Nate Diaz unable to talk with fight promotions about potential signing: ‘It’s illegal’
Former UFC lightweight and welterweight contender, Nate Diaz is currently unable to discuss potential deals with promotion’s and organizations following the recent completion of his contractual obligations, as the UFC hold a period of three months in which they can exclusively decide whether or not to offer Diaz a new contract.
The Stockton favorite headlined UFC 279 earlier this month in a reshuffled, short-notice main event against former interim lightweight champion, Tony Ferguson, nabbing an eventual fourth round guillotine choke win.
Nate Diaz was initially scheduled to share the main event bracket with the undefeated, Khamzat Chimaev, however, the Chechen fighter missed the welterweight limit by a whopping seven and a half pounds.
Diaz would go on to submit Ferguson and snap his two-fight losing skid, while Chimaev would be dropped the event’s co-headliner against Kevin Holland, where he moved to 12-0 with a straightforward first round D’Arce choke win.
Since Nate Diaz’s final contracted Octagon appearance, the one-time UFC lightweight title challenger has been the target of moves for both Bellator MMA and the David Feldman-led, BKFC, with the former’s president, Scott Coker claiming ahead of the promotion’s Dublin card, how they were “in dialogue” with Diaz’s camp.
“Well, we’re definitely talking to him (Nate Diaz),” Scott Coker told BBC Sport ahead of Bellator 285. “We’ve reached out and I know he’s probably talking to everybody. He’s, I think, in a pretty good situation. I know he wants to fight Jake Paul. Jake Paul’s fighting, you know, against Anderson Silva on Showtime pay-per-view, which is our home network, so there’s some synergies here.”
“We’re just hoping that we could have some type of deal to at least have his MMA fights with Bellator,” Scott Coker continued. “We are in dialogue.
Nate Diaz currently unable to discuss contract terms with other promotions
However, according to Ariel Helwani, it would be illegal for Diaz to speak with other organizations at the moment, following the completion of his contractual obligations with the UFC.
“A note on any story about a promotion/promotion talking to Nathan Diaz right now, don’t believe it,” Ariel Helwani tweeted. “Not true. It’s actually illegal. Diaz is in an exclusive three-month negotiation period with the UFC. Meaning he can’t talk to anyone. And he hasn’t talked to anyone.”
“This is standard procedure, btw,” Helwani tweeted. “Every UFC deal has this baked in. So, unless they wave it, which they have in the past, there’s no talking to anyone out there. And they haven’t waived it.”
