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Conor McGregor's Manager Says Nate Diaz Trilogy Fight 'Is Gonna Happen'
July 10, 2021
Audie Attar, the manager for UFC star Conor McGregor, said he's confident a trilogy fight against Nate Diaz will eventually take place, but the timetable remains unclear.
Attar told TMZ Sports a lot will depend on the outcome of Saturday night's UFC 264 main event, which will see a separate trilogy as McGregor takes on Dustin Poirier. If the Irish fan favorite comes out on top, he'll shift his focus to lightweight champion Charles Oliveira.
"I think it'll be the title fight against Charles Oliveira," Attar said about what's next for McGregor. "Oliveria is here, he's gonna be present at the fight, waiting to see who he's gonna fight next."
That said, the long-awaited third meeting with Diaz is still on the horizon, as well.
"The trilogy fight is gonna happen. Conor publicly said it has to happen. And, I know both fighters intend to make it happen," Attar told TMZ. "I think it's just gonna happen in the near future, just not next, immediately. He wants the belt next."
A lot of things have been put on the back burner because McGregor, who typically fought two or three times a year early in his UFC career, has only entered the Octagon three times since a November 2016 win over Eddie Alvarez.
His performance has also dipped with a 3-3 record in his most recent six bouts, including losses to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Poirier over his last three outings.
Yet McGregor, 32, is still one win away from a likely title shot and remains one of UFC's top draws. Even if he loses Saturday, changing course toward the trilogy bout with Diaz would generate a lot of interest.
Diaz won the first matchup by second-round submission in March 2016, but McGregor avenged that defeat with a victory by majority decision five months later. He then beat Alvarez for the lightweight belt before an extended hiatus that included a boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Meanwhile, McGregor defeated Poirier by first-round knockout in September 2014, but the 32-year-old American came out on top with a second-round TKO when they met in January.
The outlook for both fighters will become more clear based on whose hand is raised in victory at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night.