Conor McGregor Promises to 'Toy With' Nate Diaz in UFC 202 Rematch

If people thought Conor McGregor would change after just one slice of humble pie, they were wrong. With McGregor slated to face Nate Diaz at UFC 202 in a rematch, the UFC featherweight champion proved to be his usual self while on media rounds Saturday. 

Speaking at a promotional event for coach John Kavanagh's new book, McGregor told reporters his next fight with Diaz wouldn't pan out like the first.

"I'm feeling very confident in myself that I'll go in and I'll toy with this man," said McGregor, per David O'Gorman (h/t MMAFighting.com's Marc Raimondi). "Eight minutes of the fight, I was toying with him. That fadeaway left hand that he caught me with, my senses were still there. It was almost like a fatigue thing that my balance was gone." 

McGregor was on the bad end of one of MMA's craziest upsets at UFC 196, when he took on Diaz in a short-notice welterweight fight. After a back-and-forth first round, Diaz tagged McGregor with a big left hand and kicked off an offensive that culminated in a deal-sealing rear-naked choke. 

The loss spawned a number of questions regarding McGregor's future in MMA and his approach to fight promotion. Answers to the former won't come until UFC 202 on August 20 in Las Vegas. As for the latter? McGregor is of the "if it isn't broken, don't fix it" persuasion.

So what does he have to say about the loss? And how will he adjust for the rematch?

He told reporters Saturday:

I didn't actually bring in any southpaws. Not one. I didn't spar with any southpaws, because the reason we don't really care what the opponent is doing is because they always pull out, every damn time. But this time I know Nate is gonna show up...now I have brought in tall, lanky southpaws with a solid lead hand, guys with solid jiu-jitsu credentials and John is overlooking every session, managing every session.

While the bout could break any number of ways, there is one guarantee: The build to fight night should be entertaining.

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