Nate Diaz certainly isn’t fighting Tyron Woodley at UFC 219. In fact, it doesn’t seem like he’ll be stepping into the MMA cage at all in the foreseeable future.
Diaz on Friday posted a message on Twitter that claimed the UFC had offered him multiple title shots, but that he wasn’t interested. He said he plans to give the promotion “a shot” when it has “something good” to put on the table.
Ufc offered me title fight in any weight class Im kool though I’ll givem a shot when they do something good
On to the next sport for now— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) December 9, 2017
“Ufc offered me title fight in any weight class,” Diaz wrote. “Im kool though.”
A welterweight title fight between champ Woodley and Diaz was being discussed for Dec. 30 in Las Vegas, per both fighters. MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani reported last month that the bout was on the table, too. But UFC president Dana White denied all those claims last week.
Whatever the case may be, it never came to fruition, and instead, Cris Cyborg vs. Holly Holm will headline the pay-per-view event. Woodley said in a UFC 218 media scrum last weekend he believes Diaz asked for a “ridiculous” paycheck for the bout, indirectly avoiding having to take the matchup.
And for Diaz, who’s coming off an August 2016 decision loss to current lightweight champ Conor McGregor (which, of course, followed an upset submission win over McGregor in March 2016), he seems content to sit out for a while … and perhaps test the waters in a different sport. Maybe boxing?
“On to the next sport for now,” Diaz wrote, adding two boxing-glove emojis.
McGregor made the biggest paycheck of his life when he made his boxing debut this past August against former world champ Floyd Mayweather in what was dubbed “The Money Fight.” It is estimated that the Irishman earned $100 million, including endorsements, for the match.
In the past, Diaz has chosen to wait an extended period of time for the “right” fight. After losing to Rafael dos Anjos in December 2014, Diaz was sidelined for a year and returned against Michael Johnson, upsetting him via decision. Months later, he stepped up on short notice and tapped out McGregor. Diaz has not competed in the Octagon since the McGregor rematch, one of the best fights of 2016, and the UFC’s highest selling PPV to date.
Taking a break has worked before for Diaz — and jumping to boxing worked for McGregor — so who’s to say he’s in the wrong? Now we just have to wait and see what the king of Stockton really does.
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