Approximately two weeks away from his rematch against Nate Diaz at UFC 202 on Aug. 20, Conor McGregor has offered one of his infamous predictions.
During an international media call on Friday, McGregor (19-3) predicted he will knock out Diaz (19-10) "inside the second round" when they meet later this month at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The Irish star is known for making pre-fight predictions, several of which he's made good on. He correctly predicted a first-round knockout against Jose Aldo at UFC 194 in December. In July 2015, UFC president Dana White said McGregor offered to bet $3 million he would knock out Chad Mendes in the second round at UFC 189 -- which he later did.
Diaz put an end to that run in March, when he submitted McGregor via rear-naked choke in the second round of a welterweight fight at UFC 196 -- a fight he accepted on just 11 days' notice. McGregor said he plans to turn the tables at UFC 202.
"I think I just got into saying I'd stop the guy in the first round," said McGregor, who called first-round finish over Diaz in March. "If I really look at it, he has a solid chin. He's durable and very experienced. He has the size and the weight on me. I think that was the wrong thing, to go in expecting the first round.
"I did go out there to KO him in the first round. I marched forward, backed him up against the fence and teed off on his head. I did what I said I would do, but respect to him, he stuck it out. He weathered the storm. This time, I'm still going to march forward and bust him up, there's just going to be much more in my tank. I'm going to be a lot more prepared for a man who can stay in there with me.
"Even still, I struggle to give him past round three. If I was to make a prediction, which I will right now, I believe I will repay the favor and KO him inside the second round."
The loss to Diaz was the first of McGregor's UFC career. The 28-year-old won his first seven fights in the Octagon, including six via knockout.
After winning the featherweight championship late last year, McGregor was initially booked to a lightweight championship fight against then-champion Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 196. Dos Anjos was forced to pull out of the fight due to a foot injury, however, and was eventually replaced by Diaz. McGregor agreed to have the fight at 170 pounds, due to the late change.
Rather than go back to his original division and defend the title, McGregor called for an immediate rematch with Diaz. A Dublin native, he has spent the last month in Las Vegas preparing for the fight.
"Realistically, I should be a two-weight UFC world champion," McGregor said. "If I fought Rafael dos Anjos, if he didn't p---- out of that last one and showed up, the shots I cracked Nate with in the first eight minutes would have KO'd Rafael dos Anjos stiff. That's no question. I would be sitting here right now as a two-weight world champion.
"But I don't dwell on that. I'm happy this happened, because it forced me to look at my preparation, look at the route I was going on. It forced me to reassess. I'm happy this happened. Make no mistake, this one means a hell of a lot to me. This one means more than any amount of money or gold combined. I gave up a hell of a lot of money, gave up Hollywood opportunities, for this contest. I wanted to restrict the media. That should tell you how much this fight means to me. I've been preparing accordingly."
McGregor has already stated he would have interest in a trilogy fight against Diaz, should he even the series at 1-1. For his part, Diaz has said any fighter would want a rematch against someone who beat he or she lost to -- meaning, a McGregor win on Aug. 20 could set the stage for a potential trilogy fight. Oddsmakers currently have McGregor slightly favored to win.