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Conor McGregor feels for Jon Jones; Nate Diaz does not

McGregor says UFC 202 rematch with Diaz will outdo UFC 200

UFC 202 McGregor Diaz Speak

L.E. Baskow

UFC fighter Nate Diaz is separated by Dana White from opponent Conor McGregor while after facing off during the announcement of them fighting in UFC 202 from the T-Mobile Arena as part of Fight Week on Thursday, July 7, 2016. .

UFC 202 McGregor Diaz Speak

UFC fighter Conor McGregor answers a reporter's question during the announcement of fighting in UFC 202 from the T-Mobile Arena as part of Fight Week on Thursday, July 7, 2016.  . Launch slideshow »

Conor McGregor has frequently stated that nothing or no one in the UFC is capable of overshadowing him.

He was wrong. The aftermath of the positive drug test that forced Jon Jones out of UFC 200 drowned out McGregor’s Thursday afternoon press conference at T-Mobile Arena alongside Nate Diaz to announce UFC 202 on Aug. 20.

“I am a successful human being and successful human beings do not celebrate in the adversity or misfortune of others,” McGregor said in his first words at the event. “So I wish Jon well.”

Diaz expressed less empathy.

“Everybody’s on steroids,” Diaz said, repeating a phrase he uttered going into his first fight with McGregor.

Diaz stunned McGregor with a second-round submission victory at UFC 196 in March after taking the fight on less than two weeks’ notice. They were slated to renew their rivalry in the main event of UFC 200 before UFC President Dana White canceled the bout as a result of McGregor refusing to take on promotional tasks.

The replacement main event, a light heavyweight unification title bout between Jones and Daniel Cormier, turned out much worse with the former flagged for a potential doping violation from an out of competition test administered on June 16. McGregor abstained from an opportunity to second-guess the UFC’s original decision to sideline him from the milestone event — for the most part.

“I could sit up here and say well, well, well,” McGregor said.

“All I missed was a press conference. If I look at the facts, the main event and the co-main event of that fight wasn’t even at this press conference.”

If the April press conference in question had turned out like Wednesday’s, it likely wouldn’t have been worth flying McGregor in from his then-training base in Iceland anyway. A gathering that projected as a highlight of International Fight Week turned out underwhelming.

And it wasn’t all the Jones news’ doing. Technical difficulties made it difficult to hear in the arena, as sound reverberated throughout the facility.

The open-to-the-public event drew a few thousands fans but, partly because both McGregor and Diaz were 40 minutes late, it lasted only 20 minutes.

“This arena is beautiful but these (expletive) microphones suck,” Diaz said. “I can’t hear (expletive).”

Diaz threw his hands up, laughed and took to social media to explain he couldn’t make out what was being said while McGregor talked. The inaudibility deprived the crowd of the exchanges that captivated millions on YouTube when McGregor and Diaz spoke before UFC 196.

Although McGregor toned down the taunts, he criticized Diaz for not accepting another UFC 200 opponent when the promotion tried to keep him on the card.

“Real fighters respect real fighters so I respect that he held out for me, but at the same time, he played the safe option,” McGregor said. “He didn’t take what’s known in the game as a McGregor risk. He was offered welterweight bouts, he turned them down. He was offered lightweight bouts, he turned them down.”

That’s because Diaz knew no other opponent would present as large of a payday. McGregor could understand as much, once again referencing all the pay-per-view records he’s set.

He said he felt he could have communicated with the promotion more effectively to prevent the UFC 200 fallout, but didn’t bear the brunt of the responsibility.

“I’ve done a lot for the company,” McGregor said. “I feel I carried 2015 on my back. I feel like the reason there’s a $4.2 billion price tag on the company is because of me. I believe that’s what the Chinese estimate my net worth, $4.2 billion, so I believed I deserved a little bit of leeway.”

McGregor disputed White’s reports from earlier in the week that UFC 200 was trending with the highest pay-per-view buy rate in company history. He predicted the card would do well, but not as well as it would have if he was featured in the main event.

And McGregor didn’t believe Jones’ exit changed anything.

“I don’t feel that was attraction,” McGregor said. “I feel Brock is the attraction to the card. I think it will do OK number but it still won’t take UFC 196 off the top spot, and it certainly won’t take UFC 202 off the top spot — no way.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.

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