Anything can happen in MMA, but according to Nate Diaz, that didn't stop the UFC brass from setting the stage for a dazzling Georges St-Pierre return.
When Diaz interrupted the Conor McGregor perpetual motion machine with a rear naked choke at UFC 196, he says it did more than derail a hype train. Diaz says he threw a wrench into UFC machinations working toward a McGregor-GSP fight.
In an appearance on Chael Sonnen's podcast "You're Welcome," Diaz said (h/t: MMAJunkie), “I knew what was going on. Yeah, they had GSP there (at UFC 196) to have this big whole GSP/McGregor show bulls--t. I don’t even want to hear that. GSP’s going to come out of retirement to fight this little ass Conor McGregor? What the f--k? This is all just a freak show now.
“So now what did I do? I pissed off Conor McGregor, I pissed off GSP, and most of all, I pissed off the UFC. But LOL, motherf--kers. That’s what you all get.”
The fight at UFC 196 was originally a lightweight title challenge between McGregor and Rafael dos Anjos. Dos Anjos pulled out with a broken foot, and Diaz stepped in on 11 days' notice. The bout was bumped to 170, and after losing the first round on the cards to McGregor, Diaz outboxed and submitted him toward the end of the second.
Diaz's glee at complicating the UFC's supposed plans echoes the satisfaction immediately following his victory over McGregor. In his post-fight speech, he summed his take on the histrionics with typical Diaz succinctness:
Should the former welterweight champion fight the Irishman, it won't happen at UFC 200. A rematch at 170 between Diaz and McGregor headlines the July 9 card.
Citing personal issues, GSP went on indefinite hiatus in 2013, following 21 fights in the UFC—15 of which were title fights. The hiatus seemed like a probable retirement, but his appearance at UFC 196 immediately sparked talk of a return.
Diaz is happy to be the wrench, rather than sit quietly while the UFC orchestrates "freak show" matches. "I want to be the first one to speak up (on St-Pierre): You’re a f--king bully. You know you’re going to hold that little-ass Irish man down and take his money. Get your ass up to your weight class, and Conor McGregor’s out of line trying to fight big-ass people."
While Diaz readily accepted the rematch, he said he'd never been offered one against any fighter he's lost to, and McGregor was "getting babied." It does smack of an attempt to rewrite history; rarely does a non-title fight result in an immediate rematch. But McGregor is a star, and Diaz recognizes it's a "big money fight."
With months to prepare instead of days, Diaz still didn't open as the betting favorite. And consider that for UFC 196, as he noted, "(McGregor)'s getting all this damn credit for going up two weight classes, but let’s not forget that I was not doing s--t."
He wasn't training for a triathlon, as UFC president Dana White previously said. Diaz was partying down on a yacht in Mexico with fellow fighter Gilbert Melendez and crew.
McGregor, on the other hand, had had a full fight camp. It wasn't tailored for a fight at 170, but some of what stymied him with Diaz before will remain unchanged—like Diaz's height, reach and Brazilian jiu-jitsu mastery.
With a full camp for Diaz and a now-familiar foe for McGregor, the rematch will undoubtedly earn its big money status.
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