Nate Diaz is certainly back in the fight game with a vengeance. So much so, in fact, that a former UFC champion believes he’s more popular than Conor McGregor.
Diaz made a triumphant return to mixed martial arts by outlasting Anthony Pettis in the co-main event of August 17’s UFC 241. The win earned Diaz widespread praise. Some of that praise even came from McGregor, with whom he’s shared the Octagon on two separate occasions. In a bit of curious timing, McGregor recently effused his desire to get back to fighting after a long series of outside-the-cage incidents in his revealing interview with ESPN last week.
Yet he claims his trilogy fight with Diaz doesn’t exactly matter if and when he does. That could be a bit of goading in order to get Diaz looking for the fight. For his part, Diaz has called out welterweight veteran Jorge Masvidal instead. That bout appears to have already reached some sticking points in negotiations. It’s unknown what Diaz’ next move will truly be.
If he does fight McGregor, however, Michael Bisping believes it’s Diaz who is now the ‘A-side.’ Speaking on his “Believe You Me” podcast (via BJPenn.com), Bisping made the bold claim of suggesting Diaz has even passed Conor McGregor in terms of popularity:
“Conor would be the B-side in that fight right now,” Bisping stated. “In terms of popularity, I don’t know; I think Diaz may have surpassed him. He played that perfectly. He took three years away from the sport, came back, didn’t get the push from the UFC. [He] kinda like went up against the UFC, he was kinda that guy and came out on top. He won that battle, he was sensational, the fight was fantastic. The performance was great, he handled himself in a way that people love. He’s real, he’s authentic.”
Has Diaz Passed McGregor?
The notion of Diaz resonating with fans and therefore becoming one of MMA’s most popular stars is not a new one. MMA personality Brendan Schaub echoed the sentiment following UFC 241. There’s no doubt that Diaz has become a fan favorite in the sport and also that McGregor has sullied his name in the past couple of years.
But it’s still hard to say that Diaz has truly passed McGregor in terms of popularity. For example, Diaz has yet to headline a top-grossing pay-per-view without McGregor as his foil. That’s not to say he couldn’t do it, of course. Diaz vs. Masvidal is arguably the most exciting match-up the UFC has on the table right now.
Overall, however, McGregor is still the most recognizable name in the fight game. The all-out deluge of headlines that emanated from just one interview with ‘The Notorious’ last week proves that.
So regardless of who’s the ‘A-side’ or ‘B-side,’ perhaps it’s time the UFC books the oft-discussed McGregor vs. Diaz trilogy fight.
