'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Becoming the first fighter to stop the reign of Conor McGregor back when he truly looked indomitable, Nate Diaz made nearly $2.7 million over the duology of fights. A win is never guaranteed when one is fighting Conor McGregor inside the octagon, but a substantial fight purse always is.
Nate Diaz earned a disclosed fight purse of $500,000 for the first time he fought Conor McGregor at UFC 196. He took home a total of $620,000, which includes $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus, $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus, and $20,000 Reebok sponsorship.
For UFC 202, the fight purse of Nate Diaz doubled thanks to their rivalry becoming stuff of MMA legend. He received a guaranteed fight purse of $2 million and also took home a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus and $20,000 Reebok sponsorship bringing the total amount up to $2,070,000.
These amounts are exclusive of pay-per-view shares and other bonuses.
Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor - A Rivalry for the Ages
Nate Diaz was the first to call out Conor McGregor a week after the latter's featherweight title win over Jose Aldo. After a decision win over Michael Johnson, Nate Diaz famously challenged the Irishman in his post-fight speech - "Conor McGregor, you're taking everything I worked for".
The rest, as they say, was history.
Even though the matchup seemed impossible at the time as Conor McGregor had set his eyes on the lightweight belt, the stars aligned for the fight that would pave the way for one of the most remarkable and iconic rivalries in the sport's history.
After Rafael dos Anjos had to pull out of his fight against Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz took the fight on 11 days' notice. At UFC 196, he went on to shock the world by submitting 'The Notorious One' with a rear-naked choke in the second round, ending McGregor's seven-fight win streak in UFC.
Conor McGregor immediately wanted a rematch and a rematch he got. The two went at it again in the main event of UFC 202 and this time, the Irish megastar came prepared. The fight went the distance and at the end of five rounds, it was Conor McGregor who came out victorious with a Majority Decision.
Both UFC 196 and UFC 202 are among the top five most purchased UFC PPVs of all time.
Even though the score was equalled at UFC 202, the rivalry, in all possibility, is yet to come to an end. After a long hiatus, Nate Diaz is finally about to make his return to the octagon for the first time since the BMF fight against Jorge Masvidal. Rumors suggest he might be making his comeback in a trilogy fight against Conor McGregor. The latter has also been quite vocal about going a third time with Nate Diaz, who he once called "a little Mexican warrior".
