Conor McGregor reasserted at the post-fight UFC 202 press conference last night that a third fight between him and Nate Diaz will be on his terms – meaning he will only fight Diaz if Diaz drops to 155 so the size difference isn’t as great. He said he has other options in the mean time.
“I am the 145 pound champion. 155 is there and it will be there on my terms for the trilogy fight,” he said, referencing Nate Diaz wanting a third fight.
Dana White is pushing McGregor to defend his title and is threatening to strip him of it if he doesn’t. McGregor fired back. “If they wanna give my belt to the guy I KO’d in 13 seconds and bury that division in the prelims or the fight pass… what will that do to the division?” he said.
Regarding his critics who wrote him off going into UFC 202 (61 percent of MMATorch.com readers predicted a Diaz victory in our pre-UFC 202 poll), he said the natural weight difference between them should have been taken more into consideration. “They tried to say if I lose this one I’m done.” he said. “They tried to discredit me, but they forgot that I was the one coming up from 145 and he was the heavier fighter”
He had some praise for Diaz, who lasted five rounds with McGregor, unfamiliar territory for him. “He is one tough motherf—–. He kept coming forward after every shot and I dropped him multiple times.”
Cervantes Analysis: McGregor and the UFC may not come to terms on his future and the fights they’d like to see versus the fights he’d like to be involved in. The issue here is that the ball is in his court because he went out there and won in a fight many thought he’d lose given the way the first fight went. He may also be calling the UFC’s bluff in saying they’ll strip him of his title because without him holding the belt, that division, in the eyes of many fans, would not be nearly as exciting. Before McGregor, 145 lb fighters never got much exposure and that division was among the least watched when it came to PPV buys. The UFC may want to think about how they deal with McGregor going forward as he has just put himself in a very advantageous position for the future
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