Nate Diaz’s fights with Conor McGregor were blockbusters for the UFC and both fighters’ careers. But the trilogy the promotion has held in its back pocket for years, waiting for the right moment, is no longer something Diaz is going to wait for.
Diaz repeated Tuesday that he was ready to quit the UFC in order to pursue other goals. McGregor sees the situation differently. He has already lost the chance to fight in the big fight.
“McGregor wasn’t qualified to face Floyd Mayweather. Floyd Mayweather thought, “Oh, I’m a pro at fighting him. Look what Nate did. That’s how you beat him.” Diaz stated. “Blueprint, beat his ass hella easy, made him punch himself out, 10th round, beat his ass. He didn’t see me do it. This is exactly what I did.
“And then [Conor] went and got choked by Khabib. He did not learn how to avoid getting choked. He would not have choked if he had finished the trilogy alongside me. He would have been able to finish the trilogy along with me and be able to punch his way through Mayweather’s rounds.
“He could have got better, but he jumped the line. They helped him, but he skipped the line. No one has helped me the whole time. I’ve been relevant in this sport and I’m the most relevant, still, without even trying. Three years ago, I fought once per year and still hold records. In five years, I haven’t fought s*** since then. I used to fight three to five times per year. But the UFC has kept me behind .”
Diaz has one fight remaining on his current UFC contract and said he’s offered to fight just about anyone the promotion puts in front of him – with a few notable exceptions. UFC President Dana White has pointed to Diaz’s record and tenure as a hurdle to agreeing on an opponent.
Diaz is 1-2 since the McGregor fights and 4-5 since a failed bid for the lightweight title that Diaz said marked a negative turning point in his time with the promotion. He’s fallen short in several high-profile fights and seen opponents move on to title shots. But in his mind, he’s held on longer and never been truly knocked out in competition.
“As far as I’m concerned, I’m the best fighter to ever step into the UFC,” Diaz said. “No one else can hang. This is the war I won’t quit and all others are fighting.
Diaz said the only fight he’s been offered during his standoff with the promotion has been a bout with welterweight star Khamzat Chimaev, whom he said turned down the fight (Chimaev, meanwhile, accused him of the same). He believes McGregor’s trilogy is also being kept over his head.
The fight might happen later, after Diaz has exhausted other options like boxing (for an opponent with Jake Paul), and jiu jitsu (to face grappling champion Gordon Ryan) or just to promote his fights.
Right now Diaz claims that McGregor and the UFC missed the window.
” You bring yourself back into life, and I’ll return later because I have s*** to accomplish,” he stated about the ex-two-division champion. What’s the matter with him? “Fight some guys who were knocked on the ass by a man who had just gotten his legs broken all over and was knocked out of the fight.
” I was never knocked out. I’m still in the running. Everybody else is in last place. And then anybody who’s a champion with their ego trying to be like, ‘I’m not calling him out. It’s me, the champion. You haven’t been here since five minutes ago.
This website uses cookies.