Nate Diaz defends Conor McGregor decision to back out of UFC 303
06/26/2024 07:00 AM
When the UFC 303 Dublin Press Conference was abruptly canceled earlier this month, it was apparent that Conor McGregor's return fight against Michael Chandler was in jeopardy. A toe injury forced the former two-division UFC champion out of the UFC 303 main event.
The fight card took on a swift transformation after McGregor's exit and the Irish superstar received criticism from fighters, commentators and fans. In an unforeseen twist to the story, a former rival came to McGregor's defense about not fighting at UFC 303.
"I think it's a minor thing," Nate Diaz told MMAJunkie. "I think they're making a bigger deal out of it than it is."
Diaz famously handed McGregor his first UFC loss at UFC 196 back in March 2016 after stepping in on days notice after McGregor's original opponent, Rafael dos Anjos, was forced out due to a broken foot. McGregor avenged the loss in the rematch five months later at UFC 202, defeating Diaz via majority decision.
"It's a good idea," Diaz said about McGregor backing out due to injury. "If I was f***ed up I'd like to move the fight back too. But people f***ing freak out. I think I wouldn't want to fight until I'm 100-percent ready to rock too because in the past I've done all kinds of sh*t I shouldn't have done. I think he learned from experience, and obviously the inexperienced people are out there talking sh*t.
"That's just speaking from their inexperience. They're going to have to deal with the criticism until the fight gets done," Diaz continued. "I think it will happen and it will all be good."
Diaz will enter the boxing ring for the second time as a professional on July 6 against a familiar UFC foe, Jorge Masvidal. The fight takes place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The two first fought for the inaugural, symbolic "Baddest Motherf***er" (BMF) belt at UFC 244 in November 2019. Masvidal won via doctor stoppage due to a cut. On July 6, they'll run it back inside the boxing ring.
