After three years on the sidelines, Nate Diaz is back this weekend and the way he tells it, he was in no rush to return to the Octagon on anybody’s terms but his own.
Diaz has not competed since losing a majority decision to Conor McGregor in their rematch at UFC 202 on Aug. 20, 2016. Their first bout just five months prior at UFC 196 saw Diaz hand McGregor a definitive defeat by submitting “The Notorious” with a rear-naked choke in the second round. The events were massively successful, becoming two of the most lucrative pay-per-views in combat sports history.
It was a breakout year for Diaz as far as mainstream recognition goes, but he and the UFC were unable to capitalize on his newfound fame with both parties accusing the other of sabotaging negotiations, a dispute that has kept Diaz out of action. The 30-fight veteran shared his side of the story in an interview with ESPN ahead of his welterweight bout with Anthony Pettis this Saturday at UFC 241 in Las Vegas.
“It was just—I felt like I won my last fight,” Diaz said, giving one reason why he has been out of competition for so long. “I’m not gonna cry over spilt milk, it’s just what it is, especially in this UFC game because I’ve lost a lot of fights that I didn’t lose and even if, let’s just say more so than I think like, I for sure didn’t lose that fight. They treated it like, ‘You lost, go down the list. Get outta here’ type of thing. When [McGregor] lost the first time to me, it was the biggest thing, and he needed his rematch and he’s obsessed with Nate and all this marketing towards how much he needs to get this back and how great he is for actually jumping in there and doing it.