Nate Diaz eyeing UFC return after Mike Perry, lays out plans for a Conor McGregor trilogy fight

Nate Diaz is formally again in MMA as he prepares to battle Mike Perry on Netflix for Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions this Saturday, May 16. Despite his absence from the game, the fan favourite at all times left the door open for his eventual MMA return.

Speaking on Tuesday’s version of “The Ariel Helwani Show,” Diaz revealed that he strongly thought-about signing together with his longtime MMA house, the UFC, earlier than the MVP deal appeared. Diaz spent 15 years with the UFC earlier than he parted methods with the promotion to professionally field in 2023. Had Diaz returned to the Octagon, he waited for a trilogy bout together with his previous rival, Conor McGregor. But merely put, he did not just like the timing.

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“I was pretty close because they’ve always been great. Since I left, too,” Diaz instructed Uncrowned. “They talked and got up with me. It was good to see them and be back. Wheels were spinning just for an MMA fight return, and getting back to what I do.

“I do know that they wished the Conor fight proper now. That’s not what I — they had been insinuating, they did not provide it, however I feel that is what they wished. I’m not attempting to be comeback story for Conor. I would like Conor again, then I would like him to be f***ing exhibiting individuals he is whipping ass, and then that is the man I would like. I do not need to be combating a man that [people] do not learn about. Because I do know that he’ll come again and do good. I do not want him to do it on me.”

Diaz’s own MMA absence isn’t far off from the length of time McGregor has been away from the cage. Diaz closed out his UFC run with a submission win over Tony Ferguson in September 2022; McGregor, meanwhile, hasn’t competed since suffering a large broken leg in his trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier in July 2021.

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By the time Diaz’s UFC contract was finally completed, he’d already been vocal about testing the free agency waters to pursue other possibilities. So it’s safe to say there was hesitation on Diaz’s part to rejoin the UFC only four years later.

“I figured individuals would observe the blueprint, however I figured that years in the past once I was speaking to a bunch of s*** and I may fight,” Diaz said. “I used to say stuff, like, ‘If I used to be the champ and had the belt, I might say this and this, and it might go nevertheless the f*** I would like.’ Then I used to be like, ‘F*** a belt,’ and simply began doing that. But think about if I had a belt.

“Anyway, I thought people would lead by example, but people don’t pay attention to s***. I watched everything everybody does. I watched [Quinton] ‘Rampage’ [Jackson] do everything, I watched Chael Sonnen do everything, Conor, and everybody who did anything. I watched every f***ing blueprint on how and what they did. I’ll f***ing lock it in and do better.

“When I bought out and did the boxing with Jake [Paul]I did the boxing with [Jorge] Masvidal “There were no dance partners out here,” Diaz continued. “There’s nobody to squabble with on the outside. That’s why we got Perry now — I’m like, well, f***, before I go back to the UFC [we may as well do this fight]. I’m going to go back [to the UFC]and once I get locked in, I’m going to be locked in the whole time for the next forever. You ain’t getting out of those contracts. I’ve already been in them. The thing is, especially being out and knowing too, get out so we can dance. Nobody’s doing it.”

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In a means, Diaz, 41, has his personal psychological guidelines for names he’d wish to compete in opposition to. The downside with the UFC although, at the least in Diaz’s thoughts, is the corporate’s lack of single-fight offers. More typically than not, fighters get caught with prolonged contracts earlier than they’ll get again to exploring their general choices on the open market.

“If there were three fights that I wanted right now, I’d be right back in there like bam, bam, bam,” he mentioned. “But it was hard to jump back in because I tried hard for so many years to get out. I can’t just jump right back in. At least with Perry, I can get this done, so I’ve done everything on the outside before going back in.”

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A win over Perry on Saturday may go a very great distance for Diaz. His ambitions have not wavered, at the least relating to the extent of opposition he needs to be matched in opposition to.

Ideally, the BMF title remains to be a prize Diaz needs to carry after combating for the inaugural strap in opposition to Masvidal in November 2019. Right now, the belt’s proprietor is former light-weight champion Charles Oliveira, making him Diaz’s prime goal in a potential UFC return.

“I would like to fight the best fighters in the world, and they’re in the UFC right now,” Diaz mentioned.

“Oliveira out of everybody, that’s what I wanted. I was like, alright, I’m going to go back and get that belt, fight this motherf***er. [UFC] they weren’t interested and wanted to give me Conor. I want to fight Conor, but right now, it’s not the time. Everything’s about timing. It’s not the time for that.

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“[Diaz vs. McGregor 3 is] massive wherever the f*** it is at. Whatever occurs, by any means, the plan is to fight him. When the time is true, it may be proper.”

Throughout his career, Diaz has fought the majority of the notable names he’d been expected to over a 15-year window. Although one fight can be labeled as a miss for him, it was 2018’s Dustin Poirier bout that was scheduled for UFC 230. Ultimately a hip injury forced Poirier to withdraw and the fight never materialized again.

Poirier retired last June, but you have since noted that if he were to come back for anyone, it would be Diaz. That ship, however, has sailed in Diaz’s mind.

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“He bought emotional when he fought anyone, and he is like, ‘I’m retired. This was so nice,'” Diaz said. “Little girl second when he wanted to speak about his emotions after which went, ‘What the f*** did I do?’ You had been being ab**** in your post-fight interview and put your gloves down and shed to tear. Then two weeks later, he is like, ‘I need to fight Nate. ‘I’ll come again for Nate.’ You did not even depart, silly. You f***ing p***ed out. Don’t contain me in that s***. You’re ap****. Get again within the sport and begin squabbling.

“I’m not trying to fight somebody that’s done. I’m trying to fight the welterweight champ.”