We are now merely a day away before the biggest UFC fight of the year between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz and the anticipation is at a fever pitch. Before they step into the Octagon however, there are a slew of media obligations left to fulfill. Both men have appeared in a plethora of interviews lately, as well as a few intense scuffles (some of which involved flying bottles of water).
Diaz was interviewed by BT Sport recently, and during the conversation Diaz went off on the UFC for protecting McGregor too much and not giving him his due respect. The Stockton Bad Boy was critical of the way the UFC handled his career — having him fight all the hardcore bouts for the greater part of the last 10 years while claiming that all McGregor had to do was talk his way into big fights.
Moving forward, Diaz says he’ll only take the big fights and is done fighting ‘just for fun.’
Nate Diaz is out to get the big fights late in his career
“I’m going to fight this fight and then, whoever wants it, it better be a big deal,” said Diaz. “Like I said, I’m done fighting all these people just for fun.”
Recently, Diaz was also critical of fighters negotiating fights on social media, believing this is not the way to go about calling someone out. Diaz believes if you plan to call someone out, you should do it the right way.
“If you want to fight me, I don’t want to hear no Twitter call out. We can’t hear you up here,” said Diaz. “You better say my name, and you better say it loud. Otherwise, I don’t hear you.”
Aside from not getting his just due, Diaz was also irked that the UFC was making him out to be a much bigger opponent than McGregor, giving the Irish fighter an excuse to say he was simply a bigger man should Diaz emerge victorious.
“Last time I checked, he was the 145-lb. champ. I’ve been fighting at 155 for the last 15 years, so how am I all of a sudden this monstrous guy?” said Diaz. “ It’s funny how the UFC is pushing that I’m a welterweight.
“Don’t be twisting up what I am and what I’m not. You guys are trying to twist the media, I mean, putting this guy out to be some little person I beat up. I don’t think so. We’re the same size. I’m taller, or maybe a little bigger, who cares?”
Diaz and McGregor face each other this Saturday, in the main event of UFC 202 which takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The bout will be fought at welterweight just like the first encounter, but already, McGregor’s legion of supporters are quick to point out that Diaz has huge size on the Irishman.
