Conor McGregor reflects on what went wrong against Nate Diaz at UFC 196

Jordan Greer

Conor McGregor reflects on what went wrong against Nate Diaz at UFC 196 image

Conor McGregor, the boisterous Irishman known for throwing verbal jabs just as fast as his tenacious uppercuts, was left humbled after his first loss in the Octagon on Saturday night.

Nate Diaz choked away all of McGregor's hubris with a submission victory at UFC 196. McGregor met with Fox Sports reporter Ariel Helwani following the fight to explain what led to his surprising loss.

MORE: UFC's biggest villains | Good, bad and dirty from UFC 196

"I just misinterpreted (Diaz's) efficiency. He was very efficient, and he took shots well," McGregor said. "He played with his energy well, whereas I didn't. I blew out. He did not."

 

 

McGregor added he won't avoid fighting at higher weight classes in the future, saying "I enjoyed the test." McGregor moved up from featherweight to welterweight to compete against Diaz.

While he didn't indicate who he would fight next, McGregor sounds interested in jumping back down to featherweight for a rematch against Jose Aldo. McGregor knocked out Aldo in 13 seconds at UFC 194 to capture the featherweight title.

"Maybe I'll go down and shut (Aldo) up one more time."

Jordan Greer

Jordan Greer Photo

Jordan Greer has been with The Sporting News since 2015. He previously worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He is a graduate of Westminster College and Syracuse University.