EXCLUSIVE
Conor McGregor says he OWES Nate Diaz a third fight — purely out of respect — and states definitively, “The trilogy will happen.”
McGregor was standing on the bar at Binny’s Beverage Depot in Chicago when he told a bunch of his fans why the rubber match NEEDS to happen. TMZ Sports has the video.
“He fought me, he beat me. He gave me a rematch at the exact same weight, there was no hesitation, that’s a true fighter right there,” McGregor said.
“I have nothing but respect … I owe him the trilogy now and the trilogy will happen.”
Of course, Conor first fought Diaz at UFC 196 in March 2016 — where was choked out and submitted in a legendary, bloody brawl with the fighter from Stockton.
Diaz agreed to a rematch at UFC 202 in August 2016 — where Conor emerged victorious in a 5-round major decision.
There’s been talk of a third fight for years — but Conor has been chasing bigger money fights with guys like Floyd Mayweather and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Conor still has a TON of options — he’s only 30 years old and wants rematches with Floyd and Khabib … but it seems a trilogy with Nate is high on his priority list.
The UFC has gotta be excited about it too … considering McGregor vs. Diaz I is the 3rd most bought pay-per-view fight in UFC history … and McGregor vs. Diaz II is the 2nd biggest.
The #1 PPV of all time? McGregor vs. Khabib.
Conor recently talked about how he NEEDS to get the Khabib rematch too … and famously posted a post-fight breakdown pointing out what he did wrong — but many people think he needs to get a win under his belt before he steps back in the Octagon with The Eagle.
The other issue with Conor … he says he wants OWNERSHIP shares of the UFC before he takes another fight.
What will the UFC do? It’s a great question …