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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Daniel Chavkin

McGregor Shares Message for Rival Nate Diaz Ahead of UFC 279

Nate Diaz will fight for the final time in the UFC during UFC 279, and one of his biggest rivals chimed in on the milestone.

Conor McGregor took to congratulate Diaz on finishing his contract with the UFC.

“Congrats Nate Diaz on making it to the end of his contractual obligations with the UFC, and as a bonafide superstar goer,” he wrote. “An incredible feat. Fair play. Our trilogy will happen.”

The trilogy that McGregor mentioned is, of course, a reference to a potential third bout between the two fighters. McGregor and Diaz split the first two fights against each other, both in 2016, but a deciding third fight hasn’t come to fruition like it once felt like it would.

However, like McGregor, Diaz also expressed confidence that the two would ultimately fight a third time despite his contract expiring.

“The timing’s not on right now,” Diaz told Inside Fighting, via MMA Junkie. “We’ll worry about that later. It’s for sure going to happen at some point… Yeah, at some point. He needs to get back on what he’s got to do, whatever that is. It’s like, when we match up, we’re going to match up. But we ain’t going nowhere.”

In the meantime, Diaz will fight Tony Ferguson on Saturday night after his original opponent, the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev, failed to make weight. The event will finally end his contractual obligations to UFC. 

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