"Nate Diaz told them to f**k off because they wanted to extend his contract" - Urijah Faber reveals how first fight with Conor McGregor was intially declined by Diaz

Urijah Faber recently discussed how Nate Diaz initially refused to take on Conor McGregor at UFC 196.

'The California Kid' stated that back in 2016, the UFC wanted to extend Diaz's contract — as a result, they offered him a fight against 'The Notorious'. The Stockton native didn't like the organization's offer, so he refused to take the fight. While speaking on Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas, Faber said:

"Nate Diaz told them to f**k off, because they wanted to extend his contract. And I am buddies with all these guys. That's one of my valuable traits that I can get to anyone and find out what's going on."

The former WEC star added that Dana White briefly discussed the prospect of replacing Diaz with Faber on the card. However, the Irishman made it clear that he wanted to fight the Stockton native instead. Faber pointed out that McGregor's only losses had come via submission at that point in time, and in 2016, 'The California Kid' had the record for most submissions in the UFC, PRIDE, and WEC combined.

On top of his potentially dangerous style, Faber competed two weight classes below Diaz and McGregor. 'The Notorious' didn't want to face a smaller opponent, as he wouldn't have stood much to gain from the bout.

The former WEC champion added:

"Conor said I want to fight Diaz. Conor made the call. He didn't want to fight me. I am coming up two weight classes. He got nothing to win. His only loss is by submission. I got the most submissions at that time in UFC, WEC, and PRIDE combined. He said he wanted Nate."

Watch Urijah Faber talk about Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 1:

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Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz III hasn't happened

After Nate Diaz submitted Conor McGregor at UFC 196, the two had an immediate rematch at UFC 202. 'The Notorious' earned a decision win, avenging his loss and leveling the score with the Stockton native.

A third fight between the duo down the line looked almost certain, but despite all the hype, they have yet to put an end to the rivalry.

Diaz currently has only one fight left on his UFC contract. He is set to face Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of UFC 279 in what could very well be his last fight in the organization. McGregor, meanwhile, has been out since his gruesome leg break against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. The timeline for his return is not yet clear.

Watch the best moments of Diaz vs. McGregor 2: