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One of the significant developments following UFC 257 is the uncertainty surrounding the Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz trilogy. While the MMA community continues to bring the topic to the forefront now and then, the fight has evaded the fans so far, and there are no positive signs to suggest otherwise.
Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz's competitive rivalry dates back to 2016 when Diaz agreed to fight McGregor on short notice at UFC 196 and defeated the Irishman via submission in round two. Conor McGregor avenged the loss when he defeated Nate Diaz via a majority decision in a back-and-forth war at UFC 202. While Conor McGregor fought for the lightweight title following the Diaz win and subsequently made the transition to boxing, Nate Diaz took a long time away from the sport before returning to fight Anthony Pettis and Jorge Masvidal at welterweight.
The pair have gone back-and-forth on the social media and attacked each other on numerous occasions, but neither McGregor nor Diaz have been consistently active in the UFC after their rematch.
Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz are no longer fighting in the same weight class
The biggest hurdle for the trilogy fight between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz is that they are both fighting in different weight divisions. After having his passion for MMA rekindled, Conor McGregor has been vocal about his plans in recent times. The former two-division champion told the media during the UFC 257 pre-fight press conference that he intends to put a streak together at lightweight, the division where he has not had many fights despite being a champion at one point.
"I am eager to put in the stint... to get a run going. Like I had done with the Featherweight. I think I went with seven or eight fights within the space of a year or year-and-a-half. That's what I'm looking for if they can match me up... Sometime I feel 'man I should've stayed in the Featherweight division and fought the likes of Ricardo Lamas and all those type of guys' you know what I mean. I always challenge myself and seek greater heights. Although I have been champion at 155lb, I have not had much time at this weight in UFC and this is what I wish to do now", Conor McGregor said prior to his rematch with Poirier.
Nate Diaz, on the other hand, has not fought in the lightweight division since his win over Michael Johnson in December 2015. While Diaz came close to fighting at lightweight in 2018, he has called welterweight home for almost half a decade.
However, the recent churning out process in the lightweight division following Khabib Nurmagomedov's retirement and Conor McGregor's TKO loss to Dustin Poirier in their rematch has left the division wide open and Nate Diaz has been quick to call Dustin Poirier out.
Considering the fact that Poirier is a No. 1 contender in the lightweight division and has his eyes set on the title, it could be the case that Nate Diaz does not mind dropping down to lightweight which in turn may open the doors for the much-anticipated trilogy fight between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz.
