Outside Source
With one fight left on his UFC contract, Nate Diaz has no real interest in running it back against Conor McGregor in a trilogy.
Despite a pair of lucrative fights that saw Diaz choke out McGregor in their first encounter before losing a close majority decision in the rematch, the Stockton native doesn’t feel as if a third fight makes much sense for him as he potentially approaches free agency.
“Not right now,” Diaz told Adam’s Apple when asked about facing McGregor again. “He’s got a lot of work to do.”
McGregor is currently recovering from a devastating broken leg suffered in his own trilogy with Poirier this past July. The Irish superstar underwent surgery to repair the damage just a day after the event ended, and while he’s been very active in training lately, it’s not likely that he’ll return to action until mid-to-late 2022.
Despite Diaz’s objections to the fight, it’s entirely possible that the UFC would like to at least explore the possibility of booking Diaz against McGregor again, especially considering the massive pay-per-view sales surrounding their first two bouts.
The first fight between them at UFC 196 reportedly sold over 1.3 million buys, while the rematch at UFC 202 topped out around 1.6 million buys. Both fight cards still sit in the top 10 for all-time pay-per-view sales in UFC history.
That said, Diaz still prefers a matchup with Dustin Poirier after the two have engaged in a war of words through interviews and social media for the past several months.
“I’m on my last fight on my contract right now,” Diaz said. “I would like to fight Dustin Poirier now. Next month when sh*t changes or people win and start doing something entertaining, or something going on, it’s all going to be different, I’m sure.”
After a fight between them was scrapped back in 2018, Diaz and Poirier have stayed circling each other as possible opponents, but the matchup was never rebooked by the UFC. Lately, both camps have asked the UFC to make the fight a reality, but the promotion has yet to actually make any kind of official offer.
Diaz has continued to take shots at Poirier, especially over social media, although that’s only because he can’t get the UFC to actually offer him contract to fight.
“That sh*t’s obnoxious to me,” Diaz said of social media. “For me, I got a bigger following than the rest of the people and they’re not letting me fight, so what do I got to do? I’ve got to sh*t on them from the internet.”
This article first appeared at MMA Fighting – All Posts
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