Nate Diaz has never been one to follow the crowd, and his latest career move proves it once again.
When the UFC came calling with an offer to face Conor McGregor in what would have been a blockbuster trilogy fight—and the biggest paycheck of Diaz's career—the Stockton legend said no. Instead, he's set to face Mike Perry in the main event of MVP's first MMA card on May 16th.
Make no mistake, Diaz vs. Perry is a fan-friendly scrap. But the McGregor rematch? That's a money fight that would dwarf anything else on the table. So why pass on the Irish superstar and a return to the Octagon?
“One hundred percent I did consider going back to UFC,” Diaz told Ariel Helwani. “I was pretty close because they’ve always been great since I left too, and they met up with me and talked to me and we had some talks and it was good to see them and good to be back. And wheels were spinning just for an MMA fight, an MMA return, and getting back to what I do. And I know that they wanted the Conor fight right now and that’s not what I’m about.”
Diaz elaborated further, revealing he wants no part of a "comeback story" for McGregor.
“I’m like, I’m not trying to be a comeback story for Conor. I want Conor, back. And then I want him to be showing people he’s whipping ass. Then that’s the guy I want. I don’t wanna be fighting a guy that they don’t know about, because I know he’s gonna come back and do good. I don’t need him to do it on me.”
There's also the matter of UFC contracts. Diaz spent years on the sidelines clashing with executives over opponents and contract terms, and he's not eager to lock himself back into that system.
“Once I get locked in, I’m gonna be locked in the whole time for the next forever,” Diaz said. “You know what I’m saying? You ain’t getting out of those contracts. I already been in them … It was hard to jump back in after I tried so hard for so many years to get out. I can’t just jump right back in. At least there’s Perry out here. I could get this done. So I’ve done everything on the outside before going back in.”
While Diaz admitted he was willing to return for a fight with Charles Oliveira, the timing for McGregor just wasn't right. For now, he's focused on handling business with Perry—on his own terms, as always.