Photo by Mike Stobe/Zuffa LLC
“I think (fighting) is the best thing for me. It’s weird because it’s self-destructive fighting, and it’s self-destructive not fighting.”
As one of the UFC’s biggest stars, Stockton’s Nate Diaz could retire after his ‘baddest motherf-cker’ title bout with Jorge Masvidal at UFC 244.
The MMA veteran will have enough money to do so, but Diaz believes fighting is good for him despite having a somewhat love-hate relationship with the sport.
“I’ll never have to fight again (after UFC 244),” Diaz said, per MMA Junkie. “I didn’t have to fight a long time ago. But what am I going to do? I’ve got all kinds of other stuff going on, but … I don’t like not fighting.”
At this stage of his career, Diaz is only willing to return to the Octagon against exciting fighters and says a good scrap here and there helps keep him in check.
“I’ll take forever off, or I’ll get back to it if anybody comes correct,” Diaz said. “The only reason we’ve had problems in the past is because you better treat me like it’s supposed to be. I’ve been in this game forever doing my thing regardless of outcome. I’m coming back my next fight stronger, better anyways.”
“I think (fighting) is the best thing for me,” he continued. “It’s weird because it’s self-destructive fighting, and it’s self-destructive not fighting. Kill or be killed. Like I said before, it’d kill him with it, it’d kill him without it. I don’t want to do this (expletive) at all, but sitting back watching somebody else do it is not comfortable for me.”
UFC 244, which is set to be one of the biggest events of the year, will feature Diaz vs. Masvidal as the main event. The pay-per-view extravaganza, which also features a co-headlining middleweight bout between Kelvin Gastelum and Darren Till, takes place tomorrow night, Nov. 2 at Madison Square Garden, New York.