Conor McGregor had only praise for longtime rival and “bonafide superstar” Nate Diaz ahead of his likely UFC farewell bout.
Diaz (20-13 MMA, 15-11 UFC) will fight out the final bout on his current contract tonight when he meets Tony Ferguson (25-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC) on Saturday night at UFC 279 in a welterweight headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.
It hasn’t been an easy road to get to this point for Diaz. He’s been forced to the sidelines, offered illogical matchups and had to weave his way through UFC tactics to get to the cusp of free agency. He was supposed to fight undefeated wrecking machine Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 279, but the card was reshuffled after Chimaev missed weight by 7.5 pounds.
Nevertheless, Diaz is here, and McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) – who has two fights remaining on his own contract – congratulated his two-time opponent and said even though Diaz is on his way out, their rivalry isn’t done (via Twitter):
Congrats Nate Diaz on making it to the end of his contractual obligations with the UFC, and as a bonafide superstar goer. An incredible feat. Fair play.
Our trilogy will happen.— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) September 10, 2022
Congrats Nate Diaz on making it to the end of his contractual obligations with the UFC, and as a bonafide superstar goer. An incredible feat. Fair play.
Our trilogy will happen.
Conor McGregor applauds Nate Diaz for finding freedom from UFC and promises a future trilogy. 👀#UFC279 | Read more: https://t.co/073sgLDikL pic.twitter.com/5OH0HJfpt6
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) September 10, 2022
McGregor and Diaz fought in two of the more memorable fights in UFC history. Diaz scored a shocking upset on short notice and handed McGregor his first octagon loss at UFC 196 in March 2016, only for “The Notorious” to storm back and win a majority decision in the rematch at UFC 202 in August 2016.
A third encounter has been talked about for years, and both men have stated it will happen before their careers conclude.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 279.
