Rematch not McGregor’s only option

UFC superstar Conor McGregor knew his first UFC loss would give detractors plenty of ammunition to line up and take their shots. After surviving his time in front of the firing squad, it was his turn to take aim Saturday night.

McGregor showed great resolve in getting through a bloody battle to avenge his loss to Nate Diaz in the main event of UFC 202 at T-Mobile Arena.

“After that fight when I lost, I’m looking at these people celebrating my demise and saying I’m done or this or that,” McGregor said. “It certainly lit a fire in my belly. To every single person that doubted me and every fighter that doubted me: Doubt me now.”

McGregor made it much harder on his critics, getting through tough stretches in the third and fifth rounds to pull out a majority decision.

“It was a hell of a fight. He’s a hell of a competitor. He brought out the best in me,” McGregor said. “Like my coach said, ‘We win or we learn.’ I learned from that last contest.”

While it was vital for McGregor to win, the way he did it may have been just as important.

“It was not easy,” the featherweight champion said after winning the welterweight non-title bout. “It was a war but I’m happy it went that way. I got to show my heart that way. I took it to him and I stayed in and got the win.”

Now it’s time for McGregor to move on, at least for now. He and Diaz both insist they will meet again, but McGregor has other options after his dramatic victory. However, he doesn’t appear to be in a hurry to drop back down to defend his 145-pound belt against interim champ Jose Aldo.

“How long was I going back and forth with Jose? It must have been a two-year buildup,” McGregor said of the fighters’ oft-rescheduled first bout, which finally took place in December. “He finally stepped in and I beat him in 13 seconds. It’s hard for me to get excited about that, especially after his last performance. It was a decision and he didn’t go out and get it like I wanted him to. I’ve got to figure out what’s next, but there are many things in the pipeline. So sit tight.”

UFC president Dana White has said McGregor will be stripped of the 145-pound title if he doesn’t defend it for his next fight. McGregor, no stranger to drama with UFC officials, challenged the organization to follow through.

“I don’t think they’ll do it,” he said. “How can they? If they want to give my belt to the guy I knocked out in 13 seconds and bury that division on the preliminary cards, go ahead. How can they do that? What would that do to the division?

“We’ve got a lot of things to talk about.”

A loss Saturday could have chased McGregor back to the 145-pound class he laid to waste en route to stardom. Instead, he once again holds all the cards from featherweight up to welterweight, though vanity might stand in the way of McGregor competing again at 170 pounds.

“I want to get my abs back,” he said. “I can’t get abs at this weight. I’ve been trying, but it can’t happen even though I’m eating good. Sometimes I feel as if I’m a bit of a fat belly. I’m going to go back down in weight. I’m the 145 champion and the 155 belt is there for me, too.”

That would entail challenging Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight title, which could happen at UFC 205 on the organization’s first card in New York at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 12.

A date that soon would be contingent upon McGregor emerging healthy from Saturday’s slugfest. He entered the press room on crutches and went to a hospital, but McGregor said it was just a sore shin from all the leg kicks Diaz checked.

He may have to rest awhile, which would give him time to check out video of his handiwork from Saturday.

“I had some clean work in there tonight. I look forward to watching it back,” McGregor said. “I tell you what, his face was opened up and he was still just coming. You have to respect that. How can you not?”

The film sessions should help him prepare for the next matchup against Diaz, whenever it occurs. Diaz, who surely will cash his biggest check thus far for Saturday’s fight, said he has little interest in fighting anyone except McGregor next.

McGregor seems to be open to a plethora opportunities.

“We’ll see,” he said. “There’s a lot of stuff in the pipeline. (Expletive) is about to hit the fan I feel. So we’ll see.”

Saturday’s performance helped make sure the door to all of that stayed wide open.

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