Conor McGregor continues to live the high life despite UFC 196 loss to Nate Diaz as he plays basketball in glorious sunshine

Conor McGregor continues to live the high life despite his defeat by Nate Diaz at UFC 196.

The Irishman, 27, has shared a picture of him lining up a basketball shot in the glorious sunshine, along with the message 'That went in smooth I promise you'.

McGregor has not shied away after his loss to Diaz in Las Vegas, when he was forced to tap out after being caught in a rear-naked choke.

MMA star Conor McGregor shared this picture, along with the message 'That went in smooth I promise you'

The Irishman was beaten by Nate Diaz on March 6 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas

He promised to party in defeat and was pictured out with his fans in Las Vegas just hours after the second-round loss, and shared a picture with his girlfriend Dee Devlin on Tuesday with the caption 'Feasting'.

His trainer John Kavanagh believes his fighter was 'exhausted' against Diaz.

'If there was something to critique or take away from that fight, I think Conor almost immediately said it much better than I'm able to say, is that he was inefficient with his job and Nate was efficient,' he told the MMA Hour.

'He kind of blew himself a little bit trying to take his head off with every single left hand rather than just landing it. Maybe I could have stole his own phrase and told him to keep it flowing.'

Diaz (top) applies the rear-naked choke on McGregor that forced him to tap out in the second round

McGregor posted this picture with his girlfriend Dee Devlin on Tuesday, along with the message 'Feasting' 

McGregor has been determined to show he is still feeling strong after the Diaz fight and posted in the hours after the defeat: 'I don't say hard luck, I say well done. It was a heck of a fight. A heck of a cheque. And a heck of a party afterwards.'

This basketball shot in the sun, shared with his 4.2million Instagram followers, is another message of defiance.