Nate Diaz might surprise some fans as he defends Conor McGregor for tapping out

There were some who gave the UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor some flak for tapping out as Nate Diaz nearly squeezed the lights out on him at UFC 196. Just prior to their bout in the co-main event, former champion Holly Holm went unconscious without tapping as Miesha Tate locked on a rear-naked choke to become the new UFC women’s bantamweight champ.

Diaz spoke with MMA Junkie about some of the criticism McGregor is getting for tapping out.

“If you’ve got to tap out, you’ve got to tap out,” Diaz told MMAjunkie. “I think Holly, she thought she was maybe going to get out. She had already gotten out of one (choke earlier in the fight) and she thought, ‘I’m not quitting.’ McGregor, he was (expletive) done. All the way done. It’s all right. He had to tap out because there was no getting out of that. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with tapping out.”

While some say it shows heart by not tapping out, Diaz says when you are at the level they are fighting at, you only have two options.

“It’s a fight against the best fighters in the world; you’ve got to tap to that (expletive),” Diaz said. “You ain’t getting out of it. You can tap out, or you can go to sleep. It’s (expletive) the same (expletive). You tap out if you’re caught. The thing is, that’s what I think, is don’t get caught.”

What are your thoughts about fighters tapping out to choke holds? Do you feel that fighters should use every last effort until they go unconscious? Or do they know their limits from training and can safely come to a realization that they have been beaten and tap out? Share your opinion on the subject in the comment section.