Conor McGregor: Trilogy Fight vs. Nate Diaz 'Will Happen' After Rival's Last UFC Bout

Conor McGregor declared Saturday morning that a third fight between himself and Nate Diaz will happen at some point.

McGregor made the statement as part of a tweet in which he congratulated Diaz on having the final fight of his UFC contract at UFC 279 on Saturday night:

Diaz was originally supposed to face Khamzat Chimaev, but when the latter missed weight on Friday, Tony Ferguson was installed as Diaz's opponent. At the conclusion of the main event of UFC 279, Diaz will have fulfilled his contractual obligations to UFC.

There is seemingly no imminent end in sight to McGregor's UFC deal, meaning Diaz would either have to sign a new contract with UFC or McGregor would have to wait for his UFC contract to expire in order for them to fight for a third time.

McGregor, 34, is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters and biggest draws in UFC history. He was once viewed as perhaps the best pound-for-pound fighter as well, but it was Diaz who put a stop to that.

Entering UFC 196 in 2016, McGregor owned a career professional record of 19-2 and hadn't lost since 2010. Shockingly, Diaz beat him by submission with a rear-naked choke in the second round.

McGregor got revenge in somewhat controversial fashion at UFC 202, beating Diaz by majority decision.

Since that win, McGregor is just 2-3, including losing back-to-back losses against Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 and 264. He broke his leg at UFC 264 in July 2021 and hasn't fought since.

The 37-year-old Diaz has struggled since beating McGregor, losing three of his past four bouts. He was away for three years after losing to McGregor before returning to beat Anthony Pettis at UFC 241.

Diaz followed that up with losses to Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards at UFC 244 and 263, respectively, but he is looking to end his UFC tenure on a high note Saturday.

While Diaz's future in MMA is very much in question, there would likely be plenty of interest in a Diaz vs. McGregor trilogy fight given how entertaining their first two encounters were.