Gaffes and goals
Brawl between McGregor & Diaz comes as UFC continues to pursue legitimacy
LAS VEGAS — UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony “Rumble” Johnson wasn’t surprised Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor got into a water bottle throwing contest Wednesday that turned a press conference for their rematch at UFC 202 on Saturday into a melee inside the MGM Grand. Johnson, who faces Glover Teixeira in the featured undercard bout, knows the personalities of the two fighters can lead to volatility.
“You’ve got two of the best trash-talkers in the game going at it,” Johnson told The Post, “two guys with the biggest fan bases possibly ever for their weight class. Conor believes he’s the man and Nate just don’t give a damn. Everybody sees themselves as an alpha male. That’s why we go out there and fight. I’m glad I get to be on a card of this magnitude. These two guys bring the heat.”
The water bottle throwing among McGregor, Diaz and their respective team members is another blemish for the UFC. Innocent bystanders could have been severely injured, including the two main events fighters that people have paid thousands to see. The incident was certainly not appreciated by the MGM Grand and will be reviewed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
UFC president Dana White predicted McGregor and Diaz will receive fines. Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones were fined and ordered to do community service after they brawled during a media day appearance at the MGM in 2014.
“I guarantee both guys are going to get fined big-time by the Nevada State Athletic Commission,” White said of Diaz and McGregor. “I guarantee you there will be a hearing for both of their licenses. This isn’t a joke when stuff like this happens. It’s serious.”
Diaz and McGregor held public workouts about two hours apart Thursday and neither expressed any regret over what happened at the press conference. Diaz offered: “I want to behave and act right. But I have to stay true to myself.”
McGregor deadpanned, “It was just self-defense on my part. I was afraid for my life.”
Johnson, who was sitting on the dais Wednesday along with McGregor and Teixeira, dodged the flying debris, but didn’t appreciate what happened.
“It was entertaining, but it was unprofessional and it didn’t have to happen,” he said.
Teixeira didn’t like it either. “I didn’t want to get hit with something and not be able to fight,” he said.
Before McGregor tries to avenge his defeat to Diaz at UFC 196, Johnson (21-5) faces Teixeira (25-4) with two primary goals in mind. First and foremost is to collect a win that would put him in line for a rematch against Cormier, the current light heavyweight champion. Secondly, he wants to escape healthy enough to be part of the Nov. 12 UFC 205 card at Madison Square Garden.
“That’s a dream of mine. I definitely want to fight in New York,” said Johnson, a native of Dublin, Ga., who fights out of Boca Raton, Fla. “I want to be part of history. I want to fight in Madison Square Garden so bad. My idols have fought there — Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson.”
Johnson is the No. 1-ranked light heavyweight, while Teixeira, a Brazilian who lives in Danbury, Conn., is ranked No. 2 now that Jones, the former light heavyweight champion, continues to contest the anti-doping violation that forced him off the UFC 200 card the week of his ti- tle fight with Cormier.
With Jones unavailable, Anderson “Spider” Silva stepped in on two days’ notice to fight Cormier in a non-title bout. Cormier won, but they went the distance. A few days after UFC 200, it was learned Brock Lesnar had also tested positive for a banned substance. Lesnar, the WWE star, was competing in the UFC for the first time in five years.
Given what happened at UFC 200, the UFC needs to behave itself a little better this weekend.