Conor McGregor's 'real' attitude to fighting has been brought up by Nate Diaz as his ex-rival heads into his clash with Jorge Masvidal.
The California native takes on 'Gamebred' Masvidal for the bizarre new 'Baddest Motherf*****' belt at UFC 244 in New York on Saturday, after USADA cleared him following a drug test which flagged an abnormality.
McGregor and Diaz had a long-standing feud having faced each other twice, and the Irishman has even attempted to take credit for the new belt.
The pair both hold wins over the other and are expected to complete their trilogy at some point in the future.
And Diaz told ESPN: “He understands all about the real s*** too though.
“I could hear when I fought him, when I fought him I was like, ‘Oh you’re really trying to get into a fight, you recognise the real fight game; we got something on our hands here, a real fight'.
"That’s what drew the trash into that fight, the realness of that s***. There’s nobody like that in the fight game, it’s becoming a sport, it’s f****** silly.
"And when you’re sticking around, still winning in this and getting hold of that mic, people can’t help but acknowledge and agree with you, because you just proved it on a stage.
“It’s all the real truth of the game, and the truth shall set you free.”
McGregor announced last week that he plans to return to the UFC on January 18 having last fought in October 2018 against Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The Dubliner than wants to target the winner of Diaz vs Masvidal and expects the former to prevail.
“I think Diaz beats him,” McGregor told MMA Fighting.
“He’s got crisper boxing, way more experience. I think Masvidal’s had a good run, he’s had a two fight win streak.
"The game is very forgetful I believe, our sport is, I think Diaz has enough in him to do it.
“I think he’s in a better space. You’ve got to factor that in, what kind of space is the fighter in because everyone’s the best on their day. I think Diaz beats him.”
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