He’s Back! @TheNotoriousMMA talks about his return, getting the title back… and fighting Nate Diaz at 165 Lbs? pic.twitter.com/Ma4KBlRDn1
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) October 4, 2018
The announcement that Valentina Shevchenko and Sijara Eubanks would headline UFC 230 came as a surprise to the MMA community, especially considering some of the other available options.
Prior to that announcement, Nate Diaz and Dustin Poirier proposed that their scheduled matchup could serve as the main event for the Madison Square Garden card with a newly-created 165-pound belt on the line, but UFC President Dana White shot down that notion.
Conor McGregor, with his blockbuster fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov just days away, weighed in on the UFC 230 controversy and the possibility of more weight classes within the Las Vegas-based promotion.
“I think Diaz-Poirier should be main event personally,” McGregor said on UFC Tonight. “But it’s great for the women, it gives them more opportunity. If it’s the belt that they are doing this for, then why not add more divisions?”
McGregor and Diaz have a history in the Octagon. Diaz handed McGregor his only defeat within the promotion at UFC 196, and the Irishman avenged that loss at UFC 202. After UFC 229, McGregor believes that he and Diaz still have unfinished business.
“I’ve got that trilogy with Diaz,” he said. “I will give that man that rematch. He gave me a rematch. I’ll give him a rematch.”
While their first two fights were contested at 170 pounds, McGregor is open to some different possibilities when it comes to a trilogy bout — though lightweight seems most likely.
“[It would be at] 155 I’d imagine,” McGregor said. “We’ll see because maybe we could spearhead a 165-pound division. I do believe we should go 145, 155, 165, 175, 185…even 195. So why not? They’re stripping people left and right. I only walked out of the cage, they didn’t even offer me a fight and I was getting stripped… Stick in more weight divisions, more champions, why not? If that’s what you’re doing anyway.
“I believe maybe me and Diaz could do the trilogy at 165. Who knows? As of now it’ll be a 155er.”