McGregor: How can you not respect Nate Diaz?
Conor McGregor: Nate Diaz is one tough motherf@$%er
The lead up to a mixed martial arts fight can be ugly, because it puts asses in seats. But when the fight is over, there is nothing left but respect. Such was the case at UFC 202.
In the lead up to the fight with lightweight Nate Diaz, featherweight champion Conor McGregor threw energy drinks at Nate Diaz and friends, threatening to kill them all.
When the final bell rang, Diaz helped McGregor off the mat, and the pair exchanged brief words of praise. At the post fight press conference, McGregor gave voice to his respect.
“Boy is he one tough motherf***er,” said McGregor afterward, as transcribed by Marc Raimondi for MMA Fighting. “He keeps on walking forward. He took every shot. I dropped him multiple times. He just keeps coming. His face was busted open and he’s still coming forward.”
“I learned from the last contest. I stayed calm. I bounced the shots off my shoulders. I stayed tight in the pocket. I knew I was gonna have that moment where he was gonna be in my face and dig forehead under my chin and start unloading, so I caught shots and deflected shots and then hit him to the body a couple of times and it turned the momentum again in my favor.”
“He’s a class competitor. It’s intense in the build up and everything is real. If we saw each other in the build up, if my team saw their team, something is going down and that’s just the way it is. But the respect is integral to battle for me and for them. This battle was won. We’ll regroup, we’ll go our separate ways, see what happens, and we’ll gather up for another battle. And then we’ll be right back where we started.”
“I’ll tell you what, man, his face was opened up and he’s still just coming. He’s still just coming at me. You’ve gotta respect that. You’ve gotta respect Nate and the style of fighting he brings. How can you not?”
Their first fight at UFC 196 was the highest grossing pay per view in league history. Diaz won.
It is believed that their second fight on Saturday at UFC 202 will set a new record. McGregor won.
A trilogy fight is coming, and Diaz is waiting for it. However, McGregor is the UFC featherweight champion, and will apparently have to defend his title next against interim champion Jose Aldo, or let it go.