Eddie Alvarez: Money Changed Nate Diaz

Eddie Alvarez wants to throw down with Nate Diaz next, but the Gracie jiu-jitsu black belt doesn’t share those sentiments.

Diaz laid out the foundation for the potential match-up back in 2015 at UFC 188 in Mexico, after Alvarez took home a controversial split decision win over Diaz’s teammate Gilbert Melendez. After the bout Diaz stated in an interview that he’d like to get the next shot at ‘The Underground King’, who went on to win the UFC’s lightweight title instead.

Alvarez’s last Octagon appearance saw him drop the 155-pound title to Conor McGregor in the main event of UFC 205 back in November, the promotion’s first show from Madison Square Garden, and is now ready to get back into the cage to right that wrong. Alvarez joined MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour yesterday (Mon. March 6, 2017) to discuss what’s next for him, and react to Diaz turning down an offer to finally square-off with him inside the Octagon:

“I’m shocked,” Alvarez said. … “He got a taste of that money and now he changed.”

“I really thought that Nate Diaz would have fought me,” Alvarez said. “He said a lot of stuff in Mexico. He looks at me funny in lobbies and sh*t like that. I thought if worst comes to worst, Nate would definitely fight me. I was actually shocked when they gave him a bout agreement and he said no to that. I thought he would fight me for sure.”

“I understand his thought process,” Alvarez said. “I have an idea of what he’s getting paid. It wouldn’t make sense for him to take a normal pay check for him to fight me. It would make sense for him to wait 10 years and possibly get the Conor fight, rather than fight me and be impatient. It would make more sense for him to be patient. So I understand the business aspect of it. It’s intelligent of him to do, but eventually you’re gonna have to get back in the cage. Time is ticking. We’ll see.”

With rumored bouts against the likes of Dustin Poirier and Michael Chiesa filling the rumor mill, Alvarez is simply interested in making a fight against someone the fans are excited for:

“A fight is a fight,” Alvarez said. “Everybody is good. When I step inside the cage, I want there to be some kind of value — something that I can get excited about.”

As far as the match-up against Chiesa goes, Alvarez isn’t too thrilled about a potential fight against The Ultimate Fighter Season 15 (TUF 15) winner. Instead Alvarez will hold out for a big name such as Nate Diaz, who he remains disappointed in for not accepting the bout:

“No,” Alvarez said. “I don’t want it. There’s nothing — zero — for me to gain in this fight. I lost, no doubt I lost. i don’t want to go that far back. I’d rather fight a big name, like a Nate Diaz. Somebody who has done what I’ve done, who’s put the work in that I’ve put in. Somebody who has fought the guys I’ve fought. Not a guy who has fought no one yet.”

“I thought for sure this guy would fight me,” Alvarez said.