Dana White Admits Nate Diaz Is A Ronda Rousey & Conor McGregor-Level Star Now
Nate Diaz picked up a massive win in his return to action last night (Sat. August 17, 2019) in Anaheim, California.
Daiz ended a three-year layoff to co-main event the UFC 241 pay-per-view (PPV) from the Honda Center against Anthony “Showtime” Pettis. Diaz put on quite the performance, which ultimately resulted in a unanimous decision victory over the former UFC lightweight champion.
Now, Diaz has called out Jorge Masvidal for what would be an epic showdown between two extremely game fan-favorites, who never fail to disappoint inside the Octagon. Speaking at the UFC 241 post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White was asked about Diaz, whose stardom has erupted upon his return.
White admitted that he can no longer deny Diaz’s fame, who he agrees is on the level of the likes of Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor. The UFC boss also admitted that the younger Diaz brother is now, definitely, a “needle mover.”
“Yeah,” White said. “It’s pretty tough to deny. He’s a needle mover now.”
As for what people see in Diaz that makes him so appealing, White believes it boils down to the Stockton native being the perfect anti-hero.
“Well, I think it’s stuff like – I did the fighter meeting and I specifically told him not to swear on ESPN,” White said. “He looked right at me and said “mother f*cker.” Right after the – when he was doing his interview on ESPN. You know, stuff like that. I read this story – I didn’t read this story, I read the headline, from one of the big papers that had written a story about this.
“”It said, “UFC Needs An Anti-Hero And Here He Is – Nate Diaz.” It’s true. It’s just, I said it leading up to this fight. He’s the guy that says “f*ck you to the man,” but he doesn’t actually say “f*ck you” to the man. Actually, every time I see him Nate is cool. But he just has this thing that people like.”
What do you think about White dubbing Diaz a Rousey and McGregor-level star now?
