UFC: Nate Diaz Says Conor McGregor's Trash Talk Through UFC 196 Build-up Was 'Scripted'
Every time UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor fights, it is expected to have some trash talk to be thrown around.
"The Notorious" has built his name as one of the most vocal fighters in the game today, with the manner of which he lambasts his opponents verbally, breaking them down mentally. Almost every opponent of McGregor fell victim to being an emotional wreck on fight night, after being riled up by the weeks of tirades being thrown around through the fight's build-up.
In December at UFC 194, former long-time 145-pound champion José Aldo was a classic example, as he came in aggressively. In turn, McGregor threw a single left hand that landed flush on the jaw of the bull-rushing Aldo, ending the fight within 13 seconds.
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But it was a different scenario altogether when McGregor was billed to face former lightweight title contender Nate Diaz. The 30-year old Stockton, California native, whose penchant for trash talk is the same as the Irishman's, seemed to have held his own during the last-minute media obligations he had to make.
To make things more interesting, Diaz was able to defeat McGregor at UFC 196 last March 5th, via second round rear-naked choke. Diaz was able to pull it off despite taking the fight on ten days' notice with no training camp, and coming off a vacation in Cabo.
After the victory, Diaz has rightfully gotten a lot of exposure, mostly from mainstream media outlets. In an interview with FOX Sports (via Bloody Elbow), he talked about the trash talk through the build-up of UFC 196, wherein he believes McGregor's statements were pre-fabricated.
"It seemed like a lot of scripted stuff was going on. Maybe he was serious about what he was saying, but it sounded like some bullsh*t to me," Diaz said.
After the fight, McGregor declared his intent to drop down to featherweight and defend his title. But according to reports, he is set to face Diaz in a rematch at UFC 200 on July 9th in Las Vegas.
