“S*** is going to hit the fan”, he said before limping out of the press conference. Diaz said things are cool for a bit, too.
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The two put on an action-packed fight in which McGregor came out strong and then hung on in a tiring, bloody slugfest.
But it might not happen right away. If he and Diaz do fight again, expect the purses to be even larger than at UFC 202.
The fighters first met in March, and late replacement Diaz pulled off the upset via second-round submission. Conor McGregor has made an unprecedented amount of money in a relatively short time with the UFC. He reiterated his stance that McGregor either needed to return to featherweight and defend his title or give up the belt, allowing the division to move forward one way or another. The UFC granted their meal ticket his wish and instead of causing a logjam at featherweight, they arranged an interim title bout between Aldo and Frankie Edgar.
The upper weight limit for featherweights is 145 pounds.
His devastating victory over Jose Aldo capped a 12-month buildup and was the culmination of “The Year of McGregor” in the UFC, launching him to a new level of stardom and positioning him to take aim at greater challenges. It was a decision, he didn’t go out and get it.
“It’s hard for me to get excited about that, especially after his last performance”.
McGregor previously got the better of Aldo in their title fight at UFC 194 in December, knocking out the Brazilian just 13 seconds into the first round. A bet on Diaz, meanwhile, would result in net winnings of $145. This time at 155 pounds. Now he wants a third fight on his terms.
Yes, McGregor does not want to fight Aldo again but their fight still has the potential to draw a lot of people.
However, while nearly everyone else showered the bloodied and bruised combatants with praise, UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez remained unimpressed.
Following the fight, McGregor made the statement that a third fight is now necessary to find out who the better fighter truly is. The former UFC heavyweight champion collected $2.5 million for his bout with Mark Hunt.
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Diaz stated that he wouldn’t fight until he was granted a third match with McGregor in his media scrum (where he was self-medicating) following the card, but during a post-fight interview with FOX Sports, UFC President Dana White revealed that wouldn’t be happening as of now.
