Nate Diaz defends Conor McGregor over decision to withdraw from UFC 303

Despite this, the former two-weight world champion withdrew just a few weeks after the June 29 date after breaking his toe during training.

Nate Diaz defends Conor McGregor against criticism over UFC 303 withdrawal

Following the Irishman’s withdrawal, current UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev criticized the 35-year-old for withdrawing due to a broken toe.

“You don’t need a pinky toe for a fight lol. Kip.” Makhachev posted on X.

The Russian wasn’t the only one to utter harsh words against McGregor as current featherweight king Ilia Topuria was also critical of the 35-year-old’s decision to pull out of his comeback.

“You are mentally broken. That is your greatest lesson. You doubt yourself, your abilities, your preparation, that’s why you don’t show up. You are a ****.” the 27-year-old stated.

Former rival Nate Diaz has defended the 35-year-old in response to the criticism, stating that it was a small matter made into a bigger deal than it needed to be.

“I think it’s just a little thing and they’re making it into a bigger deal than it is,” Diaz told MMAJunkie.

“Good idea (to pull out), if I get in fucking trouble I want to push the fight back too, but people are fucking panicking. I wouldn’t want to fight until I’m 100% ready to rock, because I’ve done all kinds of things in the past that I shouldn’t have done.

“I think he learned from experience and all these inexperienced people are talking nonsense,” Diaz added.

Diaz still hopes to settle his rivalry with McGregor

The rivalry between Diaz and McGregor began in 2016 when the Stockton Brawler stepped in late to fight the Irishman after Rafael dos Anjos pulled out of their scheduled fight. The 39-year-old pulled off a huge upset by submitting the then featherweight champion in the second round.

‘The Notorious’ got his revenge in a rematch later that year, setting the stage for a potentially decisive fight.

Despite this, Diaz left the UFC in 2022 to pursue opportunities in the boxing world. He then fought internet sensation Jake Paul in a boxing fight, in which he lost, and now he is scheduled to fight Jorge Masvidal in a boxing fight on July 6.

However, Diaz is still hopeful that he can one day return to the UFC to finally settle his rivalry with McGregor, as the Irishman only has two fights left on his current UFC contract.

“We’ll see what happens over time, it depends on what happens with my fight, his fight, the UFC. I’m not a fortune teller, you know what I’m saying, but we’ll see what happens” , he said. 39 year old declared.

Related topics