Nate Diaz last competed in the lightweight division in November of 2013 in a victory over Gray Maynard. He tried to return to lightweight for his next fight, but was unable to do so after missing weight, and instead fought Rafael dos Anjos in a catchweight bout that saw dos Anjos take home the unanimous decision. Now, it looks like Nate Diaz will not be looking to make that weight again, announcing today on The Ariel Helwani MMA Show that he is moving on from the 155 lbs. division (transcript via MMA Junkie):
“I’m just done with the 155 thing,” Diaz said. “That’s in the past now. I think it’s time to start fighting at a more comfortable weight class.”
Nate Diaz also believes that by leaving behind the lightweight division, he will put himself in position for new and greater challenges:
“There’s nothing for me there. I’ve already done everything, beat everybody. I feel like I’m the king of that division anyways – I mean, I am the king of that division. There’s no love for me over there, so it’s not worth putting any time into that.”
Nate Diaz lost three of his last four fights as a member of the lightweight division, but he apparently considers those losses victories and also believes that he holds a victory over 27-0 Khabib Nurmagomedov:
“I already slapped him in his face, and I beat Conor before him, quicker than him, easier than him, and then he’s just going to ignore that and act like whatever?” Diaz said of Khabib. “He’s a little big-headed right now, so I don’t need to fight him, anyway, because I’ve already got a victory over him. So he’s just going to hide out and play champ and act like he’s Mr. (expletive) Humble Khabib. I’m not buying that (expletive). I don’t need to sit around here and chase nobody. If anybody needs chasing, they’ve got to come this way. I’m going to retire that vision as champ.”
Do you believe Nate Diaz is making the right decision by officially exiting the lightweight decision?
