Over the past month, the UFC's Nate Diaz has voiced his displeasure with the company and UFC President Dana White. Realistically, it's possible to say Diaz's displeasure has gone further back than that. However, it feels as though things have escalated this past weekend, with White and Diaz not appearing to be on the same page.
Diaz, The Ultimate Fighter 2007 winner, has recently described his experience as being held hostage, and he "wants out." During an appearance on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Hour, Diaz slammed the UFC for not booking him against fighters he desires. With his contract ending soon, Diaz wants to explore other options outside the UFC. He believes contract negotiations are not in his favor.
“I was trying to get this s--- on the road, but they don’t want me out of contract and they’re keeping me in there and they’re holding me hostage,” Diaz said, via MMA Fighting. “And I want out. That’s my main objective here… I appreciate the UFC, but they’re valuing me in private, but I’m devalued in the public.”
MORE: MMA Schedule 2022: Date, division, location for upcoming fights
Diaz has shown interest in fighting Dustin Poirier, with the two engaging in a war of words on social media. Nothing has come from those exchanges. He has also called out Jake Paul for a boxing bout and UFC sensation Khamzat Chimaev. As he has done in the past, Paul called out White to "free" his fighters to get something like this done.
Meanwhile, Diaz did request his release from the UFC back in March.
I’ll fight Dp in January don’t be a scared lil bitch this time now or never pic.twitter.com/w5ly9o3m6y
— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) December 16, 2021
Free Nate Diaz https://t.co/8gM18meFWK
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) March 26, 2022
A fight against Chimaev would pit Diaz against a rising star.
Diaz, a silver medalist in the Pan American Jiu-Jitsu Championships, is known for being a tough brawler. He made his pro debut in 2004 for WEC. Since winning The Ultimate Fighter, Diaz is 14-11 with the promotion. He has competed in wars against Clay Guida, Donald Cerrone, Jim Miller, Gray Maynard, and Conor McGregor. Diaz is currently on a two-fight losing streak, as he last faced Leon Edwards at UFC 263 in 2021.
Against McGregor, Diaz is 1-1. The two put on two great fights that generated interest and money for the UFC. The last bout between the two was in 2016. The company and fans have been craving a third fight between Diaz and McGregor. Diaz is content with waiting until the right bout is made for him, while McGregor has gone through his own journey. As of now, Diaz is not thinking of a trilogy bout.
"They don't want to let me go. They won't let me out of this contract because they want me to fight Conor. That's what's happening," Diaz said, via Yahoo Sports. "They don't want me out without finishing that fight up. I'm not fighting Conor McGregor right now. Our timelines aren't matching up. You didn't fight me when you were supposed to fight me. I'm not fighting you right now. I'm supposed to bring you back to life before I go? You bring yourself back to life and then I'll be back later. I've got s--- to do.”
MORE: Where is Conor McGregor from? Birthplace, home country for former UFC champion
McGregor is healing from a broken tibia he suffered at UFC 264 against Dustin Poirier. Since the Diaz fights, McGregor is 2-3 in his last five bouts. He also competed against Floyd Mayweather in a boxing bout. McGregor may return either in late 2022 or sometime in 2023.
White answered a few questions from the media regarding Diaz following UFC Long Island. He stated it was impossible to prevent Diaz from competing and that they have personally offered him fights. They owe him a specific number of bouts.
“When isn’t Nate Diaz saying something crazy? I’ve said this a million times and I’ll say it again — we can’t hold guys hostage. It’s not possible,” White stated, via MMA Fighting. “I owe you three fights a year. If I don’t fight you three times a year, I have to pay you. How could I hold him hostage?”
Diaz did not fight in 2017 or 2018 and competed in two fights in 2019. The Edwards bout was his only fight of 2021. Diaz has stated that the only fighters the UFC has on the roster who are "worthy opponents" are UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. He clarified his statements on social media.
Dana said Francis Ngannou was injured and couldn’t fight right now
— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) July 17, 2022
Idk why he was so confused in interview.
And in the last 9 months I been offered 0 fights and I asked for 5 legitimate opponents ..
Thanks u for the kind words can I go now 👊🏼
“Dana said Francis Ngannou was injured and couldn’t fight right now. Idk why he was so confused in interview. And in the last 9 months I been offered 0 fights and I asked for 5 legitimate opponents .. Thanks u for the kind words can I go now”
MORE: Will the UFC be returning to Canada any time soon?
As of now, the UFC and Diaz are at a standstill. Diaz wants to fight this year. There are a few cards before the end of the year that may entice Diaz. Will the two parties be able to work something out?
