Conor McGregor may very well be plotting his return to the Octagon but reports that he’s agreed to meet Nate Diaz at UFC 219 on Dec. 30 are premature.
Several outlets began reporting over the weekend that McGregor and Diaz had reached an early agreement to meet later this year in a trilogy fight with the lightweight title on the line.
Now UFC president Dana White has responded when asked that very question on Twitter.
“Not true at all,” White wrote.
Not true AT ALL
— Dana White (@danawhite) September 24, 2017
Now White’s response isn’t all that surprising given the fact that the fight is far from a done deal at this stage but it’s also the matchup that is most likely to happen next.
Sources have indicated that McGregor vs. Diaz 3 is very likely but there are still several details that have to be sorted out before any kind of official announcement could be made.
At the top of the list is McGregor’s timeline to return to the Octagon following his 10th round TKO loss to Floyd Mayweather in August. Immediately afterwards, McGregor seemed to shy away from committing to a return to the UFC before the end of the year as he had originally planned.
Since the fight with Mayweather, McGregor has gone on vacation to celebrate a friend’s wedding but there are no clear indications that he’s gotten back into training just yet. With Dec. 30 fast approaching, McGregor would likely need to get into a training camp within the next few weeks to fight by the end of the year.
Diaz also has to agree to the date and he’s remained largely at odds with the UFC ever since his second fight with McGregor last year.
Assuming all sides can come to an agreement on the fight, there’s still no clear indication that McGregor and Diaz would meet on Dec. 30. While the UFC will definitely need a headliner for the year-end card, McGregor and Diaz may prefer to meet at a later date such as the event that typically takes place during Super Bowl weekend or even postponing until as late as March 2018, which would mark the two year anniversary from their first fight at UFC 196.
So while it seems more than likely McGregor’s return fight to the UFC will take place against Diaz, the matchup is far from a done deal right now.
