Coach: McGregor vs. Diaz 'definitely not happening' at UFC 219
It may be a while before Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz put a button on their rivalry.
The UFC lightweight champ's head coach John Kavanagh stated on Wednesday that contrary to rumblings, McGregor will not be taking on his greatest rival in a rubber match on Dec. 30 at UFC 219.
"December 30th is definitely not happening," Kavanagh told Mike Sheridan at the launch of the Original Penguin AW17 collection in Dublin, Ireland, according to Peter Carroll of MMA Fighting.
"I can also tell you that his manager rang me this morning saying that him and Conor had been in meetings all day. Obviously, tomorrow is when we would start to consider the date."
The UFC had reportedly hoped to get McGregor back in the Octagon for the last pay-per-view of the year, only for president Dana White to recently shoot the whispers down.
Although the winner of UFC 216's interim lightweight title bout between Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee should logically face the Irishman next in a championship unification bout, Kavanagh would much rather see his prized pupil settle his business with Diaz - preferably on St. Patrick's Day in New York City.
"If it was my choice, and I must stress that this is only my choice and that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen, it would be Nate Diaz in March," Kavanagh said. "That’s what I would push towards.
"I have in my head that it would be a Paddy’s Day card in New York, Nate Diaz III. I think that would be absolutely amazing. That’s what I would wish for."
McGregor's welterweight blockbusters with Diaz account for two of the three highest-selling pay-per-views in UFC history. While the nine-figure payday he's expected to pocket from his August superfight with Floyd Mayweather has many wondering whether he'll ever grace the cage again, McGregor has repeatedly acknowledged he and Diaz have a loose end to tie up.
Diaz handed McGregor his first loss in the Octagon with a second-round submission at UFC 196, with the Irishman evening the score in a majority decision at UFC 202. McGregor later captured the lightweight crown by stopping Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205, while Diaz has been on the shelf since their rematch.