UFC president Dana White has discussed where he stands with Nate Diaz.
Diaz hasn’t competed inside the Octagon since Aug. 2016. Just a few days shy of three full years later, he’ll return to take on Anthony Pettis in a welterweight clash. The bout will serve as UFC 241’s co-main event.
Diaz Says UFC Tried To ‘Ostracized’ Him
The Stockton native told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto that he felt the UFC pretended he vanished (via MMAFighting.com).
“I beat the best guy at the moment, I beat the best guy, and you guys are just treating me like, vanished, then I’m like, ‘Oh well f*ck me, so f*ck you.’ But then after a certain while I’m like, what’s wrong with all these fighters? I’m a bigger draw, a bigger fight than anybody in the game and you guys are going to just sit back and not participate and ‘black sheep’ me—not ‘black sheep,’ it’s like ‘ostracized,’ put me on the outskirts of the whole conversation. ‘He dropped from the rankings, he’s this, that, he’s turning down fights.’ I’m like, dude, you’re going to start offering me prelim fighters and be like, ‘He turned this down.’ You guys were using that against me.”
White Comments On Where He Stands With Diaz
During a media scrum in Las Vegas, White addressed Diaz’s comments. The UFC boss had a positive outlook on where things stand (via MMAJunkie.com).
“It’s funny – I did this interview the other day about Nate,” White said. “Nate’s one of these guys that, he has this personality where it’s like he’s saying ‘(expletive) you’ to The Man, but he never says ‘(expletive) you’ to The Man. Every time I’m around Nate, he’s a good kid, and I’ve always had a good relationship with Nate, a personal relationship with Nate.”
White continued, saying that Diaz isn’t as much of a headache outside of business matters.
“He’s tough to deal with on the business side, but personally he’s a good guy. And whatever you want to say about the Diaz brothers, when they say they’re gonna fight, they sign the bout agreement, and they show up and they fight. So I don’t see any problems.”
