Diaz and McGregor bring out PED accusations, balloon animals at press conference

It’s no surprise that the press conference featuring Conor McGregor and newly minted UFC 196 opponent Nick Diaz got a little heated, exactly how heated was the question. Things didn’t get physical, but both men made some big statements along the way.

Featherweight champion McGregor was set to face lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in the featured bout of the event, which takes place March 5 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and airs on pay-per-view. A foot injury forced dos Anjos out of the bout and opened the door for Diaz to step in and face McGregor in what is now a welterweight fight.

The UFC wasted little time between last night’s announcement of the bout and setting up a press conference. The YouTube stream of the event peaked with over 222,000 viewers clicking in to see the two men trade verbal shots.

“I don’t give a [expletive],” Diaz said. “I try to fight everybody all the time, anyway. It’s all good.”

McGregor responded by claiming that, when Jose Aldo pulled out of their bout at UFC 189, he wanted to fight Diaz, but instead accepted an interim title bout with Chad Mendes.

“I felt pity on your broke ass, I wanted to make you rich at 189, but they gave me Mendes,” McGregor said. “I took Mendes.”

“They gave me a [expletive] load of money,” Diaz replied. “And you know what I said? I said, ‘I want more of that [expletive].’”

With the fight taking place at welterweight, 35 pounds up from McGregor’s previous bouts in the UFC, the two also disagreed on if Diaz had been willing to take the fight at lightweight. While Diaz said he initially accepted it, McGregor said he wouldn’t so his team gave Nate 170 pounds.

That was when McGregor took the shot that set things off.

“I honestly like Nick’s little brother,” McGregor said, referring to Diaz’s brother Nate. “How can you not like him? He’s like a little cholo from the hood. But at the same time, he coaches kid’s jiu jitsu on a Sunday morning and goes on bike rides with the elderly. He makes gang signs with the right hand and balloon animals with the left hand. You’re a credit to the community.”

“[Expletive] you,” Diaz replied. “[Expletive] your belt. I don’t give a [expletive] what you say, [expletive]. Fuck your [expletive] ass belt, too.”

McGregor seemed most affected when Diaz lobbed steroid accusations his way – and, honestly, at anyone else in the UFC.

“Everybody’s on steroids,” Diaz said, responding to a question about an earlier statement that McGregor used performance enhancing drugs. “The whole UFC, everybody.”

“Your teammates [Gilbert Melendez] and [Jake Shields] were two caught on steroids,” McGregor pointed out. “Not me.”

“And you, and dos Anjos, and Pettis, and everybody,” Diaz said.

McGregor stood up at the accusation and began to yell at the Stockton native.

“Not me,” McGregor said. “I’m not on no steroids. What the [expletive] are you talking about? Your two teammates were on steroids. Your two boys. Remember that? What happened to them? Did you know they were taking that stuff? Did you?”

“You’re on steroids,” Diaz said.

“Sure I am,” McGregor replied. “I’m just an animal.”

And for more on UFC 196, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.