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Nate Diaz’s coach Cesar Gracie is of the view that the UFC wants Diaz to lose on his way out of the organization. Many believe that the UFC has intentionally booked Diaz in a bad stylistic matchup next, as it’ll be the final fight of his current UFC contract.
Diaz will fight freestyle wrestling wizard Khamzat Chimaev in a five-round welterweight matchup at UFC 279 on September 10. Many foresee Chimaev soundly beating Diaz, as the latter has historically struggled against elite wrestlers.
During Cesar Gracie’s recent appearance on Submission Radio, the show’s host Denis Shkuratov noted that many fans feel the UFC is trying to punish the outgoing Diaz. He indicated that the UFC wants Diaz’s star power to rub off on Chimaev, whom they view as a future superstar. Co-host Kacper Rosolowski also appeared to agree with Shkuratov. Gracie responded by stating:
“Obviously, I’m not privy to what the UFC is talking about. But what you just described is exactly how I feel about it. So, what the fans are thinking is – It’s no secret – When you wanna leave the UFC, they wanna make sure you're not gonna leave as a winner. They wanna make sure that you’re not gonna help another organization out is what I’m thinking.”
He also added that there were other fighter who Diaz could've faced.
“So, the fights that made sense, with [Dustin] Poirier, and there’s a lot of other fights that made a lot more sense [than Chimaev], they [the UFC] said no to.”
Gracie emphasized that the UFC could’ve matched up Diaz against Dustin Poirier or Michael Chandler. Intriguingly, both Poirier and Chandler have lately hinted at moving from lightweight to welterweight. Similarly, Diaz moved from lightweight to welterweight and has competed in this division for the past few years.
Watch Gracie discuss the topic at 11:31 in the video below:
Dana White on Nate Diaz’s potential UFC departure
Nate Diaz has consistently maintained that he’s unlikely to re-sign with the UFC after his next fight. While he hasn’t shut the door on a UFC comeback down the line, it appears as though his UFC departure in the immediate future is inevitable.
During Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS) 47 post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White was questioned regarding Nate Diaz potentially leaving the UFC after his next fight. Noting that it’s always sad to see fighters leave, White said:
“It's one of those things in pro sports that s**ks. It eventually comes to an end and my big thing is all about getting people out at the right time. I like when we see people go at the right time but yes, at the same time it's sad."
Watch White’s assessment below:
