Eight years removed from their last meeting, Nate Diaz is still confident that he’ll close out his trilogy with Irish megastar Conor McGregor.
During a brief interview with Give Me Sport, the ‘Stockton Samurai’ offered his personal guarantee that a third fight with the former two-division UFC champion will happen. Diaz also revealed a couple more names on his hit list.
“I 100% guarantee I’m gonna fight Conor McGregor again and I have a 100% guarantee that I’m probably going to fight Jake Paul again,” Diaz said. And Leon Edwards again. That’s my hit list.”
Stepping in on short notice at UFC 196, Nate Diaz handed McGregor his first career loss inside the Octagon, submitting the Irishman in the second round via rear-naked choke.
Five months later, they would run it back at UFC 202. This time, ‘Mystic Mac’ came out on top, scoring a majority decision after 25 minutes of back-and-forth action.
Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz go their separate ways following back-to-back bouts
Immediately following their second scrap, fans were clamoring for a rubber match between the two. However, their careers took very different paths with McGregor moving on to become the UFC’s first-ever double champion, claiming the lightweight title less than a year after his viral 13-second KO of Jose Aldo to capture the featherweight crown.
McGregor then used his clout to cash in with a cross-over clash against legendary pugilist Floyd Mayweather in 2017.
Meanwhile, Nate Diaz went 2-2 in his last four fights with the promotion, though he did exit the company on a high note, earning a submission win over Tony Ferguson — his first time making an opponent tap out since the inaugural bout with McGregor — at UFC 279 in September 2022. Diaz has since stepped inside the squared circle for a showdown with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
Diaz will return to the boxing ring on Saturday, June 1 for a scrap with former BMF titleholder Jorge Masvidal on pay-per-view.
