fight the guy 10 minutes later. The UFC is pumping him up again, saying he wants to redeem himself and giving him all this credit for it. It’s like, dude, I’ve been obsessed with every fight I’ve ever lost. This is a gift for him to get it right away.
“He’s saying he’s obsessed? Welcome to my life, mother F***er. That’s the game, and I’ve never gotten my losses back.”
Diaz also discussed why the featherweight champ and the lightweight are fighting again at welterweight, even though unlike their last fight which was made on 11 days notice, there is plenty of time to cut.
“He knows that if he goes in and changes circumstances, then that’s weak,” said Diaz. “It’s not cool to go in and make your own set of rules because you lost on another set. If you’re going to avenge your loss, you’ve gotta go out and avenge it for real. It’s like a guy saying, ‘Let’s fight again, but no takedowns.’ That’s weak, and he knows that.”
“I think I can beat every fighter from my weight up to heavyweight. I really do feel like I’m better than everyone, but I feel like if I don’t go in there and do what I’m supposed to do, you can f*** up and lose to anyone. So even a guy I just beat, I need to make sure I prepare and get the job done. Kill or be killed. There’s a lot of pressure in this sport. I need to go in and make s*** happen my way.”
White said that Diaz made $2,000,000 for the last fight. The fighter, 30, was asked how much he was making at UFC 200.
“I’m making a lot of money,” said Diaz, adding “but not enough.”