McGregor (photo) suffered defeat to Diaz. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
Conor McGregor avoided making excuses after losing his unbeaten record in the Octagon this Saturday (5), in the main fight of UFC 196 in Las Vegas, United States. The featherweight champion admitted that he gave his best in the fight, but that Nate diaz He did a good job of withstanding his attacks until he came back on top with a submission victory.
“It's hard to swallow. I was inefficient with my energy. Generally I fight men in my category and they fall to my blows. Nate accepted everyone. It was a battle of energy and he came out on top. But I will never run away from a challenge and I will never be shy by the fear of losing. Fights are like that. I’ll be back”, said the Irishman, at a press conference shortly after the fight.
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McGregor acknowledged that he hesitated in the move that proved to be decisive for the result, when he tried to take the fight to the ground, fell underneath and ended up finished. “He went on autopilot and I went into panic mode. He took advantage of the opportunity. I enjoyed the whole experience, I had fun. But let's see what happens. I feel like UFC 200 is there for me. I'm not hurt, I'm just heartbroken, but I'll recover,” he continued.
The Irishman stated that the setback puts his plans of winning a second UFC belt on hold, meaning his next fight will be the defense of his featherweight title. “I know there are a lot of people celebrating in the featherweight division. I don't know how they can celebrate another man's victory. But I feel like it's ideal for me to go down and remind them all that I'm the champion. But I didn't forget about the lightweights or welterweights. I want to defend my featherweight belt and then try again at lightweight,” he explained.
Regarding his next opponent, McGregor said he accepts the UFC's choice, whether for José Aldo, either by Frankie Edgar. “It's difficult to refuse Aldo the opportunity, but he gives up a lot of fights. Frankie at least competes. But I don't know, let's see what the fans want to see.”
Finally, the featherweight champion countered the challenge made by Aldo shortly after his defeat to Diaz. “He had the chance to be here and he wasn’t. He could be sitting where Nate is. He was the first choice. He said 'any time, any moonlight', but it wasn't quite like that. That’s the attitude of a runner-up, not a champion,” he poked.
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