Nate Diaz’s mama didn’t raise no fool, which is why the loud-mouthed brawler is laughing in the face of UFC president Dana White.
White recently offered Diaz a fight with inconsequential former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez, according to Fox Sports, while Diaz’s older brother Nick was offered fights of his own.
“We just offered Nate Diaz a fight, and we’re waiting to hear back from him, so we’ll see,” White told USA Today, according to a transcript by MMAJunkie.com. “These guys say they want a fight. I offered Nick Diaz two fights. He turned down two fights. I offered him Robbie Lawler. Robbie Lawler accepted the fight. Then I offered him Demian Maia. Nick Diaz turned down two fights. And then we just offered Nate a fight.”
Nate’s response to White’s offer was short, sweet and to the point.
Lol at your fight…
— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) February 4, 2017
Diaz, it would seem, is still angling for a megabucks third fight with the king of the UFC, Conor McGregor, and is not interested in battling Alvarez, whom McGregor knocked out at UFC 205 at Madison Square Garden in November.
McGregor and Diaz forged an instant and unlikely rivalry in 2016 after their two legendary 170-pound fights. Diaz trash-talked his way into the first fight at UFC 196 in March after lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos pulled out of the event at the last minute with an injury. Diaz stepped up to the plate with less than two weeks to prepare for the fight and ended up pulling off a huge upset when he choked out McGregor in the second round.
Five months later, the pair squared off in a rematch at UFC 202. After a tour de force of pre-fight press conference mayhem, McGregor earned a decision victory in a five-round war that is considered to be one of the greatest fights in UFC history.
After the second Diaz fight, McGregor’s attention returned to his quest to hold two UFC titles at the same time, and he achieved his dream when he knocked out Alvarez at UFC 205. The moment was the pinnacle of McGregor’s career.
In the Octagon after the fight, he announced that he would be taking roughly six months off to start a family with his longtime partner. McGregor apparently got the timeline wrong on his partner’s pregnancy and has been open to possibly returning to the fight game either early or later than expected. He’s also played footsie with fellow loudmouth Floyd Mayweather about an incredibly lucrative boxing match that has next to no chance of actually happening.
Diaz has been steadfast in his desire to complete his trilogy with McGregor because it would be the biggest payday of his career. Diaz is so confident he and McGregor could sell a third fight with their on-the-mic skills that he’s demanding $20 million to step into the cage. Seeing as McGregor and Ronda Rousey, the two biggest stars in the UFC by a long shot, have disclosed fight purses of $3 million, Diaz’s request is bordering on the absurd and more about jockeying for a pay similar to McGregor’s.
The only thing that lends Diaz’s demand any credence is that top UFC fighters do earn a percentage of their fight’s pay-per-view dollars — exactly how much is unknown because the UFC does not publish the details of their contracts. Forbes estimates McGregor earned around $10 million-$15 million for each of his fights with Diaz.
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