After pulling out of UFC 303, Conor McGregor left the entire fighting world in a state of anticipation and disappointment. As the community kept hoping for the return of the former champ-champ, McGregor announced that he has plans to run for the post of Ireland’s next president. Not just that—he’s been super busy promoting his co-owned Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, acting as a quasi-rival to Dana White, and taking the bare-knuckle organisations to territory never chartered before by the UFC. But now, he may just be tempted to return to the Octagon, as an old foe has come knocking.
“I 100% guarantee that I’m gonna fight Conor McGregor again.” Nate Diaz has had ‘Mystic Mac’ in his crosshairs for a third fight for quite some time now. The first time the duo fought was at UFC 196, and the bout ended with Diaz claiming the win via a second-round submission, becoming the first man to beat McGregor in the UFC. Their rematch at UFC 200 was later canceled, and the two fought once again at UFC 202, and ‘The Notorious’ won a hard-fought majority decision. Cut to the present day, and Diaz expressed his desire to return, naming three opponents that he wants to face.
And even though he’s been doing the whole “will he, won’t he” shtick with regard to his return to the Octagon, ‘The Notorious’ has the same opinion about a trilogy fight with the Stockton native. The former UFC double champion once said, “I owe him a fight. I owe Nate a fight. So I gotta obligate that you know? In [our] rematch, I got the better of him, and I owe him the trilogy for sure.” And now, Diaz provided the biggest hint at his desire to make a memorable comeback.
During his recent appearance alongside Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson on The HJR Podcast, Diaz revealed, “I’m planning to go back to the UFC. If they’ll have me, I would like to go back and f—— whoop some of the a– there.” When the host of the show asked if he would like to fight Justin Gaethje, Diaz said, “I’m not fighting at 155, though. Right now, I’m not fighting there because there’s no bigger fight really. Kinda slow rolling. I don’t really have a name in mind right now in the UFC. That’s why I’m not there right now.”
So, who did the former UFC star have in mind? Of course, McGregor topped the list. When ‘Rampage’ reminded him of the Irishman, Diaz said, “Me and him (Conor McGregor) sure got unfinished business.” But he was also after the BMF belt. And with the BMF belt on the line, he wants to go up against Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway. Nate Diaz went on to talk about the BMF title and said, “The most entertaining thing in the UFC. And then all these guys rocking the belt… I hope you know you’re wearing my belt. Those are the guys right there who I wanna fight. Like Max Holloway. Beside that, I’d like to fight that other guy, Topuria…”
Nate Diaz reveals he wants to return to the UFC for the Conor McGregor trilogy — or a fight with Max Holloway or Ilia Topuria for the BMF title
“I plan on going back to the UFC. Me and Conor for sure got unfinished business. It’s got to happen. I’d like to fight Max… pic.twitter.com/Q8G3WNmJ0H
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) May 26, 2025
Well, Dana White is yet to respond to the callouts. We’re not sure if he’d actually let the Stockton native come back and fight again. But Conor McGregor seems pretty content with the idea of fighting Diaz. He even made a quirky revelation regarding TUF 31, which apparently pitted McGregor against Diaz at first. Let’s see what the former double champion had to say.
Conor McGregor once confirmed the trilogy bout against Nate Diaz
Talking to Ariel Helwani, McGregor revealed, “I’ll get that again. That trilogy will happen at some stage, for sure. We must fight. We’re one apiece, it’s a great rivalry, and it was a great fight. We gotta square that away, for sure. Am I a person not to get the fights made and done and happen? When I say, it happens. I have a load of bouts left in me, a lot of stories incomplete. And I’m excited to continue on and get them done.”
It was when McGregor and Michael Chandler were set to coach against each other at TUF 31. Before the UFC pushed Chandler into the picture, Diaz was slated to coach against him. McGregor continued, “The Ultimate Fighter just kind of presented itself. It was originally to be against Nate. It was me versus Nate. I did not mind who it was against, to be honest. Nor do I mind who I’m competing against. That’s widely known. So I had agreed to it, it was Nate. It was, like, a day or two before and now it’s Chandler.”
Even John Kavanaugh was of a similar opinion when it came to McGregor vs Diaz. But things seemed to fall apart when ‘The Notorious’ hinted that he wasn’t going to return. He claimed that he had achieved everything that people hoped for in MMA; becoming a UFC double champion, boxing Floyd Mayweather, and earning sums of money never seen before by the likes of a mixed martial artist.
What are your thoughts on the trilogy fight between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz? Do you think the UFC CEO should just let it happen? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.
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