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After spending well over a decade with the UFC, Nate Diaz is finally a free agent after his contract with the promotion ended this week. Surprisingly, he hasn’t ruled out a return.
Should Nate Diaz return to the UFC after testing the free market, or is the Stockton-based veteran better off away from the world’s biggest MMA promotion? It’s a fair question to ask, but while the world’s best fighters generally call the UFC home, for Diaz, it might be better if he stays away.
Here are five reasons why Nate Diaz should not return to the UFC.
#5. Nate Diaz has a potential big payday against Jake Paul waiting for him
If there were no big paydays waiting for Nate Diaz outside the UFC, then there would perhaps be an argument that returning to the promotion where he made his name would be the best thing for him.
However, there may well be a pretty huge purse for him inside the boxing ring if he ends up squaring off with YouTube sensation-turned-pugilist Jake Paul in the near future.
Diaz’s manager Zach Rosenfield has already suggested that his fighter wants to test his skills in the squared circle at some point. In Paul, he appears to have a ready-made rival to face off with.
‘The Problem Child’ has already entered into a war of words with Diaz, with the YouTuber recently stating that he has “beef” with the Stockton-based fighter.
More to the point, after Paul’s recent win over Anderson Silva, footage of a confrontation between Diaz and members of the YouTuber’s entourage quickly appeared on social media.
Given that Paul has drawn strong numbers on pay-per-view against lesser opponents like Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley, it’s likely that a fight with Diaz would be huge – meaning it’d be a major payday for the TUF 5 winner.
That alone would make it worth him staying away from the UFC.
#4. The UFC aren’t likely to pay Nate Diaz what he wants at this stage
One notable thing about Nate Diaz over the years has been the fact that unlike some fighters, he’s never been afraid to demand big pay checks from the UFC. At times, it’s even felt like he’s priced himself out of big fights by his willingness to sit on the shelf and wait for the right offer from the promotion.
It’s arguable that this approach paid off for him at times, as he was able to return from lengthy layoffs and go directly into big fights with the likes of Conor McGregor and Leon Edwards. However, at this stage, would the UFC be willing to pay him what he believes he’s worth?
In all honesty, it seems unlikely. Realistically, at the age of 37, Diaz is past his athletic prime now, and he’s looked like a fighter struggling for traction for the last few years.
Sure, he picked up a win in his most recent visit to the octagon by submitting Tony Ferguson, but it’s arguable that ‘El Cucuy’ is as far past his prime as Diaz is.
The Stockton-based fighter remains a drawing card to an extent, meaning the UFC would probably love to keep him around. But given that he’s going to struggle to beat most of their top fighters now, is it worth them paying him millions?
From the perspective of Dana White and company, the answer is likely to be no. And if the UFC isn’t willing to match his demands, then why should Diaz look to return to the fold with them?
#3. There are easier opponents for Nate Diaz elsewhere
One thing that Nate Diaz probably won’t find in the UFC is any easy opponents. Sure, even the diminished version of the TUF 5 winner we see today is capable of beating the lower-end fighters in the promotion, but given his star power and salary, it’s unlikely he’d be matched with any of them.
Diaz could look to fight some of the promotion’s other aging veterans, but the truth is that viable opponents like that are few and far between. It’s more likely that the UFC would prefer to match him with younger, hungrier prospects looking to make a name for themselves.
Outside the UFC, though, the competition would instantly become much easier. Were he to sign for Bellator MMA, for instance, not only would fights with the likes of Michael ‘Venom’ Page and Patricky Freire make for fun matches, they’d also be winnable bouts for the veteran.
With this in mind, then, Diaz is almost certainly better off looking elsewhere rather than returning to the UFC, particularly if he wants to end his career on a high note, rather than with a string of nasty losses.
#2. The trilogy with Conor McGregor seems further away than ever right now
The one fight that would almost certainly entice Nate Diaz back to the UFC would be the long-awaited trilogy bout with Conor McGregor. The two rivals famously split a pair of fights in 2016, drawing millions of dollars on pay-per-view in the process. A third fight has been talked about ever since.
However, while Diaz’s manager recently mentioned that a third bout with ‘The Notorious’ would be something that would interest his client, the truth is that right now, it feels further away than ever before.
McGregor has not fought since the summer of 2021, when he suffered a horrific leg break during his fight with Dustin Poirier. The Irishman reportedly intends to return to action in 2023, but whether or not he’ll be able to pass USADA’s stringent drug testing is apparently in question right now.
Even if McGregor manages to find his way back onto the active roster, it’s likely that he’ll want to attempt one final title run, probably at 155lbs. Therefore, a third bout with Diaz at 170lbs just wouldn’t be on his radar.
Logically, it’s not likely that Diaz vs. McGregor 3 would come any earlier than 2024 at best. So, Diaz would almost certainly be better off looking elsewhere for his next fight.
#1. The UFC didn’t treat Nate Diaz too well on his way out
Probably the biggest reason for Nate Diaz to avoid a return to the UFC is the fact that the promotion hardly treated him well at the end of his run there.
Sure, he ended up submitting Tony Ferguson in the headliner of what was his final contracted bout with the promotion, but that wasn’t the original plan. Until a weight-cutting error forced a late change, Diaz was all set to face off with Khamzat Chimaev – arguably the hottest prospect in MMA.
It felt like a piece of truly cruel matchmaking from the UFC. Essentially, Dana White and company were clearly hoping to give ‘Borz’ the biggest name victory of his career, all while sending Diaz packing on the back of what could’ve been a truly devastating defeat.
Sure, it’s almost a tradition of MMA that younger fighters make their name off the back of aging legends, but this seemed like a step too far and smacked of the promotion not holding Diaz in much regard.
Given this apparent lack of respect, why would Diaz want to return to the UFC? If he were to do so, what would stop them from attempting to make the Chimaev fight again, for instance? It’s something not really worth thinking about.
At this stage of his career, Diaz is the kind of legend that a promotion should treasure, and it’s unlikely that the UFC will do that – meaning he’s better off heading elsewhere.
