Longtime Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight veteran, Nate Diaz, finally returned from his self-imposed exile — probably after realizing this was just a pipe dream — to throw hands with Dustin Poirier in a 155-pound clash that would likely move the winner within striking distance of the division strap.
Except nobody told the Stockton slugger that penalty-free rival, Conor McGregor, would be returning to mixed martial arts (MMA) and competing on the UFC pay-per-view (PPV) the month before, when he battles Khabib Nurmagomedov for the lightweight crown.
Diaz is booked for UFC 230 in New York, whereas McGregor — the biggest PPV draw in combat sports behind Floyd Mayweather — is headlining UFC 229 in Las Vegas. That means any shine Diaz could steal from the “Notorious” comeback is off the table.
Veteran MMA reporter Trent Reinsmith summarizes:
When asked if everything was okay between the UFC and Diaz, White smiled and replied, “You tell me if everything’s okay with Nate Diaz. If you can decipher that code, call me tomorrow and let me know.”
White then said he had no plans on speaking to Diaz, “What are we going to talk about?”
They can start with this.
White doesn’t have the best relationship with Nate or his older brother Nick, but it’s easy to make a case for both parties. The former offers fights and chases after the combatants who make him the most money, while the latter turns down fights because he’s chasing the most money.
In fact, White previously warned UFC fans that Diaz might never return to the Octagon because of what he banked against “Notorious” in back-to-back title fights, which in the end, may have been the best thing for his bank account and the worst thing for his UFC future.