"I would be an idiot if I made that fight" - Dana White shuts down Nick Diaz's argument of wanting to fight Kamaru Usman instead of Robbie Lawler
UFC president Dana White broke his silence on Nick Diaz's latest statement regarding his willingness to fight Kamaru Usman.
Nick Diaz said that he would rather be fighting Kamaru Usman than Robbie Lawler at UFC 266. He even suggested that whoever made the pairing with 'Ruthless' was an "idiot."
In a recent interview with Barstool Sports, Dana White was asked to share his thoughts on Nick Diaz's comments. The UFC boss said:
"You're not happy about the Robbie Lawler fight but you want to fight Usman? Kamaru Usman is the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world right now. He is obviously the welterweight champion and he also the...think about this, he beat Masvidal twice, Gilbert Burns, Colby Covington, Tyron Woodley, RDA, Demian Maia, Leon Edwards, the list goes on. He's the best fighter in the world right now, pound-for-pound. Nick Diaz hasn't fought in seven years. I would be an idiot if I made that fight."
Catch Barstool Sports' interview with Dana White below:
What did Nick Diaz say about his matchup with Robbie Lawler?
Nick Diaz appeared in an interview with Brett Okamoto ahead his upcoming fight with Robbie Lawler at UFC 266.
Over the course of the interview, Nick Diaz made it clear that he still isn't a fan of fighting, but acknowledged that he's good at it. He argued that the ideal comeback fight for him would have been one against the dominant welterweight king.
"I think I’ll beat the sh*t out of Usman. I’ve got a better shot of beating Usman than I do Lawler, just ‘cause I already beat Lawler. It doesn’t make sense for me to go in there and fight Robbie Lawler again. I don’t know why I’m doing this. This should not happen. Whoever set this up is an idiot. I don’t know why I’m doing this. I don’t know why this is happening. I should be fighting Kamaru Usman and that’s it."
Catch Brett Okamoto's interview with Nick Diaz below:
While Nick Diaz sounds confident in his ability, Dana White does make a valid point about the long layoff Nick Diaz has had. To give him a title fight after six years of inactivity and three losses (one later overturned and declared a no-contest) in his last three fights would not make much sense.
If Nick Diaz wins tomorrow , he and @USMAN84kg should do an ultimate fighter together, because of what Nick has earned by the body of work throughout his career.