Nate Diaz has revealed he would like to return to the UFC, but only if the circumstances are right. For now, a trilogy fight against Conor McGregor is not on his radar. Diaz is set to face Mike Perry in a mixed martial arts bout on the MVP MMA: Rhonda Rousey vs. Gina Carano event on Netflix on May 16.
Diaz’s UFC Conditions
Diaz said he had offers from the UFC before signing with Most Valuable Promotions, but the offers didn’t align with his goals. He stated that he wants to fight the best when they are at their best. According to Diaz, the UFC wants him to fight Conor McGregor right now, but Diaz is not interested.
“I want to go back to the UFC,” Diaz said. “I have bigger offers from the UFC than I got from [MVP and Netflix], but the offers weren’t the opponents… I want to fight the best of the best.”
BMF Title Interest
Diaz said his top choice for an opponent would be former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira. Oliveira won the UFC’s BMF title earlier this month by defeating Max Holloway in a five-round decision at UFC 326. Diaz was responsible for creating the BMF belt in MMA in 2019, when he was involved in the inaugural BMF title fight against Jorge Masvidal.
McGregor’s Status
McGregor hasn’t fought since he suffered a broken leg in a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier in 2021. He and Diaz were involved in one of the greatest rivalries in MMA history in 2016, when they split two fights that took place in the span of six months. A trilogy fight has always felt somewhat inevitable, even after McGregor’s injury and Diaz’s departure from the UFC in 2022. McGregor has expressed interest in returning to competition later this year, possibly as soon as July.
Diaz doesn’t want to face McGregor when he believes McGregor is vulnerable. “I’m not trying to be the end of some f—er’s story like that,” Diaz said. “I’m not trying to finish this dude off, and that’s what I would plan on doing if we fought. And at the same time, I’m not trying to get f—ed up by nobody who just got knocked out, broke his leg and now is nothing but motivated to fight me.”
For now, a potential trilogy will continue to wait.