Nate Diaz’s longtime coach Cesar Gracie says his charge is looking as good as ever, and backed his man to prevail if Diaz ever returned to the UFC for his long-awaited trilogy fight with old rival Conor McGregor.
McGregor is still expected to face Michael Chandler, with a matchup between the pair at UFC 303 forced off the card due to McGregor sustaining a broken toe during fight camp.
The matchup, which has been in the works for several months, could be booked for a UFC pay-per-view event later this year. But, speaking to Submission Radio after Diaz’s boxing victory over Jorge Masvidal in Anaheim at the wekend, Gracie said that the UFC and McGregor has the option of a trilogy bout with Diaz, should they opt to switch gears and go in a different direction.
“I mean, obviously that’s outside of my realm with what the UFC is thinking, so it’s almost (that) I’m speculating. But me, in my position, I think that would be great,” he said.
“I think a trilogy probably makes a lot of sense for both of those guys.
“Chandler and McGregor is a good fight, too. But just a history of Nate and and McGregor, I think it would be the bigger fan fight if they had a trilogy.”
The scoreline between Diaz and McGregor currently stands at one win apiece, with Diaz handing McGregor his first UFC defeat when he stunned, then submitted the Irishman at UFC 196. But, in their rematch five months later, McGregor exacted a degree of revenge as he claimed a majority decision victory after a five-round thriller at UFC 202.
A trilogy bout between the pair seemed a virtual certainty after that second fight. But with McGregor going on to capture the UFC lightweight title and become a two-division champion, then stepping out of MMA to box Floyd Mayweather, the trilogy matchup with Diaz faded into the background.
But now, with McGregor looking to bounce back into competitive action after sustaining a horrible broken leg in his UFC 264 defeat to Dustin Poirier, Diaz may return to the Irishman’s radar once again.
But, whether McGregor opts to continue on his path to face Chandler, or switch lanes and face Diaz, Gracie said the Irishman faces a serious test as he looks to get back to the level that saw him reach double-champ status at the sport’s highest level.
“Nate doesn’t look like he’s really lost any steps lately,” Gracie stated.
“With McGregor, you know, he’s been out of it for a while, and he hasn’t had a win in a long time. I would have to favour Nate in that one.
“You know his toughness, and he’s been in the game. And it’s not good when guys come out and stay out of the game that long – it’s hard for them.
“And I think whether McGregor fights Chandler or someone else, I think he’s going to have a lot of a lot of trouble getting back to his peak performance.”
With Diaz showcasing his star power and ability to draw huge crowds for his bout with Masvidal, the Stockton native showed that his star power remains as high as ever. And Gracie revealed just what it would take for the UFC to lure Nate back to the Octagon.
“Millions and millions of dollars. Whatever they’re paying their highest people,” he stated.
“Nate is such an icon of the sport. He’s fought (for), and deserves, the things he’s gotten. He had to get everything the hard way.
“He brings star power with him. The event last night was sold out. And, you know, it was all Nate Diaz over there. No one would have gone to that show without Nate Diaz. It was so huge. His fan base is so incredible.”
“It was incredible. Talk about the stadium – it looked like a UFC thing in there. And the fans just… win or lose, they absolutely love that guy. They see what kind of a person he is, and what kind of fighter he is.
“So the UFC would be smart to give him whatever he needs, and he should definitely be one of their very top earners, because he’s always going to bring a great fight, especially in the kind of shape he’s in right now.”
