Khabib Blasts Nate Diaz: People Forgot About Him
UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is eying some massive fights for his anticipated return. He still has to get past his pending NSAC punishment, of course, but the fight game is in his hands.
But one name that isn’t among his potential list of opponents somehow still keeps his name relevant among the top of the division. That fighter is long absent Nate Diaz, who was most recently scheduled to fact Dustin Poirier at UFC 230 before “The Diamond” pulled out.
Diaz will always be linked to his long-rumored trilogy fight with Conor McGregor until it happens – if it ever does. That keeps him in the discussion of top lightweights even though he’s been out of action since losing to “The Notorious” in August 2016. Khabib isn’t a fan of that dynamic whatsoever. The undefeated ‘Eagle’ recently told Submission Radio (via MMA Mania) that the fight game should just forget about the younger Diaz brother.
His reasoning is Diaz’ not-so-glaring record against top competition:
“No, I don’t know. Like, people forgot about him. That’s why he tried to be on media, like, try to trash talk me and something like this. We all know about him. How many times
Diaz’ Relevance
Put in that context, it’s tough to argue with Khabib. Diaz has put on some of the most entertaining fights in the UFC. Yet he has faltered when faced with elite-level opponents like the ones Khabib listed above. Diaz’ overall record is 19-11 in mixed martial arts. He fought once for the UFC lightweight title, losing a one-sided decision to then-champion Benson Henderson in 2012. He’s won three out of his last seven fights.
He’ll always be linked to his historic rivalry over McGregor, however. His classic submission win over the infamous Irishman at UFC 196 in March 2016 was and is still the stuff of legends. That seems to have made him a permanent fixture among the best, right or wrong.
If and when he returns, the fight would most likely be a pay-per-view success to some degree due to Diaz’ raving fanbase.
