Conor McGregor has mistakenly responded to a fight call-out from a Nate Diaz parody account after the American announced his planned return date in July.
McGregor will look to make a return to the UFC this year after stepping up his recovery from injury with a return to training. His primary focus now appears to be on a switch to 170lb after his weight increase, despite his two-time octagon rival Diaz previously ruling out a third meeting.
Diaz recently announced his intentions to make a welterweight return, tweeting: "July 30th 170lbs." A parody account for the UFC star named "Nathan Diaz translator" with the same profile picture tweeted: "The trilogy it's on! @thenotoriousMMA strap that leg up."
McGregor immediately hit back at the parody account, writing: "Strapped bro. Sig sour jellies." It remains unclear whether the Irishman was misled by the trolling profile or if he deliberately responded to the trilogy claim.
Diaz has previously announced his desire to exit the UFC after failing to find a final fight for his contract, but recently produced another demand for an opponent in a fresh social media outburst.
However during the demand, he dismissed the opportunity of facing McGregor for a third time which has previously been proposed by UFC president Dana White. Diaz's friend Yancy Medeiros believes the star would rather quit his contract prior to a final fight than face his former foe.
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"I think Nate is just popping off to make trouble," Medeiros explained of Diaz's tweet calling for his UFC release. "I think the UFC have got to make him an offer he can't refuse or else he's going to fight out his contract.
"How come he's telling UFC he'll fight Dustin and Dustin said he'll fight him but they're not making it happen? It's a great fight that would do views, but it's got to be more. Nate wants to fight his contract out because he wants to be a free agent. Why won't they let him fight the contract out? You can connect the dots and cross the 't's, dot the 'i's."
McGregor has talked up several potential opponents for his comeback clash but most recently called out 170lb champion Kamaru Usman to an immediate title shot. It is unlikely the 33-year-old will step in to face the division's top fighter first, with a tune-up fight instead proposed.
Welterweight contender Belal Muhammad has advised McGregor to pursue Diaz as a safer option than Usman on his return. "He lost to Poirier but thinks he can come up to welterweight and beat Usman, it doesn’t make any sense," Muhammed said.
"Unless he still thinks that he has that one punch power and is hoping he can land that one punch, but it’s not going to happen for him I don’t think. I think it’ll end up being him against Nate Diaz and that’s the safer fight for him."
