Nate Diaz: Immediate Rematch Is ‘Gift’ To Conor McGregor Because UFC ‘Think It Was An Accident’ He Won


On March 5, 2016, MMA fans packed into the MGM Grand Garden Arena, or tuned in to pay-per-view at home or at their local bar, to watch Conor McGregor take on Nate Diaz at UFC 196: McGregor vs. Diaz. It was a peculiar fight because it was literally made in less than two weeks after Rafael dos Anjos, McGregor’s original opponent, pulled out due to a foot injury. Needless to say, it was thought that Diaz taking the fight at such short notice would surely work against him, but he still wanted his chance to “step the f**k up.”

Going into the fight, many thought Conor McGregor was on his way to winning as he landed bomb after bomb into Nate Diaz’s face. By the second round, however, things changed as “The Notorious” slowed down due to fatigue. This gave the “Stockton Bad Boy” an opportunity to retaliate, as he returned McGregor’s strikes with his own. Eventually, McGregor got desperate, taking Diaz down to the ground, a place where Diaz clearly had the advantage. This fact showed after Nate Diaz locked in a rear-naked choke on Conor McGregor after some ground-and-pound to gain victory.

Nate Diaz winning the fight was the biggest surprise of the night, and many believe Conor McGregor was not truly ready, including the UFC. Ergo, UFC is granting McGregor an immediate rematch. In Diaz’s eyes, the rematch is UFC’s “gift” to McGregor because they think “it was an accident” he won.

Nate Diaz made clear his thoughts that UFC does not believe in him defeating Conor McGregor in the second round with a rear-naked choke, as shown in the highlights above, during an interview with ESPN.

“I swear to God, the UFC thinks it was an accident or something. 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.'”

Of course, Nate Diaz is talking about Conor McGregor’s rematch against him at UFC 200: Diaz vs. McGregor 2, a landmark premier event for the MMA company. Right now, UFC is hyping up the rematch, despite the fact there are three more premier events UFC has yet to happen. According to ESPN Go, Dana White was on Fox Sports Center talking about how McGregor is now “obsessed” in avenging his first loss in the UFC. From what White says, McGregor wants to take on Diaz way before the dust settles on their first fight. He even wants to do it again at 170 pounds, the weight class McGregor was in when he lost to Diaz.

UFC
Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor will have their rematch at the landmark event “UFC 200: Diaz vs. McGregor 2.” [Image via “UFC 200: Diaz vs. McGregor” Promotions]
To be fair, Conor McGregor’s vengeance makes for excellent promotion for a second fight. However, Nate Diaz sees it all as UFC giving him a “gift.”

“Since that last fight, have you heard any praise for me from Dana or the UFC? None at all… 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.”

Despite the trash talk, Nate Diaz is taking the rematch seriously. He understands that Conor McGregor may be a different animal during their rematch. He also understands that leaning on his victory over McGregor will most likely be a clutch. Diaz needs to go into the fight with a clear head, no excuses, and the intent to win.

UFC 200: Diaz vs. McGregor 2 will take place on Saturday, July 9, 2016. The venue will be the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Along with Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor, José Aldo, Frankie Edgar, Cain Velasquez, Travis Browne, Johny Hendricks, and Sage Northcutt will also be featured.

[Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images]

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