Nate Diaz: UFC treated me ‘like I came off of some vicious loss’ after McGregor rematch

Heading into his boxing bout against Jake Paul, Nate Diaz is still angry about how the UFC treated him after his loss to Conor McGregor in the rematch.

By: Bloody Elbow | 6 days ago

Nate Diaz is one of the UFC veterans most known for speaking freely and letting fans know what he’s really thinking. His recent interview with ESPN, was no exception.

MMA: UFC 196-McGregor vs Diaz, March 5, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Conor McGregor (left) punches Nate Diaz in the face during UFC 196 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports, 05.03.2016 21:54:12, 9172261, MGM Grand Garden Arena, Nate Diaz, Diaz, MMA, Conor McGregor PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xMarkxJ.xRebilasx 9172261
IMAGO | USA TODAY by Mark J. Rebilas

Nate Diaz recalls his past fight records and looks to the future

When questioned about what’s most likely to change in the wake of his match with Jake Paul, Nate Diaz consistently responded, “Everything changes after every fight.” As an example, Diaz recalled his monumental 2016 fights with Conor McGregor and how they changed his career:

“First I beat [McGregor], and they were going to let me fight anybody I wanted for any title anyway. And then I rematched him, because I’m not whack, [and] I knew I was going to beat him anyway, so I want to go do it again. So I fought him again, he won in a decision, and then he ran off, and he fought for World Titles and Floyd Mayweather and did all this big stuff, and [the UFC] try to match me up with some low range fighter somewhere. And I’m like, no. I’ll take the number two guy, number one guy, whoever I wanted at the time, and they were like, nah. Like I came off of some vicious loss or something.”

Diaz also said that after his fights with Conor, he felt that he’d already proven himself in the UFC. “So I was like, well sh*t, I’ll just sit back until something big happens. I’ll sit back, then, and fight somebody when somebody does something, because there ain’t nobody fighting when everybody’s whack. And then so I sat around, I’ll wait for something big to happen, for somebody to fight, somebody that meets my criteria, because I outgrew everybody. I felt like I did more than anybody, I beat the best guy, the biggest guy, and that’s the biggest thing. So I don’t have nothing to prove on none of these guys, until somebody does something.”

Even after expressing how he was slighted for the McGregor loss, Nate bears little resentment towards the idea of returning to fight in the UFC:

“Yeah, 100 percent, yeah,” Diaz stated, when asked if still saw himself returning to the Octagon. “I still, like I said, every fight, something changes, you know?”

Diaz is in high spirits with plenty of confidence for Saturday

While going more into detail about preparation for the Paul-Diaz boxing match, Nate remained confident in his process of training and sparring; when asked about his sparring partner posting on social media about training with Diaz, Nate responded, “It comes with the territory. I know how boxing is in boxing gyms. They’re kind of ignorant to things, a lot of boxers.”

“Whenever I whoop someone’s ass, I’m tough or in good shape. [But] I’m not good, you know what I’m saying? I’m just in better shape than every boxer that I ever sparred ever, you know? So it comes with the territory, I don’t care, it’s all good.”

As for what might come after his fight with Paul? Diaz doesn’t have any particular answers ready.

“Everything changes with every fight,” he explained. “After this fight, I plan on taking over the whole world when it comes to this fight sh*t, so if anybody’s doing anything big, I’m coming for them too. So that’s my plan: To show everybody that I’m The Ultimate Fighter.”


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