Conor McGregor weighs in at 168lbs ahead of welterweight debut as Nate Diaz says he plans to 'kill or be killed' at UFC 196

Nate Diaz threatened to 'kill or be killed' as he came face to face with Conor McGregor for the final time before they meet in the Octagon on Saturday night.

The warring pair were kept art arm's length after McGregor weighed in one pound lighter than his opponent at 168lb.

Diaz feinted as if ready to land a blow, forcing the Irishman to flinch before he clamoured to get closer. 

UFC President Dana White (centre) separates Conor McGregor (left) and Nate Diaz at the weigh ins

McGregor weighed in three pounds below the welterweight limit of 168lbs ahead of his UFC 196 fight

'The Notorious' laughs at Diaz (right) as the two fighters trade insults after weighing in on Friday

The Californian underdog said: 'I'm here to kill or be killed. F*** this little bitch, f*** you.'

McGregor responded: 'I'm just giggling at his soft body. How can a fat guy be so skinny at the same time, it amuses me.

'I'm looking forward to getting in there and putting martial arts back in back into the game. Weight should never be an issue, champions should be able to go up and down and fight the challenger that comes before then.

'I'm looking forward to going in there and looking fresh and putting on a show for the fans.'

Earlier this week, amid the empty bluster of a fanciful $1billion fight with Floyd Mayweather, McGregor identified the biggest threat to his UFC dominance as himself.

Not the danger of distraction that could see him squander his fighting fortune which runs into the many millions.

Irish fans in the MGM Grand chanted 'ole, ole ole ole' as the UFC featherweight champion weighed in

Diaz weighed in at 170lbs as he prepares to fight at welterweight for the first time since 2011

The pair were not allowed close to each other after almost coming to blows at a press conference on Thursday

But an exact replica of a man who refuses to acknowledge a limit to his potential.

'I'd love to fight myself if I could,' he said. 'Imagine the numbers that would do, if there was two of me.'

Instead McGregor must be satisfied with the challenge of Diaz who stepped in at 11 days' notice to replace lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos who broke his foot in training.

The Brazilian's absence robbed McGregor of the opportunity to become the first fighter in the promotion's history to hold two titles concurrently after his 13-second obliteration of Jose Aldo last December earned him the featherweight crown.

The Irishman raises his right hand to the crowd as he approaches the scale as coach John Kavanagh smiles

A smiling McGregor looks to be enjoying the weigh ins as he did not have to cut weight this week

McGregor: 'Champions should be able to go up and down and fight the challenger that comes before them'

Not that the Dubliner is prepared to accept a downgrading of tonight's main event in Las Vegas, however.

'This is always history, every damn time,' he said. 'The gates keep rising, the pay-per-view keeps rising, the attendance; everything keeps rising. It's always history when I step inside that Octagon.'

What has certainly risen in recent weeks is McGregor's weight.

Already free of the burden of reducing his body to a skeleton by moving up a division to face Dos Anjos at 155lb, he has now bulked up to almost 170lb after agreeing to meet Diaz at welterweight.

Indeed, perhaps the biggest decision McGregor has had to make this week is what to eat for breakfast. 

The Irishman also made fun of Diaz's physique: 'How can a fat guy be so skinny at the same time?'

McGregor appears on the big screen as hundreds of fans cheer his name at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas

'It's certainly been enjoyable,' he said. 'It's different to wake up and have a choice of food and be able to eat out.

'I'm almost living a normal life. There is no adjustment, it is just me going in as I am and that's how it should be.'

And as his coach John Kavanagh often quips: 'You've seen him on salads, watch what happens when he's on steaks.'

Such is McGregor's insatiable appetite, the suggestion he sideline himself this evening to wait for Dos Anjos to recover was never raised.

Of his eight scheduled fights since his UFC debut in 2013, four have been against replacement opponents.

In Diaz he faces a man regularly recruited as a sparring partner for former boxing world champion Andre Ward and whose acclaimed jiu-jitsu could see his opponent's hitherto untested ground game given a serious examination.

Diaz takes to the scale at the MGM Grand as the crowd jeer the American during the weigh in

'I'm looking forward to getting in there and putting martial arts back in back into the game

'Every single fight I've taken a risk and I'll continue to do so,' McGregor said. 'The fans pay their hard-earned money but people pull out of fights and the other opponent scraps the whole card, only thinking of themselves while they sit in their comfortable homes. 

'I love to fight; this man, let's see if he can fight. He's talked a lot; there's been subtle digs over the years but now as the fight comes closer, he's like a scared little boy.'

McGregor will not be backed by quite the vociferous support which followed him to Las Vegas two weeks before Christmas with tickets still available for the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Nevertheless, several hundred fans waited patiently to catch a glimpse of him at an open workout earlier in the week.

More than an hour late, McGregor trained for half an hour - as long as the three preceding fighters combined - before defying security to sign a sea of flags and posters while posing for photographs.

Thousands then queued for more than five hours to watch their hero weigh in while the video of the press conference has been watched online almost one million times.

Women's bantamweight champion Holly Holm poses for the fans as she weighs in at the MGM Grand

Holm squares off with Miesha Tate (right) who she will face in her first title defence on Saturday night

His faithful's admiration is shared by none other than Steve Collins who recently proclaimed his countryman to be the greatest fighter Ireland has produced.

In response, McGregor said: 'To hear something like that, I'm very flattered. I continue to get better and continue to show my countrymen different ways to fight.

'Before me there was boxing, there were certain types of movements but now people are opening their mind and I'm very, very proud of that. That's a great honour.

'Am I the greatest fighter? I think so, and I'm only getting better.'

McGregor also acknowledged the voter who scribbled his name on their General Election ballot paper but stopped short of committing to a career in politics, or indeed Hollywood.

Tate grins on the scales ahead of her second UFC title shot at UFC 196 in Las Vegas

But should he treat Diaz with the same disdain as his previous seven opponents, McGregor, who has predicted a first-round finish, will find himself faced with a plethora of possibilities.

Barring injury he is certain to headline the flagship UFC 200 show at the new 20,000-seater T-Mobile Arena in July.

A return to featherweight to face Frankie Edgar, a rescheduled bout with Dos Anjos or a tilt at Robbie Lawler's welterweight title will all be considered in the aftermath of an eighth successive victory.

'I'm seriously considering making my own damn belt and then I'll decide what weight the fight is at,' he said. 'Why not? Who cares about the belts. [I'm] the money fight. This is the fight everyone wants.'

Everyone, including McGregor himself.