‘Triple C’ Henry Cejudo believes the UFC is trying to diminish Nate Diaz’s earning potential outside of the company by feeding him to a “shark” in what would likely be his final fight with the promotion. Nate Diaz has been lobbying for a fight for months with little success. With Diaz on the last bout […]
‘Triple C’ Henry Cejudo believes the UFC is trying to diminish Nate Diaz’s earning potential outside of the company by feeding him to a “shark” in what would likely be his final fight with the promotion.
Nate Diaz has been lobbying for a fight for months with little success. With Diaz on the last bout of his contract, the Stockton native looks to move on from the organization and take advantage of financial opportunities elsewhere. To speed up the process, Diaz has called for a trilogy fight with Conor McGregor and has been recently linked to fights with Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler. So far, none of those fights have come to fruition leading many fans to ask why.
During an episode of ‘Triple C & The Schmo Shoe’, Cejudo claimed that the UFC intends to feed Diaz to rising prospect Khamzat Chimaev. The goal is to use Diaz as another big money fight for Chimaev while damaging the credibility and drawing power of Diaz when he attempts to sign with another organization.
“Yeah, right now the UFC, I think they want, they want to feed him to a shark,” said Cejudo. “That’s why they’re trying to kill… Because Diaz knows that there’s so much money to be made outside the UFC, that he doesn’t even care what millions they’re gonna end up giving him.”
According to Cejudo, Diaz’s exit from the UFC could give leverage to other fighters looking for a way out of the promotion to seize more lucrative opportunities.
“I do believe that Nate leaving the UFC is just going to generate more money for fighters, and kind of giving that leverage to fighters like: Hey man, it’s not the UFC, is not the only place where you can make a good living.”
Nate Diaz Asks For His UFC Release Online
Diaz has been active on social media as of late, calling out the UFC and Dana White, even going as far as to ask for his outright release on Twitter.
I Would like to request to be released from the @ufc@danawhite@hunter I apologize for asking online but u don’t give me a fight asap I got shit to do
“I Would like to request to be released from the @ufc @danawhite @hunter. I apologize for asking online but u don’t give me a fight asap I got shit to do,” tweeted Diaz.
Diaz created quite the stir online when he posted a picture of himself appearing to urinate on the grounds of the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas.
Taking a piss on the ufc pi I could do this cause I get paid more than all uguys and they won’t cut me pic.twitter.com/doiOxUOh4y
Dustin Poirier still hopes he and Nate Diaz are able to meet in the cage before the latter fighter potentially moves on from the UFC. Despite UFC President Dana White saying the promotion has moved on from the matchup, Diaz and Poirier have continued going back and forth online. In a recent appearance on The…
Dustin Poirier still hopes he and Nate Diaz are able to meet in the cage before the latter fighter potentially moves on from the UFC.
Despite UFC President Dana White saying the promotion has moved on from the matchup, Diaz and Poirier have continued going back and forth online. In a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, host Ariel Helwani asked Poirier what’s kept a fight between him and Diaz from being booked.
While Poirier admitted that he can’t speak for Diaz, “The Diamond” claims he’s always been ready.
“This reality show of an MMA community that we have, everybody’s throwing shit at me anytime I say, ‘What’s up Nate?’. Bro, this fight has been offered to me twice already this year and I’ve accepted both times. It’s not like I’m chasing this guy. Don’t call my phone and ask me to fight the guy. I don’t know, maybe he can’t get a deal done. On my side I’ve accepted twice now this year, 2022.”
Dustin Poirier claims he’s already accepted a fight with Nate Diaz on two occasions this year.
Nate Diaz last competed at UFC 263 in 2021, losing a unanimous decision to Leon Edwards. The former-lightweight title challenger has been in the UFC since 2007 but only has one fight left on his current deal and has been making public efforts to try and get out of the contract.
Diaz recently made headlines with a social media post where he urinated on the UFC’s Performance Institute. That incident was just the latest in a long list of issues Diaz has had with the promotion over the years.
Poirier Eager To Get Back In The Cage
When asked by Helwani about a timeframe for his next fight, Poirier expressed his desire to compete this summer and not wait around too long for his next opponent. While he’s open to other matchups at both lightweight and welterweight, “The Diamond” still feels the fight with Diaz needs to happen before Diaz potentially leaves the promotion.
