"That's when I'll be back" - Nate Diaz lays down one condition that will make him come back to the UFC
Nate Diaz has been embroiled in a contract dispute with the UFC over the past several months. Diaz is adamant about leaving the UFC after his next fight, which would be the last of his current UFC contract.
That being said, the UFC lightweight has now revealed the one condition on which he’ll return to the UFC. In a "Special Nate Diaz edition" of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Diaz was asked whether he’s been offered a new deal by the UFC. The MMA megastar responded by stating:
“For the last five, six, seven months, however long – when I’m asking for a fight, they offer me more money. They offer me more money, and they offer me more money. And I’m at a point in my career and in my life where I don’t want any more money. I just want to depart.”
July 30th
Would be a nice to departure date 🧊
Nate Diaz claimed that the fighters the UFC can offer him have “been used and abused.” Furthermore, he took shots at the “recycled” UFC lightweight and welterweight divisions.
A UFC fighter since 2007, Diaz highlighted that nobody else has fought exclusively for the UFC for such a long time. Noting that he’ll return to the UFC only when the promotion has a fresh batch of challenges, Diaz said:
“I feel like there’s nobody worthy. There’s no worthy opponent for me at the moment. So, I wanna step out and recover from this whole sh**. And when the time is right, when there’s a whole new batch of guys in here doing something good, that’s when I’ll be back.”
Watch Diaz discuss the topic at 13:30 in the video below:
Chael Sonnen on potential Nate Diaz vs. Khamzat Chimaev fight
Since his last fight in June 2021, Nate Diaz has been linked to potential matchups against several other high-profile UFC fighters, including undefeated welterweight star Khamzat Chimaev. The Diaz-Chimaev matchup was rumored to be taking place this month, but it ultimately fizzled out.
In a recent edition of Beyond the Fight, Chael Sonnen ruled out Diaz’s possible fights against top welterweights like Belal Muhammad, Sean Brady, Shavkat Rakhmonov, and others. However, he also opined that the rumors regarding the Diaz-Chimaev dream matchup refuse to die down, indicating that there's still hope for it to materialize.
Sonnen said:
“Gilbert Burns [is] a very likely opponent for Nate. He appears busy—in fact he appears busy with Jorge Masvidal. Colby Covington, the No.1 contender, good fight for any one of them, is silent right now... That [Chimaev vs. Diaz] is a rumor that just won't go away."
Watch Sonnen’s assessment below: