Nick Diaz Believes He Would Have Guided Brother to Victory at UFC 202
Nick Diaz Believes He Would Have Guided Brother to Victory at UFC 202
UFC star Nick Diaz is confident his brother would have defeated Conor McGregor had he'd been allowed to corner.
UFC 202 may feel like a long time ago now, but for the two Diaz brothers they are still reflecting on how McGregor vs Diaz II could have gone differently.
Nate's older brother Nick was banned from entering the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas back in August, and speaking on the Opie Radio show, he reflected on how his presence in his brother corner that night may have given Nate enough to make it over the line for the second time against the Irishman.
"They've been a little funny about letting me in these events," Diaz said. "My brothers fight, they didn't let me in my brothers fight too. It's just one inch you know what I mean. That's the difference between how that fight could've gone. I would have been that inch, I would have worked that corner, but they just wanted to keep me out of there. It would have definitely helped him out a lot because I was seeing things in that fight that I would've called and told him.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJi6g_IBZVi/" hide_caption="0"]
"I do these things and that's how they work out for me. It's like a formula. I'm like hey, this is what you do. Come third and fourth round, if I'd have been there we would've been able to put it together and get this guy out of there."
Nick then explained how having Gilbert Melendez in his brother's corner that night at UFC 202 may not have been to Nate's advantage given their stylistic differences. The elder Diaz brother then detailed exactly why he wasn't at Cageside that evening.
"The commission, I was still kinda under suspension so they want me to pay some kind of fine and make sure my fine is paid off before they give a corner license," Diaz said. "They never let me on the floor and they didn't let me in the arena--I could've at least been in the back working with them before they walked out like I did the first fight.
"It was rough, I thought he had him out of there for sure at one point in time in the third round and I was like there is no way you are coming back from that."
Nick then explained the advice he would've given his brother had he been with him in the corner.
"I would've said don't throw punches at that dude at all because he's going to sit there and watch you and counter everything," Diaz said. "All you got to do is fake and flick at him and f*** with him and do that, but he went out there and didn't have it together in the first round and I would've put him in the right mindset.
"Me standing in front of him, fooling around with him with my right hand forward--all three of us stand the same way. So, he doesn't have anyone else to help him out that way. It would've definitely helped me being there to help him out a bit."
Diaz then described what it felt like to congratulate McGregor and his team given what had gone on before the fight.
"It's whatever, by the time you are done with five rounds you have spent everything you have," Diaz said. "It really doesn't mean anything, it's just like--hey, good fight, but I hate you. Nah it's really nothing."
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJey-WWjSE2/" hide_caption="0"]
Asked whether he and his brother would be willing to travel across the Atlantic for a third rubber fight in Ireland, Nick didn't seem to want to rule anything out.
"In Ireland? I suppose," Diaz said
Nate's older brother Nick was banned from entering the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas back in August, and speaking on the Opie Radio show, he reflected on how his presence in his brother corner that night may have given Nate enough to make it over the line for the second time against the Irishman.
"They've been a little funny about letting me in these events," Diaz said. "My brothers fight, they didn't let me in my brothers fight too. It's just one inch you know what I mean. That's the difference between how that fight could've gone. I would have been that inch, I would have worked that corner, but they just wanted to keep me out of there. It would have definitely helped him out a lot because I was seeing things in that fight that I would've called and told him.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJi6g_IBZVi/" hide_caption="0"]
"I do these things and that's how they work out for me. It's like a formula. I'm like hey, this is what you do. Come third and fourth round, if I'd have been there we would've been able to put it together and get this guy out of there."
Nick then explained how having Gilbert Melendez in his brother's corner that night at UFC 202 may not have been to Nate's advantage given their stylistic differences. The elder Diaz brother then detailed exactly why he wasn't at Cageside that evening.
"The commission, I was still kinda under suspension so they want me to pay some kind of fine and make sure my fine is paid off before they give a corner license," Diaz said. "They never let me on the floor and they didn't let me in the arena--I could've at least been in the back working with them before they walked out like I did the first fight.
"It was rough, I thought he had him out of there for sure at one point in time in the third round and I was like there is no way you are coming back from that."
Nick then explained the advice he would've given his brother had he been with him in the corner.
"I would've said don't throw punches at that dude at all because he's going to sit there and watch you and counter everything," Diaz said. "All you got to do is fake and flick at him and f*** with him and do that, but he went out there and didn't have it together in the first round and I would've put him in the right mindset.
"Me standing in front of him, fooling around with him with my right hand forward--all three of us stand the same way. So, he doesn't have anyone else to help him out that way. It would've definitely helped me being there to help him out a bit."
Diaz then described what it felt like to congratulate McGregor and his team given what had gone on before the fight.
"It's whatever, by the time you are done with five rounds you have spent everything you have," Diaz said. "It really doesn't mean anything, it's just like--hey, good fight, but I hate you. Nah it's really nothing."
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJey-WWjSE2/" hide_caption="0"]
Asked whether he and his brother would be willing to travel across the Atlantic for a third rubber fight in Ireland, Nick didn't seem to want to rule anything out.
"In Ireland? I suppose," Diaz said