Someone from Nate Diaz’s past is convinced that the Stockton legend will be exiting the UFC after his next fight.
Tomorrow night, PFL star and Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison will fight out her current contract and enter free agency. She is expected to be the hottest free agent in MMA the moment tomorrow’s PFL season finale concludes. There is someone else, however, with a much more established name in the sport who is also one fight away from being a free agent: Nate Diaz.
Nate Diaz is currently without a fight and has been busy trying to play matchmaker for himself on social media, or so it seems. Vicente Luque and Tony Ferguson are two potential opponents that Diaz has spotlighted, with Luque being a direct fight acceptance and the Ferguson reference being a photographic tease. Yet, his future opponent and indeed his future promotion remain a mystery as the lone fight remaining on his contract continues to hover over his future.
UFC President Dana White was asked directly about Diaz’s contract status and future in the promotion, and he is just as much in the dark as the rest of us about what the enigmatic Nate Diaz will decide to do.
“That’s up to him. That’s a decision he needs to make,” White said in an interview with TSN on Monday about Diaz.
“If you believe that you are one of the best in the world and if you believe that you can win a world title here or hang with the top five, then this is where you should be. The minute that you start doubting that that’s the case, you gotta start looking at other options.”
“As far as Nate Diaz goes, I don’t know where Nate feels he is right now and what he feels his future could be if he signed another four-five fight deal here.”
Josh Thomson Confident Nate Diaz Is Exiting The UFC
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There is someone who does sound convinced on what Nate Diaz will do next, that being the only man to hold a TKO victory over him that wasn’t a doctor’s stoppage, Josh Thomson. Here is what Thomson had to say when the topic of Diaz’s UFC future came up (h/t LowKickMMA).
“I want you guys all to know this. [Nate Diaz] is leaving the UFC.” Thomson said on his ‘Weighing In’ podcast.“He’s fighting Jake Paul. They’re going to fight. That fight’s gonna happen.”
It’s unclear if Thomson is relaying inside information or if he is merely making a confident prediction. Either way, to his point, Paul has expressed a strong interest in Diaz in the past. In fact, Paul once put Diaz at the top of his wishlist of potential opponents. If that fight did come together, it would no doubt be expected to do big business for all parties involved.
When Nate Diaz’s next fight is booked or if more information becomes available about his contract status, we’ll bring you the scoop swiftly and directly right here on MMANews.com.
