Conor McGregor’s manager, Audie Attar, says that the Irishman watched his loss to Nate Diaz around 20 times – and that was before the post-fight press conference.
‘Obsessed’ has been the word of the month for UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor. According to Dana White, “The Notorious” has been obsessed with avenging his loss to Nate Diaz at UFC 196.
McGregor, who was originally supposed to challenge Rafael dos Anjos for the lightweight title in the main event, accepted a welterweight fight with Diaz after dos Anjos pulled out of the bout with a broken foot. Brimming with confidence, the Irishman started off strong against the younger Diaz brother, bloodying his face up with a series of left hands. The tides soon turned, however, when Diaz landed a swift 1-2 combination midway through the second round. After continued success with his combinations, the Stockton product eventually secured a rear-naked choke following a desperate take down attempt from an exhausted McGregor.
It marked the first loss of McGregor’s career and, according to his manager Audie Attar, the 27-year-old rewatched the fight around 20 times in the locker room. “Obsessed,” Attar said. “Obsessed with it,” per Marc Raimondi of MMA Fighting.
McGregor’s obsession is what led to an immediate rematch at the blockbuster UFC 200 pay-per-view in July. The SBG Ireland product was expected to return to featherweight to defend his title against Frankie Edgar, but the UFC confirmed the 170-pound rematch last month.
Conor McGregor vs Nate Diaz II will headline the event, which will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 9th.