To a chorus of cheers, Nate Diaz appeared fashionably late to the UFC 25th anniversary press conference announcing his return bout with surging lightweight Dustin Poirer. The UFC veteran also left the conference early as the UFC aired a surprise trailer announcing rival Conor McGregor’s fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Nate Diaz is scheduled to fight Dustin Poirier at UFC 230 on November 3 in Madison Square Garden, in New York. In response to the card, Diaz tweeted “I’m not fighting on that show fuk the @ufc.”
When asked by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto whether he knew why Nate Diaz was upset, UFC President Dana White said, “I have no idea.”
“We have a guy who works here at the UFC who loves the Diaz brothers and he wanted to get this fight done. He wanted to do this, he thought it was time that Nate Diaz wanted to come back. This is his problem, not mine.”
Nate Diaz revealed that he has been absent for two years due to a lawsuit, while Dana White claimed repeatedly that Diaz was turning down fights.
Earlier this year, ESPN reported on a lawsuit involving Diaz’s former agent. The report suggests that the lawsuit was ongoing with the lawyer representing the agency stating the following.
“It was my client’s position that Diaz had availed himself to be sued in Texas; unfortunately, the Texas Court did not share the same view. The Court’s ruling has no effect on the merits of the case and my client does intend to vigorously pursue its claims in another venue, whether it be California or Nevada.”
In an interview with TMZ , Diaz said the lawsuit was settled a month ago and criticized the UFC for their lack of promotion.
The Ultimate Fighter winner added that he is not sure if he will fight at UFC 230 . When asked about his opinion of the Khabib and Conor fight, he insulted the two fighters.
The Stockton native said that he slapped Khabib and “whipped” Conor McGregor’s ass.
Nate Diaz last fought in the UFC almost two years ago in a five-round war with Conor McGregor. While there have been rumors about their trilogy fight, Nate claims that he is no longer interested in the fight.
The 33-year-old claimed that the UFC wanted him to fight Tony Ferguson and later offered him a title shot at welterweight against Tyron Woodley.
Nate Diaz and Dustin Poirer are the co-main event at UFC 230 and the main event is yet to be announced.