Nate Diaz empathizes with Conor McGregor after UFC 303 pullout: “I’ve done all kinds of s*** I shouldn’t’ve done”

Former UFC superstar Nate Diaz came to the defense of his two-time rival, Conor McGregor, amidst the latter’s UFC return falling through the cracks.

Diaz will face former UFC 244 adversary Jorge Masvidal in a professional boxing match on July 6 in Anaheim, California. He returns to the ring after falling to Jake Paul in his professional boxing debut in August.

Diaz and McGregor headlined two of the biggest cards in UFC history at the peak of their rivalry. Their series stands at one win apiece, with a trilogy fight possible before both sides hang up the gloves.

McGregor’s UFC comeback is indefinitely postponed after he suffered a toe injury in preparation for his fight with Michael Chandler at UFC 303. It’s the first time that McGregor has pulled out from a fight during his UFC tenure.

After his withdrawal, some have criticized McGregor for refusing to fight with a minor injury. Diaz, on the other hand, feels McGregor made the right move.

Nate Diaz defends Conor McGregor after UFC 303 withdrawal

During a recent interview with MMA Junkie‘s Nolan King, Diaz weighed in on McGregor’s UFC 303 pull-out.

“I just think it’s a minor thing, I think they’re making it a bigger deal out of it than it is,” Diaz said of McGregor’s stalled comeback. “Good idea. If I got f***ed up I’d like to push the fight back too, but people would f***ing freak out. I wouldn’t want to fight until I’m 100 percent ready to rock too, because in the past, I’ve done all kinds of s*** I shouldn’t’ve done…

“I think he learned from experience and all these experienced people that are talking s***, that’s just speaking for their inexperience. They’re gonna have to just deal with the criticism until the fight gets done, but I think it’ll happen and it’ll all be good.”

Diaz went on to allude to his unwavering desire to make the trilogy with McGregor happen in the UFC.

Diaz defeated McGregor in a short-notice fight at UFC 196, cementing his status as a global superstar. McGregor got revenge in the rematch by defeating Diaz by majority decision at UFC 202.

McGregor is looking to get back in the win column after losses in three of his last four fights. He hasn’t competed since a doctor’s stoppage loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.

Despite their heated past, Diaz came to McGregor’s aid in the face of public scrutiny. As both fighters prepare for their combat sports returns, their past bad blood doesn’t mean they don’t have mutual respect for accolades and career trajectories.