Nate Diaz will return to MMA on May 16 to face Mike Perry at MVP’s first event made only of mixed martial arts fights. Diaz says he still wants to go back to the UFC, but he does not want a trilogy fight with Conor McGregor right now.
Diaz’s comeback on May 16
Diaz is scheduled to fight Mike Perry on May 16 at an MMA-only event promoted by MVP. This is Diaz’s first fight since he beat Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 in September 2022.
| Fighter | Recent Result |
|---|---|
| Nate Diaz | Defeated Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 (September 2022) |
| Mike Perry | Upcoming opponent on May 16 (MVP event) |
UFC return — but not for McGregor
Diaz told Theo Von on the podcast “This Past Weekend” that he wants to return to the UFC. He said the promotion offered him good money, but the timing and the proposed opponents did not match what he wanted.
He also made clear he does not want to fight Conor McGregor right now. As Diaz put it on “This Past Weekend”: “For instance, I think that if I went back to the UFC, they’d want me to fight Conor McGregor right now… I’m like Conor McGregor just f***ing lost to Poirier. I think he got knocked out on his ass… And then he’s going to come back and I know he’s having a hard time with UFC because I’ve been having my hard times with UFC.”
Diaz explained he wants to face top opponents when they are at their best, not when they are coming back from losses or decline. He said, “I want to fight the best of the best when they are the best of the best… I ain’t trying to finish this dude off.” (Quote from “This Past Weekend”).
He wants the BMF belt
Rather than push for a third fight with McGregor, Diaz said he would like to fight for the BMF (Baddest Motherf***** ) title he helped create in 2019. He called out Charles Oliveira, who won the BMF title by defeating Max Holloway at UFC 326.
Diaz said: “I’m like, I want to fight f****** BMF motherf*****, who’s claiming my belt running around, Charles Oliveira. I’m like, ‘Right you’re rocking with my belt now and you’re running around like you’re the baddest motherf*****.’ So that’s where I’m like, ‘Yo, what’s popping with the UFC.'” (Quote from “This Past Weekend”).
Where to hear more
You can hear Diaz’s full comments on Theo Von’s “This Past Weekend.”
H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
