Although he came up short against one of the best boxers to ever lace up a pair of gloves, Conor McGregor was widely praised by the mixed martial arts (MMA) community for his valiant effort against Floyd Mayweather Jr. last week.
But not everyone was pleased with the Irish superstar’s crossover from the octagon to the boxing ring, especially his rival Nate Diaz, who chastised the UFC Lightweight Champion in a recent social media post.
The 32-year-old lanky fighter reposted a photo from the UFC’s official Instagram page, which quoted McGregor as saying, “I Never Lose Either I Win Or I Learn.”
In true Diaz fashion, he lashed out at his former adversary and described the “fight of the century” as “over promotion.”
“He punched himself out the same way he lost in the Ufc there was no learning goin on..,” he wrote.
“Bullsh** get off the nuts this the sh*t I’m talking about Bruce Lee would’ve never lost like that,” he added, along with another expletive hashtag and emoji.
Diaz’s comments came after McGregor appeared to be winning the early rounds of the bout, before Mayweather picked up his rhythm en route to a TKO victory in the 10th round. The MMA fighter was visibly gassed mid-way to the fight—which Diaz knows all too well as McGregor’s cardio was also suspect the first time they fought at UFC 196 last year.
Although Diaz’s smack talk is nothing new for MMA fans, it certainly sets up the stage for a a possible trilogy bout, when McGregor decides to return to the promotion.
Diaz won their first bout via rear-naked choke, while McGregor avenged that loss at UFC 202 via decision. /ra
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