McGregor, Diaz trade barbs, expletives at UFC 196 promotion — VIDEO

TORRANCE, Calif. — One of the final questions of a Wednesday afternoon news conference to promote their hastily arranged UFC 196 main event bout March 5 at the MGM Grand Garden prompted answers from Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz that perfectly exemplify the difference between the Ultimate Fighting Championship stars.

McGregor responded to a query about the big payday that lies ahead with an elaborate answer about how accustomed he has become to earning hefty checks.

"I just enjoy the conversations at the bank," said McGregor, the featherweight champion. "The ladies at the bank treat me so damn nice. People everywhere treat me so nice. There's a place here in California called Rodeo Drive, and I swear to God until you go there and feel that nice, welcoming feeling they give you when you walk into these shops and the materials they give you and put on your skin, you cannot understand this life. I just enjoy everything that has to do with this life."

Diaz probably wouldn't be seen driving down the famed street, much less patronizing the shops lining the road. He has simpler plans for his money.

"I'll probably just buy a whole bunch of nice (expletive)," he said.

Though the amount the fighters will make won't be revealed, Diaz undoubtedly will earn the biggest check of his career after agreeing on Tuesday to fill in for an injured Rafael dos Anjos on less than two weeks' notice.

McGregor, who often boasts of being the UFC's highest-paid fighter, made sure to remind Diaz why his paycheck might have a couple of extra zeros this time.

"How does it feel to be a millionaire now?" McGregor said. "It's nice, right? Go ahead and admit it. It feels good, right? Congratulations, you're rich now."

The financial benefits of taking on the organization's biggest draw led to several fighters volunteering to face McGregor when dos Anjos pulled out of the bout Monday because of a broken foot.

McGregor, however, said not everyone actually wanted the fight. He claimed several fighters who publicly stated their interest turned down offers. He said Diaz even changed his mind several times about the terms of the fight before they eventually agreed to meet at 170 pounds with no belt on the line.

McGregor had been hoping to make history by winning the lightweight belt from dos Anjos, but that goal is on hold. He got over it pretty quickly.

"No belt stung for a minute," McGregor said, "but really it doesn't matter what weight division or what belt is on the line because I should create my own belt. I am myself my own belt. It's the McGregor belt, so that's it. I'm fighting for my own belt."

He said Diaz was the best choice, even though McGregor claims there were discussions about some details, particularly whether the weight limit would be 155, 160 or 165 before finally settling on the welterweight mark of 170.

"The only weight I give a (expletive) about is the weight of my checks, and they're super heavyweight," McGregor said.

Diaz disputed McGregor's claims about the weight negotiations. It was far from the only disagreement between the two, who engaged in several profane exchanges as several large security guards intently watched at the UFC Gym.

One of the most heated came when Diaz repeatedly accused McGregor, and most every other fighter in the organization, of steroid use.

McGregor countered that two of Diaz's good friends and teammates — Gilbert Melendez and Jake Shields — have tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

"Your teammates Gil and Jake were two caught on steroids," McGregor yelled as he rose to his feet. "Not me. I'm not on nothing. Your two teammates, your two boys. Remember that? Did you know they were taking that stuff? Did you?"

Diaz then took a new course.

"(Expletive) you and your bitch ass belt, too," he said.

It wasn't the only time Diaz had a dismissive response for McGregor's bluster. While several of McGregor's opponents have become visibly frustrated and angry by his oral attacks at news conferences, Diaz mostly appeared composed except for the occasional moments when he would grab a microphone to get in a quick "(Expletive) you."

Diaz's older brother Nick, also a UFC star, was more agitated off to the side of the stage.

McGregor invoked his name to get in his most pointed, and politically incorrect, shot of the day at Nate Diaz.

"I like Nick's little brother," McGregor said. "How can you not? He's like a little cholo gangster from the hood, but at the same time he coaches kids' jiu-jitsu and goes on bike rides with the elderly. He makes gun signs with the right hand and animal balloons with the left hand."

It wasn't the only time he disparagingly referenced Nate Diaz teaching martial arts classes.

"I've got world championships and multimillions of dollars," McGregor said. "You got $20,000 to show for your last fight, and you teach kiddies jiu-jitsu on Sunday mornings to eat and teach seminars across California just to make ends meet."

Nate Diaz made clear he doesn't plan to be a side note to the spectacle that is a McGregor fight.

"He's doing his thing, but I bring the (expletive) show, too," Diaz said. "Don't forget about that. It's the Diaz show, too."

Maybe so. But it's tough for anyone sharing a stage with McGregor to play anything more than a supporting role.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj