WATCH: When Conor McGregor hilariously trolled Nate Diaz on Conan O’Brien late night show
A throwback to when Conor McGregor hilariously trolled Nate Diaz on the Conan O'Brien Late Night Show ahead of rematch.
Follow Us
(Image Courtesy - Mirror Online/ UFC)
Ahead of a possible return as coach in The Ultimate Fighter, Conor McGregor’s fight with Michael Chandler has been announced. The two fighters will be coaching their respective teams starting in May and will probably fight in October. The fight will witness former two-division UFC champion, Conor McGregor’s return to the octagon after almost two years of inactivity due to a vicious leg break at UFC 264.
Conor McGregor has given the sport of MMA some of the greatest rivalries and moments that defined his stardom. One such rivalry is with Stockton slapper and UFC welterweight, Nate Diaz. The McGregor-Diaz rivalry was one of the most trending topics at one time when Conor McGregor seemed unbeatable but was surprisingly submitted by Diaz.
The rivalry would later go on to set up benchmarks for UFC’s PPV buy records. To promote their rematch fight, Diaz had been invited to Conan O’Brien’s Late Night Show in 2016. This is when Conan O’Brien revealed that the Irishman had left a message for Diaz in a video clip. “I just hope he is not up on that stage wearing that same stupid black t-shirt… I’ve flown in specific body types to replicate Nate’s skinny tall frame. August 20, I get my revenge,” McGregor hilariously trolled Diaz in the video ahead of the rematch at UFC 202
After Conor McGregor’s explosive growth up to the UFC featherweight championship, the fighter was challenged by Nate Diaz for his gimmicks. McGregor accepted and went on to fight Diaz at UFC 196 in the welterweight division. However, things did not go as planned after McGregor shockingly ran out of gas and got submitted by Diaz. Despite early success in striking, McGregor was unable to keep his stamina intact.
How Conor McGregor vs Nate Diaz transformed the accessibility of MMA and its presence as a sport
The UFC was established in the mid 90s when UFC boss, Dana White had not taken over the operations. Before the UFC, other promotions like Strike Force and PRIDE FC were fellow renowned promoters. However, the accessiblity and knowledge of MMA as a sport was not as widespread as it is today.
Over years of promotion and marketing, MMA established itself as a sport worth telecasting. UFC’s highest selling pay-per-view up until 2016 was registered to Brock Lesnar vs Frank Mir II at UFC 100 in 2009. The event grossed $82 million in total from PPV buys. It is after UFC’s greatest showman, Conor McGregor made his debut and way up to the featherweight rankings and championship that the dynamics of the fight business changed.
Conor McGregor vs Jose Aldo in 2015 grossed 1.2 million PPV buys while McGregor vs Diaz I grossed 1.3 million buys, followed by the Diaz rematch grossing 1.6 million PPV buys. This is when UFC boss, Dana White realized that his greatest cash cow existed in McGregor’s persona and showmanship. McGregor currently has 8/10 highest selling PPV events to his name.
The stardom is pretty much understandable when we consider the trash talking, the skill set, the level of intensity that McGregor is know for bringing out. After the era of MMA pioneers passed, it was McGregor vs Diaz which garnered the attention of the world towards UFC and MMA. The rivalry between the two fighters and the competitiveness to win along with on-stage altercations fueled how MMA rivalries would be perceived in the future.
In case you missed it:
“Heavyweight’s Tony Ferguson” – Fans disappointed as ‘finished’ Derrick Lewis faces yet another loss
Stay Updated!
Debabrata Samal
(86 Articles Published)