There have been several huge fights that fans could have seen Nate Diaz in inside the Octagon.
One of those dream matchups nearly happened with Dustin Poirier, who Diaz criticized ahead of his recent retirement fight at UFC 318.
Diaz also recently slammed Khamzat Chimaev, who he was set to take on in the main event of UFC 279 before the card went through some drastic changes after his opponent missed weight.
Another matchup that the UFC had tried to put together would’ve seen the fan favorite take on Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Diaz recently revealed why he turned down this fight when it was initially offered to him.
- LATEST NEWS: UFC legend claims Conor McGregor comeback talks are only to ‘stay relevant’ as he shuts down Irishman’s plan
Nate Diaz says he turned down a fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov because he was new to the UFC
While Nate Diaz and Khabib Nurmagomedov never met inside the Octagon, there was talk of them facing each other for some time.
Diaz recently appeared on a stream with Sneako where he spoke about why he declined this matchup when it was initially offered to him.
It isn’t clear exactly when the fight was pitched to him and his team, though Dana White did claim in 2014 that the fan favorite had turned down a bout with ‘The Eagle’.
In the year that Nurmagomedov made his UFC debut, Diaz was one of the top fighters in the lightweight division, having put together a three-fight win streak which earned him a shot at Benson Henderson’s title.
The 40-year-old star stated during the stream that this is why he had turned a fight down with the undefeated Russian around this time, as he didn’t believe that it made sense for him.
“‘He turned down a fight with me’. I was like, I didn’t even know who you were. They offered me a fight against Khabib when he was brand a– new. I fought for a title, and I fought hella people already and they offered me a fight with Khabib.
“I was like f— you. You’re going to make a name off me with some new guy? Give me somebody in the top f—— five. I just fought the champion so now I’ve got to fight somebody way down the list?”
- LATEST NEWS: Jon Jones reacts to Daniel Cormier’s ‘insulting’ reason for excluding him from his MMA Mount Rushmore
Chael Sonnen provided a positive update on Nate Diaz’s potential UFC return
There has been a lot of talk about Nate Diaz potentially making a UFC comeback at some point in the near future.
While the fight seems unlikely, Diaz did add to this discussion by calling out Max Holloway and staking his claim as the real BMF champion.
In a recent episode of ESPN’s ‘Good Guy / Bad Guy’, Chael Sonnen claimed that he had spoken to Diaz, suggesting that while he doesn’t expect the star to return at lightweight, he does think he could fight again.
“I don’t think that that’s in his cards, but I do think — and I’ve spoken to Nate personally — a return is more possible than some people give it credit for.”
While there hasn’t been an official update on whether he will return to the Octagon, an event like the promotion’s card at the White House in 2026 could tempt him back.