Conor McGregor Open To A Rematch With Nate Diaz

UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor’s first fight at welterweight at UFC 196 didn’t go the way he thought it would, as he was submitted by Nate Diaz in the second round.

McGregor was winning the fight up until Diaz caught him with a good shot in the second, which forced McGregor to uncharacteristically shoot for a takedown, which led to Diaz locking on the rear-naked choke.

Even though he lost, Conor McGregor is arguably still the biggest star in the UFC, and it’s likely that he’ll be main-eventing this July’s UFC 200 card, which is expected to be the most successful pay-per-view in the history of the company.

As for who the current featherweight champ will be facing at the event, well, that’s still very much up in the air. But a guy like McGregor, who is willing to fight at featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight, has plenty of options.

Before McGregor was submitted at UFC 196, there was talk of having him fight the returning Georges St. Pierre at UFC 200, which is why GSP was in attendance for the event. But now that fight is completely off the table.

There was also talk of having McGregor challenge Robbie Lawler for the welterweight championship this July. But, due to the fact that “Mystic Mac” is now 0-1 at 170 pounds, that fight is off the table as well. In fact, it’s now looking like Georges St. Pierre may end up fighting Lawler instead of McGregor.

Jose Aldo, Rafael dos Anjos, and Frankie Edgar all want a crack at McGregor this July, and of the three, Frankie Edgar is the one who’s most likely to end up inside the octagon with him at UFC 200. But, there is another option for McGregor, and that’s a rematch with Nate Diaz.

TMZ recently caught up with Conor McGregor, and they asked the UFC featherweight champ if he would be open to fighting Nate Diaz again. McGregor responded by saying that he’s open to a rematch with Nate Diaz because he would “love to get that one back.”

Conor McGregor — I'd Like Bieber in My Corner!!! (VIDEO) https://t.co/7WBRifN3jq

— TMZ (@TMZ) March 13, 2016

“I think I’d like to see (a rematch with Nate Diaz), yeah? I mean, it’s one that interests me, most certainly. You know, when I look at the fight I was winning the fight. I won the first round and a half, I feel. I’d love to get that one back. We’ll see how it goes. Money talks. Life is good.”

UFC president Dana White recently said that the UFC 196 pay-per-view did 1.5 million buys, which would put it right behind UFC 100 as the second most successful pay-per-view in the history of the company. So, doing Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor again may not be the worst idea in the world.

Rafael dos Anjos, who was McGregor’s original opponent at UFC 196, said that he wants to fight McGregor at UFC 200 to make up for the huge pay-day that he missed out on. RDA is the current lightweight champion, and McGregor still does want to be the UFC’s first ever double-champion. So, a fight between “The Notorious One” and RDA may be on the table for July’s UFC 200.

But, as previously mentioned, Frankie Edgar is the one who’s most likely to get a shot at “Mystic Mac” this July. Why? Because Edgar is on a five-fight winning streak, and he is by far the most deserving title-contender at any weight-class in the entire UFC. So, it’d be ridiculous for the company to overlook “The Answer” once again.

[Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images]