MMA News: Nate Diaz Needs To Realize He’s Not Conor McGregor, Says Former UFC Champ
After almost two years of MMA hiatus, Nate Diaz is finally expected to fight again in the Octagon. In their 25th-anniversary press conference, the UFC confirmed that Diaz will be fighting UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier at UFC 230. Diaz thought that his comeback fight would be the biggest news in the event until the UFC announced the upcoming title fight between Conor McGregor and reigning UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Nate Diaz didn’t like his UFC return being overshadowed by the much-awaited matchup between “The Notorious” and “The Eagle.” What made him more frustrated is that he is not Conor McGregor’s next opponent. One of the major reasons why Diaz decided to take his time away from the world of mixed martial arts is McGregor.
After experiencing a huge payday fighting against the former UFC two-division champion, Diaz showed no interest in facing other fighters aside from McGregor. Though his fight with Dustin Poirier was already announced, Diaz threatened the UFC that he will not show up at UFC 230.
In an appearance on Sirius XM Fight Nation (h/t MMA Fighting), former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate expressed her support for Nate Diaz. Tate said she understood what Diaz feels since she experienced the same thing when she asked the UFC for a trilogy bout against Ronda Rousey.
“I would feel the same way as Nate does,” Tate said. “Nate has a different personality than I do, he’s expressive in a different way, but of course [I would be mad]. I remember when I threatened retirement because I was so pissed off that they had promised that I would fight Ronda and then they ended up switching that out and having Holly [Holm] but they didn’t tell me. It’s the same thing that happened to Nate, essentially, it’s just that Nate was in front of everybody. I was pi**ed too, believe me.”
Nate Diaz Says He Might Bail from UFC 230, 'We'll See How I Feel' https://t.co/5wEVKkcai0
— TMZ (@TMZ) August 3, 2018
Miesha Tate claimed that unlike her and Nate Diaz, the UFC was giving special treatments to MMA fighters like Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey. However, Tate wants Diaz to realize that he is not McGregor and he does not have control over his current situation. As long as he plans to continue fighting in the Octagon, Tate believes that the best thing Diaz could do right now is to continue building himself.
Since Nate Diaz last fought in the Octagon, several MMA fighters have started to make a name in the UFC. If he continues to delay his UFC return, his name value will definitely continue to drop.
