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Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff Writer
LAS VEGAS — The prospects for a Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz trilogy are very much alive.
Diaz said Friday that he believes there is no doubt he will fight McGregor one more time. The two big stars fought twice in the UFC in 2016, with Diaz winning once by submission and McGregor winning the second bout via majority decision.
“I 100% guarantee I’m gonna fight Conor McGregor again,” Diaz said at a press event to promote his June 1 boxing event with Jorge Masvidal at the Resorts World resort and casino.
McGregor has brought up the idea of fighting Diaz at the Sphere in Las Vegas on Mexican Independence weekend, on a card the UFC has planned at the venue. UFC CEO Dana White has since shut that idea down. But Diaz said he would be interested in that bout.
Diaz, 38, also said he feels like he’ll have rematches with Jake Paul and Leon Edwards, whom Diaz lost to in boxing and in MMA, respectively. He said he would also like an MMA rematch against Masvidal, saying the two will inevitably scrap again after Masvidal won their 2019 clash at UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden.
“That’s my hit list,” Diaz said.
Masvidal is still under UFC contract but has retired from MMA and is currently only able to box. Diaz and Masvidal will meet in a boxing match at the Forum in Inglewood, California, in a bout contracted for 175 pounds and 10 rounds.
Masvidal will be making his pro boxing debut. The event will be distributed by Fanmio and the two fighters are in the middle of a four-city promotional tour, which also includes stops in Los Angeles, Miami and New York.
Diaz also shouted out Edwards as the most interesting person in the UFC right now. When Diaz departed the UFC as a free agent in 2022, he noted that he didn’t think anything cool was happening in the promotion at that time.
“The coolest thing right now from the UFC is Leon Edwards,” Diaz said. “That’s what I got my sights on. I like that fight right now. I think he’s doing great. I think he got better and he’s doing better. Good attitude, good fighter. I think he’s probably the best thing in the UFC right now.”
Diaz is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Paul, the YouTuber-turned-prizeifghter, last August in Diaz’s pro boxing debut.