Nate Diaz will return to action on May 16, and former rival Josh Thomson is speaking out after Diaz picked Mike Perry as his opponent. Thomson says he wanted a rematch but was passed over, and he criticized Diaz’s recent comments about him.
Thomson responds to Diaz
On his WEIGHING IN podcast, Josh Thomson reacted to Nate Diaz’s recent appearance on Theo Von’s podcast. Diaz mocked Thomson for pushing for a rematch and suggested both he and teammate Chris Avila turned down chances to face Thomson. Thomson did not hold back.
Thomson said he was willing to take a fight despite a long layoff. “I guess the concern from you, Nate, was that you wanted me to fight somebody else because I had been inactive for a while. I was like, ‘Alright, cool. I’ll take it. Who do you have in mind?’”
Thomson added: “Now you’re turning down a fight with me and saying you want an easier fight than me? All that west coast gangster sh*t and you guys are over here saying no, you don’t want to fight a 47-year-old who hasn’t fought in seven years. I was laughing. You ain’t gangsters, dude.” Those were his words on the podcast.
How a rematch could have happened
Thomson said a plan existed where he would first fight Chris Avila. If that fight had happened and gone his way, it could have led to a second match with Diaz. That plan never came together. Avila was later booked to fight Brandon Jenkins instead.
Thomson’s comments make it clear he believes the rematch path was closed when Avila took the Jenkins fight. Thomson suggested he was ready to take opponents and that the public talk from Diaz contradicted the choices made behind the scenes.
Background: their 2013 meeting
The two men last met in April 2013. That night, Josh Thomson became the first fighter to stop Nate Diaz. Thomson landed a head kick that led to a second-round TKO finish. The result remains a key moment when talking about a possible rematch.
| Fighter | Recent Result |
|---|---|
| Nate Diaz | Set to fight Mike Perry on May 16 at a Most Valuable Promotions / Netflix event |
| Josh Thomson | Stopped Nate Diaz (TKO, head kick) in April 2013 |
What’s next
Nate Diaz will face Mike Perry on May 16 under the Most Valuable Promotions banner. Josh Thomson says he wanted a rematch, and he has publicly criticized Diaz and Avila for not taking the route that could have led to another fight between Thomson and Diaz.
For now, the rematch remains off the table while Diaz moves forward with Perry. Fans will watch May 16 to see how Diaz looks and whether the talk around future matchups continues to heat up.
