Dana White: 'Nate Diaz is in phenomenal shape' ahead of fight vs. McGregor
UFC president Dana White attempted to alleviate concerns that Nate Diaz is not in fighting shape ahead of his UFC 196 bout against Conor McGregor.
White appeared on LA Today on Thursday and said Diaz is ready for the fight despite the fact it will take place at 170 pounds.
"Nate Diaz has been training for a triathlon," White said, according to Damon Martin of FOX Sports. "Nate Diaz is in phenomenal shape right now.
"So he's not coming in out of shape. He's in phenomenal shape right now."
Diaz took up the chance to fight McGregor with just two weeks notice after Rafael dos Anjos pulled out of the fight due to a broken foot, leading to speculation that he wouldn't have time to fully prepare.
White confirmed that other candidates were considered ahead of Diaz to replace Dos Anjos against McGregor. However, the other fighters opted not to take the bout.
"We called a lot of people. Our first choices were Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar. Neither guy could do the fight. Frankie Edgar's going crazy because I said he couldn't do the fight. He's injured. He's injured and couldn't take the fight," White clarified.
"This business is a business of opportunity. When opportunity knocks, you jump on it or you don't. In a perfect world, you've had six to eight weeks to train, you know the guy you're fighting and you have no injuries and everything goes perfectly. Nate Diaz and a lot of other guys, too - Urijah Faber was on the list, Anthony Pettis, "Cowboy" Cerrone - but at the end of the day, Nate and Conor really want to fight."
McGregor was quick to point to Diaz's weight during a fiery press conference on Thursday, referring to his opponent as "the skinniest fat guy I've ever seen."
The two will co-headline UFC 196 - along with Holly Holm's first title defense against Miesha Tate - on March 5 in Las Vegas, Nev.