Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz got a very early start on their fight at UFC 202…but they didn’t throw fists. And they didn’t throw kicks. They threw full bottles of water and unopened cans of Monster at one another at a press conference to promote UFC 202.
MMAFighting.com’s Esther Lin captured the moment perfectly. Check her out on Instagram @allelbows.
And boy, it was fun. Check out the footage, and some of the other fun clips, here:
Things just got real between Diaz and McGregor at the UFC 202 press conference. pic.twitter.com/cxD8yYBl4W
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) August 17, 2016
Pre Press Conference training#ConorMcGregor #NateDiaz #UFC202 pic.twitter.com/ODYfZecLH3
— EOW (@_EOW_) August 17, 2016
Nick Diaz to Conor McGregor: That's fucked up. Bro why you hitting kids with bottles? pic.twitter.com/Ji3lpJhz1f
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) August 17, 2016
That head moooooooovement #UFC202 pic.twitter.com/TkjwDu7SaB
— caposa (@GrabakaHitman) August 17, 2016
Diaz throws the first volley, hurling a water bottle at McGregor and McGregor responds in kind, but way more forcefully, by throwing a can of Monster Energy (and stealing Glover Teixeira’s can, too, and throwing that). There are no reports yet of anyone being hurt but, needless to say, this is scary stuff. Dana White can be heard in the background all the while, telling McGregor to stop throwing things.
Afterwards, McGregor sat down with the LA Times’ Lance Pugmire to discuss it, and said that he threw the cans “in self defense” before adding “I was scared for me life” which he then admits isn’t actually true.
McGregor and Diaz are going to fight at UFC 202 and, if history tells us anything, it’s that the Nevada State Athletic Commission isn’t going to try and stop the fight, no matter how ugly/violent the pre-fight trash talk and pressers get unless somebody actually hurts each other. Since that doesn’t seem to be the case, you can expect slap-on-the-wrist suspension and/or fine for both guys.
While it’s fun, Monsters can seriously hurt somebody! Also, filled cans can easily break something if they land.
This is a fun part of the story for both guys, though, and it’s a much-needed injection of drama for the fight. While McGregor and Diaz are both known for the trash talk and antics, UFC 202 has largely had a quiet build…but boy has that changed!
I’m definitely more excited for Saturday’s fight now than I was before.
Page 1 of 1:
