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Donagh Corby

Conor McGregor teases trilogy fight with Nate Diaz this summer

The biggest fight in UFC history, up until last October, was the rematch between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz.

And a third and final bout could be set to take place this summer.

The Crumlin man had been touted to fight Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone in July, but talks reportedly broke down and the American is now set to fight fellow lightweight contender Al Iaquinta in May.

With Khabib Nurmagomedov suspended and his two prospective rematches with Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier out of contention with the pair fighting each other next month, it leaves McGregor with only one option should he return to the octagon during International Fight Week.

Speaking to NBC this weekend, McGregor confirmed that he is in talks for a summer return, saying: “We’re currently in negotiations. We’re aiming for July. We’ll see what happens.

“I’m staying ready. This morning I was doing incline sprints on the treadmill on my program – the McGregor Fast Program.

"So we’re staying on it, getting work in as we go.”

And speaking to fans in Chicago, he confirmed that the rematch will certainly happen at some stage, if not his next fight.

He said: "He fought me, he beat me. He gave me a rematch at the exact same weight, there was no hesitation, that's a true fighter right there.

"I have nothing but respect [for Nate Diaz] - I owe him the trilogy now and the trilogy will happen."

And ESPN's Ariel Helwani has hinted that the fight could be a possibility, saying on Twitter: "The booking of Cerrone vs. Iaquinta could very well clear the path for McGregor vs. Diaz 3 happening later this year. Developing."

Their 2016 bout drew 1,600,000 pay-per-view buys, which made it at the time the biggest UFC fight of all time. It has since been eclipsed by Khabib v McGregor at UFC 229 which drew 2,400,000.

Since UFC 202, McGregor has fought twice in the octagon, beating Eddie Alvarez for the UFC Lightweight title before losing it to Khabib Nurmagomedov and once in the boxing ring against Floyd Mayweather in August 2017.

Conor McGregor names his price for next UFC fight

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