Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight champion Conor McGregor, who also held gold at 145 pounds before relinquishing that title to Jose Aldo, is no stranger to the welterweight division.
“Notorious” made two trips north to fight Nate Diaz.
The power-punching Irishman was subbed by Diaz at UFC 196 — because the savage Stocktonite was clearly three times his size — but was able to battle back and capture a unanimous decision win in their UFC 202 rematch.
That makes them tied at one apiece.
So, when can mixed martial arts (MMA) fans expect their highly-anticipated rubber match? Never, according to promotion president Dana White, because fighting a MASSIVE guy like Diaz could be a career killer.
From his appearance on The Michael Kay Show (via MMA Fighting):
"The problem with the rubber match is Diaz is a 170 pounder. He's a massive guy. Conor is a very talented guy, he's very, very good. Every time he goes out there he looks better... [But] we should have never done it in the first place. That's what weight classes are for. They wanted to do it, we did it. They wanted to do it again, we did it again. They're 1-1. There's only so many of those wars you can be in in your career. It takes a lot out of you. Some guys go into wars like that and they're never the same after it. Look at Meldrick Taylor when he fought Julio Cesar Chavez. He was never the same after that fight. We've had those type of fights too. I believe that Rory MacDonald was never the same after the Robbie Lawler fight. That fight ruined him. I don't want to do that to someone special like Conor McGregor. It's just not right."
He’s not kidding, Diaz is MASSIVE (proof).
Not that it matters, as McGregor — a first-time daddy — won’t be returning to the Octagon for several months. And by his own admission, Diaz won’t be getting off his California couch for anything less than $20 million.
It’s really a shame Diaz isn’t ranked at lightweight and can’t make the 155-pound weight limit. That would save them both the trouble of having to move up to welterweight to settle their score.