Brendan Schaub believes UFC's leveraging Dustin Poirier fight so Nate Diaz will sign extension for Conor McGregor trilogy

Brendan Schaub feels that the UFC will only allow Nate Diaz to fight Dustin Poirier if he signs a contract extension with the promotion. Diaz has just one fight remaining under his current contract with the UFC and the promotion isn't willing to lose one of its most popular stars just yet.

The Stockton native was rumored to be fighting Poirier next but claimed that the UFC isn't interested in that matchup at the moment.

Schaub feels that the UFC brass is unwilling to let Nate Diaz leave before completing the much-anticipated trilogy fight with Conor McGregor, which would sell pay-per-views like hotcakes. To ensure the same, Schaub believes the UFC is leveraging the Poirier fight to get Diaz to sign a contract extension.

In a video recently shared on his YouTube channel, Brendan Schaub stated the following:

"Nate Diaz only has one fight left on his contract so they are dangling the carrot over his face, going 'we'll give you the DP [Poirier] fight but you got to sign another fight extension' because they're not going to let him run off into free agency without getting the trilogy fight with Conor McGregor."

Check out the video below:

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What happened when Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz fought each other?

Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz have faced each other twice. They first met at UFC 196 and the rematch took place at UFC 202. At UFC 196, Diaz replaced Rafael dos Anjos on short notice to take on the then featherweight champ, McGregor.

McGregor, who used to fight at 145lbs had to move up to 170lbs for the fight.

After starting off well and outboxing Diaz on the feet in the first round, McGregor started to fade in the second. Diaz capitalized, landing combinations on the Irishman and forcing him to shoot for a takedown. Diaz soon attained top mount and unleashed ground-and-pound strikes before McGregor gave away his back, allowing Diaz to sink in a rear-naked choke to which the Irishman immediately tapped.

In the second fight, McGregor was prepared to go five rounds and it showed in his strategy. He refrained from throwing too hard and focused more on volume than power. He secured several knockdowns in the fight and ended up winning via majority decision.

Since then both men have teased a third fight but it is yet to come to fruition. Both Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz are two of the biggest stars in the UFC and it'd make sense for the promotion to book a third fight between them before they retire.