“That’s a fun fight for me. Like I said – and I guess a lot of people say the same shit with that — it’s like, I’ve been watching the guy fight. I was living at my mom’s house, he was fighting on Spike TV, and stuff like that. I’ve been a fan of him and his brother for a long time. But if he leaves the UFC and I never get to touch that chin, that sucks, man.”
Poirer hasn’t fought since a submission loss to recently stripped lightweight champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 269 last December. That bout was Poirier’s second bid at the lightweight title after losing to former champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2019, also by submission.
The former interim-title holder put together a three-fight win streak between those title shots with a decision win over Dan Hooker and two stoppage wins against Conor McGregor.
What do you think about Poirier’s comments on The MMA Hour? Should he be the opponent for the last fight on Diaz’s UFC contract?
Fighter turned analyst, Chael Sonnen, feels he knows the best move for Tony Ferguson if he chose to move to welterweight. Following his devastating loss to Michael Chandler at UFC, Ferguson has seemingly been weighing up his career options and sees a return to 170lbs as a possibility. The former interim lightweight champion originally entered […]
Fighter turned analyst, Chael Sonnen, feels he knows the best move for Tony Ferguson if he chose to move to welterweight.
Following his devastating loss to Michael Chandler at UFC, Ferguson has seemingly been weighing up his career options and sees a return to 170lbs as a possibility.
The former interim lightweight champion originally entered the UFC as a welterweight, winning The Ultimate Fighter season 13 at 170lbs. Ferguson would immediately drop down to lightweight following TUF, fighting Aaron Riley at 155lb in his first fight as part of the official UFC roster.
Ferguson discussed the potential move in an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, “I wouldn’t mind going back up to 170”, Ferguson said. “I knocked everybody out up there at 170.
“This cut to 155–it’s not too hard, but I lose a lot of muscle mass, man. I f*cking hate being skinny like that. I look like a little b*tch, I don’t f*cking like that.”
Chael Sonnen Beleives He Knows Who Ferguson Should Face At 170lbs
The former three-time title challenger, Sonnen, believes he knows the right move for Ferguson, saying via his Youtube that he has one fight in mind.
“If Tony was to go to 170 pounds and I have a magic wand,” Sonnen said. “What would I do with him – boom, Nate Diaz. It solves the problem right away.
“That would be a very big fight, that would be an interesting fight, that would be a nostalgic fight, that would serve all of the boxes for what we want to see as fans. We don’t get those very often, we don’t have fun within the sport very often.”
Sonnen isn’t wrong, there aren’t many UFC fans who would miss a fight between Diaz and Ferguson. The fight would be guaranteed entertainment and would undoubtedly garner a nice paycheque for both men.
So, it’s come to this. Nate Diaz, one of MMA’s biggest stars, peeing on the UFC’s multi-million-dollar, state-of-the-art Performance Institute. The act of defiant protest last week was the culmination of months, nay years of exasperation Diaz has seemingly suffered at the hands of the UFC. With just one fight left on his contract, the…
So, it’s come to this. Nate Diaz, one of MMA’s biggest stars, peeing on the UFC’s multi-million-dollar, state-of-the-art Performance Institute.
The act of defiant protest last week was the culmination of months, nay years of exasperation Diaz has seemingly suffered at the hands of the UFC. With just one fight left on his contract, the 37-year-old has this year consistently lashed out at the promotion for failing to secure his final opponent.
Nate has requested to be released from his contract and has even flirted with the idea of signing with Bellator. Never before, however, have we seen a professional athlete offer bodily fluids onto the negotiating table—a bold statement that has only further enamored Diaz to fans, and sent a clear message to the UFC brass.
Taking a piss on the ufc pi I could do this cause I get paid more than all uguys and they won’t cut me pic.twitter.com/doiOxUOh4y
But in Nate’s 15-year working relationship with the UFC, these sorts of protestations are far from the exception, but rather the rule. The Stockton bad boy has through the years regularly voiced countless complaints and grievances with his employer, and in this article, we’ll look back at some of his biggest spats with the UFC.
