Nate Diaz: Dustin Poirier suggests hilarious way to settle Nate Diaz beef with "hardest fight of both our careers" statement, Stockton native responds

Dustin Poirier will always look back on a potential Nate Diaz fight as the one that got away. The former interim UFC lightweight champion recently said he would come out of retirement for one final fight, but only if it was against Diaz in a boxing match under the Zuffa Boxing banner.

The statement surprised many, especially since Poirier had announced his retirement from MMA in July 2025 after falling to Max Holloway at UFC 318. Diaz took to X to dismiss Poirier's callout, and 'Diamond' responded with a sharp jab. He wrote:

"Maybe a spelling bee competition vs Nathaniel would be the hardest fight of both of our careers."

Diaz, never the one to back away, fired back on X, writing:

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"You had your chance. You punked out. Get some sleep, ya old retired pu*sy."

Check out the back-and-forth exchange below:

Dustin Poirier and Nate Diaz go back-and-forth on X. [Screenshots courtesy: @dustinpoirier and @natediaz209 on X]

The rivalry between Poirier and Diaz dates back to their canceled fight at UFC 230 in 2018, which both fighters blamed on each other. Poirier said Diaz’s contract issues stalled the matchup, while the Stockton native claimed his rival withdrew due to injury.

Poirier later clarified he would have fought through the injury had Diaz stayed on the card, but the disagreement created lasting tension. Over the years, both fighters have exchanged jabs on social media, keeping the feud alive long after the original fight fell through.

When Dustin Poirier spoke about a potential boxing match against Nate Diaz

Dustin Poirier claimed in 2024 that the idea of a boxing match with Nate Diaz excites him.

Following Diaz’s win over Jorge Masvidal in boxing, Poirier expressed interest in crossing over to the ring, considering the training camps could potentially be "less wearing on the body." Speaking in a past episode of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Poirier said:

"A boxing match? Of course [that would excite me]... Just a change of speed, a different training camp, just something different. I’ve been doing MMA for a while, and I still love the training camps, and I love fighting. But to go purely to boxing, the training camp would be a lot less wearing on the body. No wrestling, no jiu-jitsu, it would be boxing, running, and swimming. That would be fun stuff. I would box Nate [Diaz], I would box Nate. Either [MMA or boxing works for me] but I would rather [fight] Nate in boxing."

About the author

Abhishek Ramadasan Nambiar is a journalist who covers MMA at Sportskeeda. As a long-time practitioner of various martial arts, seeing the fusion of different forms into a quest for the ultimate fighter felt both primal and profoundly technical. At Sportskeeda, Abhishek's primary goal is to offer a fresh and distinctive angle through his writing, aiming to provide readers with more than just the basics of MMA. Along with keeping them informed about the latest developments in the sport, he strives to offer valuable insights that enhance their understanding of MMA.

When not writing about MMA, Abhishek often spends time reviewing music or devouring Brian Evanson's and Blake Crouch's work. Sign up to receive news, regular updates, and exclusive coverage.

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