Nate Diaz Says UFC Has Been ‘Holding Him Back’
Nate Diaz hasn’t fought since dropping a majority decision loss to Conor McGregor in their rematch last August, but he was in Las Vegas this past weekend (March 4, 2017) for UFC 209, which was headlined by a welterweight title rematch between Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson.
The fight ended up being quite a lackluster bout, and both Woodley and Thompson have received some criticism because of it. In Diaz’s opinion, the two fighters are simply ‘boring’:
“People who treat it like it’s a business, wearing a suit, acting a certain way, like (Tyron) Woodley and (Stephen) Thompson, they’re so boring,” Diaz told USA Today Sports. “You guys are acting in a certain way you think you should be acting to be professional, but the best example of a professional fighter is me and my brother (Nick).”
Diaz has always seen himself as a star, and he certainly is at this point given the attention his rivalry with McGregor received, but he doesn’t seem too urgent to get back into the Octagon. He has said that he’s only interested in a trilogy bout with McGregor or a big fight, but it’s rare that him in the promotion can agree on financial terms for a fight.
In regards to his relationship with the UFC, Diaz feels as if he doesn’t represent the ‘look’ the promotion wants. In fact, he even said that the UFC tried to prevent him from the role he landed promoting the upcoming movie ‘Fist Fight’:
“The UFC is like, ‘We’re thinking GSP or Conor McGregor,’ ” Diaz said. “My guy said, ‘Don’t worry, we’re going to use Nate.’ They came back to say, ‘We really think you should use GSP or Conor.’
“I don’t know what it is. I’m not a white boy with blue eyes or great looking, I talk all (messed) up. I’m not the look they’re going for, but this is fighting. You don’t go for a look. You go for the baddest that’s out there. This is an example of my whole career.”
It’s for this reason that Diaz isn’t afraid to speak his mind about the UFC, although he added that he’s ‘still here’:
“They try to shut us down. With Conor, they made a star out of him. They have never done that for me. I’m still here after all the holding back I’ve been through. They’ve never put my name on a pedestal. If they had my back the whole way, I’d be like, ‘UFC, all day, don’t be dissing my company like that,’ but why would I do that for a company that does this?”
Do you expect to see Diaz fight again in the near future?
