Nate Diaz is on Conor McGregor’s side regarding the UFC 303 debacle.

Two of the UFC’s biggest all-time superstars have put their differences aside since they last fought at UFC 202 in August 2016. There have been minor verbal jabs thrown between the two throughout the following eight years but Diaz doesn't find McGregor’s first career bout withdrawal as the time for one.

UFC 303 was supposed to feature the long-awaited return of “The Notorious” against Michael Chandler inside the T-Mobile Arena this Saturday night. That was until McGregor suffered a broken pinky toe, claiming he doesn’t want to go into a fight less than 100 percent. Diaz, 39, believes the community’s critical reaction to the decision has been overblown.

“I think it was just a minor thing,” Diaz told MMA Junkie. “I think they made a bigger deal out of it than it is. Good idea. If I get f*cked up, I would like to push the fight back too, but people f*cking freak out. I think I wouldn’t want to fight until I’m 100 percent ready to rock too, because in the past I’ve done all kinds of sh*t I shouldn’t have done.

“So, I think he learned from experience and all these inexperienced people out there talking sh*t, just speaking for their inexperience. They’re going to have to deal with the criticism until the fight gets done, but I think it’ll happen and it’ll all be good.”

Before McGregor steps back into the octagon, Diaz continues his boxing career when he takes on Jorge Masvidal in a boxing rematch next weekend. Diaz lost their first encounter in MMA at UFC 244 in November 2019 when Masvidal scored a third-round doctor’s stoppage TKO. He made his professional debut when he lost a unanimous decision to Jake Paul last August.

Despite no longer being a part of the UFC roster, Diaz ended his run with the promotion on a good note and has expressed his interest in fighting there again. Ultimately, a McGregor trilogy to settle their 1-1 score is something he isn’t ruling out of the question.

“Yeah, we’ll see what happens with time, you know?” Diaz said. “It depends on what happens with my fight, his fight, UFC. I ain’t a fortune teller, you know what I’m saying? We’ll see what happens.”

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TOP STORIES

Weak. Matt Brown: Conor McGregor still deserves criticism even if broken toe is legit reason not to fight

Bullying. Arman Tsarukyan suspended 9 months, fined $25,000 for altercation with fan at UFC 300

Boxing. Oleksandr Usyk vacates IBF heavyweight title, tells Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois it’s a ‘present’ for them

Crossover. Dan Hardy reveals potential opponent to get Jake Paul interested in MMA again with Nate Diaz no longer an option

Comeback. Invicta FC founder Shannon Knapp scoffs at rumors promotion was allegedly going out of business

Crazy. Manager: Robert Whittaker underwent emergency surgery before UFC Saudi Arabia, UFC 305 status unclear

Fair. Ex-UFC fighter Igor Severino suspended 9 months after biting his opponent

Recap. The Ultimate Fighter 32: Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko Episode 4 results

Tease. Brian Ortega planning lightweight move after UFC 303

Officials. Referee, judges assigned for Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka 2 at UFC 303

Broadcast. Dustin Poirier joins analyst team for UFC 303

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LET’S WATCH

Sound & Pound.

Embedded 2.

PFL Fight Week.

Burns breakdown.

Farewell, gentlemen.

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LISTEN UP

Heck of a Morning. MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck discusses if Jon Jones is in play for Alex Pereira with UFC 303 win.

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MORNING MUSIC

Go to Twitter, use the #MorningReport hashtag, or find one of my tweets with it, and drop me a jam you’re currently really into. I’ll pick the best one alongside my daily choice and give you a shoutout! You can also share in the comments below — those are just harder to sift through sometimes!

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SOCIAL SCROLL DOWN

Zzzz.

GSP things.

Strickland in Japan is the nightmare you’d expect.

Art.

The takeover continues.

Diamond.

Rowdy author.

GOAT.

Right.

Math.

Champ.

Callout.

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Rose Namajunas (12-6) vs. Tracy Cortez (11-1); UFC Denver, July 13

Dan Ige (18-7) vs. Chepe Mariscal (16-6-1); UFC Vegas 94, July 20

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FINAL THOUGHTS

Whatever it takes to get that trilogy, right?

Thanks for reading!

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EXIT POLL

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