2014: Diaz Requests Release From “F*cked Up” UFC Contract
Diaz’s first significant public squabble with the UFC came in 2014, just months after he earned Knockout of the Night against Gray Maynard in the Ultimate Fighter Finale. Then 28 years old and 12-7 in the UFC, Diaz posted a tweet requesting to be released from his contract.
@ufc@danawhite I would like to request to be released from the @ufc Its time for me to be on my way .. ?
Following that tweet, Diaz decided to air his many contractual grievances with the UFC to media. The then lightweight stated that “I don’t get paid sh*t” and alleged that his employer had “conned me into signing an eight-fight contract.”
“My contract is all f*cked up,” Diaz told MMA Fighting. “I want to be paid like these other fighters. I’m over here getting chump change.”
In protest of his unfavorable contract, Diaz chose to stay out of the Octagon for over a year— an act that saw the UFC drop him from the lightweight rankings. He finally made his return against Rafael dos Anjos in December 2014. Diaz missed weight for the bout and was fined 20 percent of his purse.
2016: Diaz Claims The “UFC Played Me Again” As Conor Rematch Stalls
In March 2016, Diaz pulled off one of the biggest upset wins in MMA history by defeating Conor McGregor on just 11 days’ notice — a feat that saw Nate’s star rise to stratospheric heights.
Organizing a rematch between his promotion’s two biggest stars was of course the number one priority for UFC President Dana White. But after he flew to Stockton, California to get Diaz to sign on the dotted line, things went pear shaped.
Their meeting started off amicably as Nate, White and a few UFC suits negotiated terms for the rematch while chowing down at a restaurant. But according to TMZ, Diaz later said something that caused White to become visibly angry, stand up and beeline it for his SUV.
This little blow up from White caused the rematch talks to drag on for months, during which time Diaz once again took to his favorite social media platform to enlighten the public as to the unscrupulous business practices of his employer.
Diaz would of course eventually hash out his differences with White and agree to a rematch with McGregor in August 2016, which he lost by majority decision.
2017: “This F*cker Can’t Stop Making Shit Up About Me”
Many people thought that Diaz — most notably himself — had in fact defeated McGregor in their rematch. Despite initially desiring a rubber match with the Irishman, in the months that followed, Nate nixed the idea.
Dana White, however, claimed that Diaz was still keen on the bout. The UFC President told media that “We keep offering Nate fights, and he keeps turning them down,” insisting that he was “holding out for McGregor.”
This prompted Diaz to lash out at White on Twitter, accusing him of lying and noting that the only fight he had been offered was that against McGregor.
This fucker can't stop making shit up about me and I haven't been offered any fights except the one Iaughed at pic.twitter.com/7gRskEXEP9
After nearly two years in the MMA wilderness, Diaz was scheduled to face Dustin Poirier at UFC 203 in November 2018. But when at the press conference the UFC decided to play a promo for the upcoming clash between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, the Stockton native stormed off stage in a huff.
Diaz was seemingly offended that his long-awaited UFC return was being overshadowed by his most bitter rival, McGregor. He later tweeted that he was pulling out of the fight, and Nate wasn’t seen in the Octagon again until August the following year.
In August 2019, Diaz finally made his return from three years of self-imposed exile to face Anthony Pettis at UFC 241. Leading up to the clash, Nate spoke to media to clear the air as to why he spent so long on the sidelines. And to no one’s surprise, he placed the blame squarely on the UFC, who Diaz accused of pretending that he had vanished.
“I beat the best guy at the moment, I beat the best guy, and you guys are just treating me like, vanished, then I’m like, ‘Oh well f*ck me, so f*ck you,’” Diaz told ESPN. “I’m a bigger draw, a bigger fight than anybody in the game and you guys are going to just sit back and not participate and ‘black sheep’ me — not ‘black sheep,’ it’s like ‘ostracized,’ put me on the outskirts of the whole conversation.”
2022: Diaz Grows Increasingly Inpatient With The UFC
Diaz’s frustrations with the UFC have reached fever pitch this year. With just one fight left on his contract, the 37 year old has consistently called for the promotion to find an opponent for him, but to no avail.
