Diaz: If Conor McGregor doesn’t want to fight me, he shouldn’t be fighting

If McGregor loses to Diaz again, it could seriously damage his untouchable persona. But Diaz said taking that risk is what professional fighting is all about.

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Despite some wondering whether Conor McGregor is making the right career move by rushing back into the octagon for a rematch against Nate Diaz, Diaz thinks scheduling the fight was an obvious choice. 

Diaz upset McGregor with a second-round submission at UFC 196 in March, handing him his first UFC loss. The two were originally scheduled to fight again at UFC 200 on July 9 before McGregor was pulled from the card for his refusal to promote the event.

If McGregor loses to Diaz again, it could seriously damage his untouchable persona. But Diaz said taking that risk is what professional fighting is all about. 

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“If you don’t want to fight a guy who beat you, or show you’re better than the guy everybody thinks is better than you, then I don’t know what you’re in this sport for,” Diaz told Fox Sports’ Jason Whitlock on Tuesday. “Because that’s what I’m in it for. That’s what I was in it for in the beginning—to let everyone know I’m the baddest dude there is.”

McGregor and Diaz will fight at UFC 202 on Aug. 20 in Las Vegas.