Nate Diaz didn’t want Conor McGregor trilogy fight: “I ain’t trying to finish this dude off”

There was a time when Nate Diaz was willing to share the Octagon with Conor McGregor in a trilogy bout, but that ship has sailed.

Over the years, Diaz and McGregor have had mutual respect. Diaz submitted McGregor in their first encounter back in March 2016. In August that same year, the “Notorious” one got his win back over the Stockton native via majority decision.

A third fight hadn’t materialized, but with McGregor planning a comeback fight in 2026, many felt one last dance with Diaz would’ve been the key play. Instead, Diaz will face Mike Perry on the undercard of Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano on May 16.

Appearing on “This Past Weekend,” Diaz explained why he didn’t want to fight McGregor at this stage in their lives (h/t MMAFighting).

“I want to fight the best of the best when they are the best of the best. Conor’s great, but I’m not trying to go kill off Conor when he’s on his last dying f*cking leg, literally. That’s f*cked up. I’m not trying to be the ending to some f*cker’s story like that. We ain’t friends, we ain’t none of that, but I ain’t trying to finish this dude off. That’s what I plan on doing if we’re fighting. At the same time, I ain’t trying to get f*cked up by nobody who just got knocked out on his ass and broke his leg, this guy’s down and out, now he’s nothing but motivated to fight me because who else are you going to fight in there? They’re probably going to give him a f*cking BMF belt, f*cking bitch-ass Oliveira, who I believe I’ll beat the f*cking shit out of.”

McGregor’s comeback fight hasn’t been announced. UFC CEO Dana White admitted that a July date is possible, but he insisted that nothing is set in stone. One of the opponents that has been rumored is Max Holloway, but that hasn’t been confirmed at this time.

The last time McGregor stepped inside the Octagon was back in 2021. He suffered a broken leg in his trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier. The former lightweight and featherweight champion was going to clash with Michael Chandler in 2024, but an injury derailed that idea.

What do you make of Nate Diaz’s explanation for not accepting a trilogy fight against Conor McGregor? Join in on the conversation below.