Nate Diaz has sent a five-word message to Conor McGregor after confirming he rejected a trilogy fight with the Irishman. The former UFC star is set to face Mike Perry this weekend on Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions MMA card, turning down a chance to settle the score with his old rival.
Diaz Opens Up on McGregor Trilogy Rejection
Speaking to Ariel Helwani, Diaz admitted he was close to returning to the UFC but was not interested in being part of McGregor's comeback story. 'One hundred percent I did consider going back to UFC,' Diaz said. 'I was pretty close because they've always been great since I left too, and they met up with me and talked to me and we had some talks and it was good to see them and good to be back.'
He added: 'And wheels were spinning just for an MMA fight, an MMA return, and getting back to what I do. And I know that they wanted the Conor fight right now and that's not what I'm about. I'm like, I'm not trying to be a comeback story for Conor.'
Historic Rivalry Revisited
The pair first clashed in 2016, with Diaz submitting McGregor at UFC 196 to hand him his first UFC loss. McGregor avenged the defeat months later by outpointing Diaz in a thrilling rematch. Since then, McGregor has not fought since losing to Dustin Poirier in 2021, while Diaz last competed in the octagon in 2022, submitting Tony Ferguson.
Despite fan hopes for a trilogy, Diaz chose a different path, signing with Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions. He will now face fellow ex-UFC fighter Mike Perry on the undercard of Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano this Saturday night.
McGregor's Comeback Plans
UFC president Dana White has expressed confidence that McGregor will return this summer. 'We're in a great place with Conor. I'm extremely confident that Conor will fight this year,' White said. 'He's training, there's footage out there of him in training right now. We haven't announced anything yet. He'll fight this summer.'
Former featherweight champion Max Holloway appears to be the frontrunner for a fight with McGregor, 13 years after their initial meeting. 'I mean we have history,' Holloway said. 'We fought a very long time ago. I told you guys, if somebody's got one over me, I want to get him back. I'd love to get him back.'
Holloway added: 'He looks hungrier. He looks super hungry. He just did a boxing exhibition not too long ago so that was pretty cool to see him. I would just like to get one back. It's a huge fight. It's a big fight. Anything with Conor McGregor is huge but having history with the dude, being able to get one back would be cool.'
