Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight champion, Conor McGregor, is expected to make his mixed martial arts (MMA) return at one of the upcoming pay-per-view (PPV) events in July, presumably UFC 239 on July 6 in Las Vegas.
And despite this claim to the contrary, don’t expect him to serve as co-main event.
Since reigning 155-pound titleholder, Khabib Nurmagomedov, is out of action until November, and Donald Cerrone is no longer pursuing a “Notorious” showdown, the list of potential opponents is getting smaller by the minute.
Which makes it the perfect time for a Nate Diaz rubber match.
“He fought me, he beat me,” McGregor told fans during his Proper No. 12 whiskey tour (transcribed by TMZ). “He gave me a rematch at the exact same weight, there was no hesitation, that’s a true fighter right there. I have nothing but respect. I owe him the trilogy now and the trilogy will happen.”
And to be fair, Diaz has been patient (as requested).
Diaz served as a late replacement for the UFC 196 main event, shocking McGregor (and the world) with a second-round submission win. They ran it back at UFC 202 just a few months later, where “Notorious” emerged with a majority decision victory.
Early predictions on this pending trilogy?