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Ariel Helwani believes that Nate Diaz won’t face Conor McGregor in their long-awaited trilogy fight next. In the latest edition of The MMA Hour, Helwani revealed that McGregor, who’s still recovering from the leg injury he suffered last July, will likely return only in February or March of 2023.
Helwani noted that Diaz, who’s on the last fight of his UFC contract, knows that fighting fellow MMA megastar McGregor could fetch him a huge payday. He added, however, that Diaz probably doesn’t want to wait until early 2023 and would rather fight someone else in the meantime.
Furthermore, the 39-year-old highlighted that the the Stockton native is currently as popular as ever, healthy, and in his prime. Meanwhile, McGregor isn’t guaranteed to return in early 2023.
Helwani indicated that, given the unpredictable nature of the sport, ‘The Notorious’ might injure himself again and further delay his comeback.
Helwani acknowledged that McGregor is rightfully refraining from rushing his comeback, considering the gruesome nature of his injury. Furthermore, the long-time MMA reporter suggested that from what he’s heard, Diaz and the UFC could finally be “swimming in a positive direction” and reaching an agreement for his next fight. Helwani stated:
“I’ve always felt like at some point, he [Diaz] is gonna have the one fight, and maybe he signs for a shorter deal. The whole thing’s a big toss-up at the moment. [Dustin] Poirier, [Michael] Chandler, we’ll see. But I don’t think the next time we see Nate, whenever it is in the octagon, will be [against] Conor. Meaning, he [Diaz] wants to fight, he wants to get back, and I don’t hate him for that."
He further added:
"It’s too far away. Obviously, if Conor was ready to fight today, yes, fine, make the fight. But he’s not, so that’s the problem. Guy [Diaz] wants to make money, wants to fight; he’s been healthy.”
Watch Ariel Helwani address a possible Diaz-McGregor fight at the 42-minute mark in the video below:
Jake Shields on the impasse in Nate Diaz’s negotiations with the UFC
Speaking to Helen Yee, Nate Diaz’s longtime friend and former UFC welterweight Jake Shields recently asserted that Diaz was willing to fight undefeated welterweight star Khamzat Chimaev.
Shields recalled that after Chimaev finally beat a top-10 welterweight, namely Gilbert Burns, in April, Nate Diaz informed the UFC that he’d be open to fighting him. Nevertheless, he explained that the UFC hasn’t booked the 'Borz' matchup or any other fight for Diaz, as they don’t want to free Diaz from his contract.
Shields said:
“It's been kind of weird, I think. It's the last fight of his contract, the UFC just don't want to let him out of his contract.”
Watch the full interview with Jake Shields below:
