Berto: I Advised Conor McGregor Not To Rush a Diaz Rematch

By TMZ

Former welterweight world champion Andre Berto says he spoke with Conor McGregor earlier this week -- and tells TMZ Sports he strongly feels the guy should NOT rush into a rematch with Nate Diaz. 

Berto's not just a premiere boxer (fighting Victor Ortiz in a rematch in April) -- but he comes from an MMA family with his father, brother and sister all having competed in MMA fights.

So, when Berto told us he's been in contact with The Notorious ... we had to ask if he had advice for the UFC star.

Long story short ... Berto's not against a rematch with Diaz -- just not right now.

"I think that he should probably take another fight or two first," Berto said.

Earlie rthis month in Las Vegas, Diaz forced McGregor to tap out with 48 seconds left in the second round, ending the Irish superstar's 15-fight winning streak in a non-title bout.

Diaz (20-10) was battered and bloodied for the first 1 1/2 rounds by McGregor (19-3), the UFC 145-pound featherweight champ and pay-per-view star fighting at 170 pounds on short notice.

Diaz, who took the fight less than two weeks earlier, abruptly changed the bout with an electric series of punches that wobbled the previously unshakable McGregor. When McGregor tried a takedown, Diaz quickly forced him to tap out on the ground.

The main event was the greatest moment in the career of Diaz, a pugnacious veteran from a notorious fighting family in Stockton, California. Diaz had lost three of his past five fights, but his size and power abruptly finished McGregor, who had boasted of his plans to hold championships in multiple weight classes.

The loss was McGregor's first since November 2010, and it put a blemish on the loquacious Irish face of the UFC and the best-paid fighter in this rapidly growing sport.