Nate Diaz questions whether Conor McGregor was genuine with his trash talk in the lead-up to UFC 196.
The trash talk between Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor in the lead-up UFC 196 served as an appetiser for their battle in the Octagon on fight night. While McGregor’s verses made the rounds at the pre-fight press conference — gun signs with the right hand and animal balloons with the left — it was Diaz’ Stockton slaps and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu that stole the show in the main event.
Diaz, 30, took the Irishman’s best shots in the 1st round and replied with a barrage of his own in the 2nd. The proud Cesar Gracie Jiu Jitsu student utilized his boxing and grappling to maximum effect, eventually submitting McGregor with a rear-naked choke 9 minutes into the fight.
Diaz, who seemed largely unfazed by McGregor’s antagonizing behaviour in the media, believes “The Notorious” had been scripting some of his lines.
“It seemed like a lot of scripted stuff was going on,” Diaz told FOX Sports’ At The Buzzer on Wednesday (h/t Marc Raimondi of MMA Fighting). “Maybe he was serious about what he was saying, but it sounded like some bullsh*t to me.”
“No matter what people say, no matter if he’s winning the argument battles or losing the argument battles … at the end of the day we’re still gonna get in there and fight,” Diaz said. “I know what I train with and what I work with and what he’s working with. And yeah.”
The former lightweight title challenger has been a household name in the UFC since his stint on The Ultimate Fighter 5, which saw Diaz beat Manvel Gamburyan in the final. Diaz has conquered some of the finest contenders in the promotion, including Donald Cerrone, Michael Johnson and Gray Maynard, but has always fell short of championship glory. His win over McGregor, however, could mark the beginning of a new era for the Californian.
Although Diaz was interested in a rematch with 155-pound champ Rafael dos Anjos, the UFC have plans to book McGregor vs Diaz II at UFC 200. It’s expected that the pay-per-view will house some of the biggest names in the sport at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 9th.