Dana White, Nate Diaz mend fences over ‘very rough night,’ still far apart on new deal

UFC President Dana White and Nate Diaz appear to have taken a first step towards repairing their frayed working relationship, as White revealed on Saturday that he hashed things out with the disgruntled lightweight over the course of a recent night out on the town.

“I took everybody out for the TUF 20 finale,” White told the assembled media post-fight in Macau, China. “It was a very, very, very rough night. A lot of damage was done that night. But Nate and I got together that night and talked, and we’re going to get together when I get back into the country.”

When asked to clarify what specifically he meant by the term ‘damage was done,’ White laughed: “Brain cells. Physically it was a pretty crazy night. Crazy fun night. But Nate and I got to spend some quality time together.”

A former winner of ‘The Ultimate Fighter 5,’ Diaz (17-9) last competed on November 30th of last year, when he knocked out Gray Maynard to snap a two-fight losing streak and snatch his twelfth UFC post-fight bonus.

Diaz has since elected to hold out in the hopes of restructuring his current deal, which paid the 19-fight UFC veteran a reported $15,000/$15,000 show/win split for his victory over Maynard, according to information released by the Nevada Athletic Commission. Diaz and White have traded numerous barbs throughout the time, with White infamously proclaiming in July that the reason Diaz’s contract would not be renegotiated was because the 29-year-old “doesn’t move the needle.”

Still, White remains hopeful that disagreement between the two will only be temporary.

“We’ll see what happens,” White said. “You know, we were out having fun, we talked business for a little while. We got together in a room, and where he is and where we are, we’re not even close. But I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’ve always liked Nate Diaz, I’ve always had a great relationship with Nate Diaz. It’s not like I don’t like the kid and he’s hard to deal with. He’s just got something in his head and we’ve got something else in our head.”

UFC President Dana White and Nate Diaz appear to have taken a first step towards repairing their frayed working relationship, as White revealed on Saturday that he hashed things out with the disgruntled lightweight over the course of a recent night out on the town.

“I took everybody out for the TUF 20 finale,” White told the assembled media post-fight in Macau, China. “It was a very, very, very rough night. A lot of damage was done that night. But Nate and I got together that night and talked, and we’re going to get together when I get back into the country.”

When asked to clarify what specifically he meant by the term ‘damage was done,’ White laughed: “Brain cells. Physically it was a pretty crazy night. Crazy fun night. But Nate and I got to spend some quality time together.”

A former winner of ‘The Ultimate Fighter 5,’ Diaz (17-9) last competed on November 30th of last year, when he knocked out Gray Maynard to snap a two-fight losing streak and snatch his twelfth UFC post-fight bonus.

Diaz has since elected to hold out in the hopes of restructuring his current deal, which paid the 19-fight UFC veteran a reported $15,000/$15,000 show/win split for his victory over Maynard, according to information released by the Nevada Athletic Commission. Diaz and White have traded numerous barbs throughout the time, with White infamously proclaiming in July that the reason Diaz’s contract would not be renegotiated was because the 29-year-old “doesn’t move the needle.”

Still, White remains hopeful that disagreement between the two will only be temporary.

“We’ll see what happens,” White said. “You know, we were out having fun, we talked business for a little while. We got together in a room, and where he is and where we are, we’re not even close. But I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’ve always liked Nate Diaz, I’ve always had a great relationship with Nate Diaz. It’s not like I don’t like the kid and he’s hard to deal with. He’s just got something in his head and we’ve got something else in our head.”