Nate Diaz is set to step back inside the cage on May 16 at the Intuit Dome.
It was suggested by Joe Rogan that Diaz is earning an eight-figure payday to be a part of the first MMA event to air live on Netflix.
When he was asked about Diaz, Dana White also referenced the money he must be making as the key reason why the former UFC star isn’t returning to the promotion.
However, during a recent podcast appearance, the fan favorite disputed this when explaining that there was another reason why he made this call.
Nate Diaz or Mike Perry? Who wins and why?
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Nate Diaz says he turned down better offer from the UFC because he doesn’t want to fight Conor McGregor
During an appearance on Theo Von’s This Past Weekend podcast, Nate Diaz said that he received bigger offers from the UFC than he did from Most Valuable Promotions.
He went on to explain that the reason he chose not to re-sign with the UFC is because of the opponents they wanted him to fight.
Diaz said that his goal when he spoke to the promotion was to get a fight against Charles Oliveira so he can try to claim back the BMF belt that he helped create.
However, he believes that the UFC were set on him fighting Conor McGregor, which he explained isn’t something that interests him right now.
“I go back to talk to them about it and they’re all ready for me to come back and fight Conor,” he said. “I’m like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa. Listen to what I’m talking about. I want to fight the best of the best when they’re the best of the best.
“Conor is great but I’m not trying to go kill off Conor when he’s on his last dying f—— leg, literally. That’s f—– up. But, I’m not trying to be the ending to some f—— story like that… At the same time, I ain’t trying to get f—– up but by nobody who just got knocked out on his a–.”
Diaz went on to add that Mike Perry was an opponent he liked the sound of and that MVP’s offer was similar to the one he received from the UFC.
He did state that he’s still interested in returning to the leading MMA promotion and finishing his trilogy with McGregor, just not right now.
Diaz would prefer McGregor to come back first and record a win so that they can face each other without either of them being on the decline.
“I believe they want me to come back and fight Conor McGregor not Oliveira. I’m like, well, I’m going to fight for my belt that I created, that I deserve since I started a whole division to bring value up to all these f—— fighters.”
