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By Hunter Homistek​​

Nate Diaz isn’t going to let Conor McGregor have all the fun.

Even with the return of former light heavyweight champ Jon Jones at April 23’s UFC 197 event and the stacked UFC 198, 199, and 200 fight cards just on the horizon, the talk of the past month belonged almost exclusively to McGregor.

First, he retired. Then he was booted out of his UFC 200 main event opposite Diaz. Then he wasn’t retired, and he was—according to himself—back on the UFC 200 card as well. Then the UFC stuck to its guns and made it clear that McGregor would not be competing July 9. The MMA world went into a feeding frenzy with all the news, not-news, and almost-news spewing from and around McGregor. The most polarizing figure in MMA showcased his worth—and a few flaws in the process.

Meanwhile, Diaz sat calmly by. In a series of events that mimicked their UFC 196 encounter almost perfectly, Diaz let McGregor have all the fun and attention early. McGregor tired himself out, losing a war of wills against the UFC.

Then Diaz pounced.

In just one hashtag, Diaz summed up the recent trip aboard the McGregor Express.

[tweet url="https://twitter.com/NateDiaz209/status/727241196582658053" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]

After defeating McGregor via second-round rear-naked choke at UFC 196, it’s fair play to Diaz on this one. When you tire your foe, box him up, then head to the ground and promptly advance positions before sinking in the submission, there’s really not much else to say.

For all the attention McGregor brought upon himself over the past month, Diaz still owns—and will own—the upper hand in any kind of verbal scuffle until the Irish fighter redeems himself. McGregor’s popularity soared, but his positive image withered. Demanding more money when you’re the sport’s biggest draw is fair enough.

McGregor should absolutely reap what he had sown since joining the UFC in 2013. Hard work shouldn’t go unnoticed. But McGregor’s uncharacteristic misfires hurt in this one. His retirement was a sham. His return to UFC 200 was a sham. “Mystic Mac’s” crystal ball is awfully cloudy these days.

Diaz’s response, in the context of all this, is that much better. Suddenly, the bad boy from Stockton looks more chill, more composed, and more ready for the spotlight than the red-carpet-ready superstar.

That’s MMA. When the cage door closes, the talk doesn’t matter. When Diaz snaked his arms around McGregor’s neck and forced the Irishman to tap out, he said more than a lifetime of tweets ever could. And if McGregor wants to make a fool out of himself in the meantime, he’s absolutely allowed to remind the world what happened when Mr. Popular decided to step to him March 5.