Nate Diaz claims Israel Adesanya and Francis Ngannou are the only "worthy" opponents for him in the UFC

Nate Diaz (left), Francis Ngannou (center), and Israel Adesanya (right) [Images courtesy: @natediaz209, @francisngannou, and @stylebender on Instagram]

Nate Diaz recently described both Francis Ngannou and Israel Adesanya as "worthy opponents." Diaz mentioned the reigning UFC heavyweight and middleweight champions, respectively, in a conversation with Ariel Helwani.

On the latest installment of The MMA Hour, Diaz spoke about myriad topics, including his complicated contractual situation with the UFC.

Watch the episode of The MMA Hour below:

While addressing his lengthy run in the company and how he doesn't want to be used as cannon fodder for young up-and-comers, Diaz said:

"I don't want to fight no new guys that haven't been knocked out and slept all over the place for one. And then for two, I said the only worthy opponents they have here for me is f*****g Francis Ngannou or [Israel] Adesanya. With all due respect, because I don't even want beef... I don't want to fight those guys. I like those guys a lot, you know what I'm saying? But if I'm going to fight anybody, it's going to be somebody who's done something great like those f*****s."

Nate Diaz's path to a UFC exit

Diaz has been on a quest to fight out the last bout of his contract for a while now. He has been out of action for around 13 months now.

The last time Diaz entered the cage, he lost via unanimous decision to Leon Edwards in their UFC 263 welterweight bout in June 2021. Diaz famously rocked the Englishman in the final frame despite being down every round up until that point.

"They don't wanna let me out of the contract." - Nate Diaz on not being able to fight now for over a year.

#TheMMAHour

In the interview, Diaz indicated interest in boxing and jiu-jitsu competitions once he exits the UFC fold. He mentioned names like Jake Paul and Gordon Ryan throughout his lengthy chat with Helwani.

If his next outing is in fact going to be his final UFC appearance, Nate Diaz will leave behind quite a legacy inside the octagon.

Watch some of Diaz's highlights in the UFC:

His tenure in the organization spans over 15 years after winning The Ultimate Fighter Season 5 in June 2007. Diaz has garnered significant UFC victories over Takanori Gomi, Donald Cerrone, Jim Miller, Conor McGregor, Gray Maynard, and Anthony Pettis to name a few.

The Stockton native has contended for the UFC lightweight championship and was also a ranked welterweight previously.