Conor McGregor's head coach John Kavanagh said the Notorious harassed UFC president Dana White and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta "on a daily basis" to secure a rematch with Nate Diaz at UFC 200, and money is no longer his motivation to enter the Octagon.
The two will meet again on July 9 in an immediate rematch after Diaz submitted McGregor at UFC 196, handing the Irishman his first UFC loss.
In an exclusive article for The42, Kavanagh wrote McGregor thought he didn't show his true abilities in their first meeting, and a rematch with Diaz was the only fight he wanted:
When we got back to the changing room after the fight, a rematch with Diaz was already being discussed. A defence of Conor’s featherweight belt was also mentioned, but as the hours drifted by, the frustration of not doing himself justice began to take hold and grate.
Conor chased this rematch. That’s how it has come about. He’s much more concerned about trying to give a perfect representation of his ability than he is about material things like belts or money. That’s just a fact. Money is certainly not a motivating factor anymore because he has already made plenty of it.
Conor believes that the last fight didn’t accurately reflect the skills and ability he possesses, so he’s eager to address that. He ended up harassing UFC president Dana White and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta on a daily basis for a rematch. This is the fight that’s of most interest to him right now.
Per Damon Martin of Fox Sports, White has confirmed McGregor will finally return to the featherweight division after UFC 200, whether he wins or loses against Diaz. Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar will do battle for the interim title, and the winner of that fight will go up against McGregor.
Here's footage of White interview, in which he also admits McGregor was "obsessed" with fighting Diaz again:
Bleacher Report's Mike Chiappetta doubts the Notorious will return to the featherweight division, however:
It's easy to see why McGregor was so keen on meeting Diaz again this soon after their first fight. The Notorious looked smooth and in control during the first round of their bout but slowed down considerably in the second, something Kavanagh blames on a cardio issue.
The tactic of trying to stop the much bigger Diaz, who is notoriously difficult to knock out―per ESPN.com, he has only one knockout loss on his resume―didn't pay off, and that's something McGregor will have to take into their next bout, noted by Kavanagh.
Per Martin, McGregor has always struggled to cut his weight down in the featherweight division, and after taking back-to-back bouts at 170 pounds, many will continue to doubt he'll return to defend his title. Expect the winner of the fight between Edgar and Aldo to make sure White remembers the current plan for McGregor's future.
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