Somehow, despite both fighters verbally agreeing in February, Diaz’s proposed matchup with Dustin Poirier fell through. This prompted Nate to once again request to be released from his UFC contract.
I Would like to request to be released from the @ufc@danawhite@hunter I apologize for asking online but u don’t give me a fight asap I got shit to do
Then in April, Nate lashed out at the UFC for turning both himself and his brother, Nick, into NFTs (non-fungible tokens). The Stockton bad boy took to Twitter to air his displeasure, reiterating his desire to exit the UFC.
It’s shit like this why I need to get the fuck out of the sorry ass UFC. Didn’t you guys suspend nick for 5 years and fine me hella money for a vape pen?! Now you’re reaping the benefits. I hope nobody buys this bullshit pic.twitter.com/I3yPB9uJT9
Nate, however, still seems determined to fight one last time in the UFC before he likely calls it quits. In May, his attention turned to Michael Chandler following his brutal knockout of Tony Ferguson at UFC 274. Diaz took to Twitter to demand that the UFC set up the matchup.
UFC got me on ice for a year now chandlers obviously ready to fight send a contract it’s time pic.twitter.com/YJBWEu790F
This demand clearly wasn’t considered by the UFC to Diaz’s satisfaction, because two days later, he decided to urinate on the lawn of the UFC Performance Institute. And that’s where Nate’s relationship with the promotion currently stands, which begs the question: will he finally get an opponent, and will it be the last of his UFC career?
It’s now been almost a year since Nate last graced the Octagon, and despite having lost three of his last four fights, his star is undoubtedly shining brighter than it ever has. We can only speculate as to the back-room machinations that have prevented him from securing an opponent. But hopefully soon he’ll come to terms with the UFC, secure an opponent, and if we’re lucky, sign a new contract.
We know Nate Diaz has one fight left on his UFC contract. And that’s about all we know. Will the UFC re-sign him? Will he head to Bellator or PFL ? Will he …
We know Nate Diaz has one fight left on his UFC contract. And that’s about all we know. Will the UFC re-sign him? Will he head to Bellator or PFL ? Will he …
Nate Diaz was able to publicly get his release, but not in the way fans expected. One can safely arrive at the conclusion that negotiations between Nate Diaz and the UFC are still not flowing well based on the latest Diaz news to hit the streets, which is that his bodily fluids have now hit…
Nate Diaz was able to publicly get his release, but not in the way fans expected.
One can safely arrive at the conclusion that negotiations between Nate Diaz and the UFC are still not flowing well based on the latest Diaz news to hit the streets, which is that his bodily fluids have now hit UFC property.
Taking a piss on the ufc pi I could do this cause I get paid more than all uguys and they won’t cut me pic.twitter.com/doiOxUOh4y
“I Would like to request to be released from the @ufc@danawhite@hunter I apologize for asking online but u don’t give me a fight asap I got shit to do.”
Mother fuckers be crying cause they get dropped from the ufc I can’t pay out this bitch
“Mother fuckers be crying cause they get dropped from the ufc I can’t pay out this bitch.”
Diaz has been venting out his frustrations with the UFC brass for some time now. The bulk of his grievances has been about the UFC failing to book him for the final fight on his contract.
Speaking of Poirier, after viewing Diaz’s artwork on UFC grounds, the former interim lightweight champion offered the following feedback to the artist.
With one fight remaining on his current UFC deal, speculation abounds that Diaz would like to fight out his contract and become a free agent and hit the market, which could include a lucrative boxing match against a Paul brother or maybe even joining the aforementioned Bellator MMA or any other promotion that proves to be the highest bidder.
Meanwhile, the rampant belief is that the UFC would like Diaz to re-sign with the promotion before granting him a fight against any opponent of his own choosing, hence the frustration that Diaz’s body literally cannot contain any longer.
MMA News will keep you abreast of all the latest updates on this developing story.
Fighter turned analyst, Chael Sonnen, feels he knows the best move for Tony Ferguson if he chose to move to welterweight. Following his devastating loss to Michael Chandler at UFC, Ferguson has seemingly been weighing up his career options and sees a return to 170lbs as a possibility. The former interim lightweight champion originally entered […]
