Talking trash is part of the fabric of MMA and Conor McGregor is the undisputed champion of delivering verbal blows. (He happens to be outstanding at delivering physical blows, as well.) But if anyone thinks McGregor is going to step back from running his mouth after a humbling loss to Nate Diaz at UFC 196, they’re mistaken.
On his Instagram account, McGregor said he’ll own up to the loss, and that said defeat will only fuel him going forward. He even finished it off by projecting a rematch with Diaz. In between, though, he threw a couple of verbal punches to Jose Aldo and Rafael Dos Anjos:
I stormed in and put it all on the line. I took a shot and missed. I will never apologize for taking a shot. Shit happens. I’ll take this loss like a man. I will not shy away from it. I will not change who I am. If another champion goes up 2 weights let me know. If your tired of me talking money, take a nap. I’ll still be here when you wake up with the highest PPV and the gate. Still talking multi 7’s. Thank you to the true support and fuck the hate that came out of the woodwork. I love it all. Its still steak for breakfast. I’ve been here many times in my life in some form or another. I’ll eat it all and come back stronger. Aldo you are a pussy. Dos anjos you are a pussy. When the history books are written, I showed up. You showed up on Twitter. To the fans! Never ever shy away from challenges. Never run from adversity. Face yourself head on. Nate I will see you again.
For context, Aldo said McGregor had “soap hands” after the Diaz loss. Dos Anjos missed the event altogether with a foot injury, so obviously, neither fought McGregor at UFC 196. (Dos Anjos did, however, issue a response to McGregor’s Instagram post.)
When you talk as much as McGregor does (and when you’re as famous as he is), moments like these are when others are going to revel in your defeat. That’s part of the territory and McGregor has to understand that, as he surely does. That said, McGregor is one of the most entertaining fighters in the sport for a reason. If we’re okay with his trash-talking ways in victory, we need to be okay with them in defeat.