Nate Diaz says he is ready to finally settle his long-standing rivalry with Conor McGregor.
Diaz has not fought in the UFC since 2022, back when Francis Ngannou still held the heavyweight belt. But unlike Ngannou, Diaz did not burn any bridges on his way out.
Dana White left the door open for him to return, and now, after stints boxing Jake Paul and Jorge Masvidal, the 40-year-old appears interested in coming back.
Nate Diaz eyes UFC trilogy with Conor McGregor while outlining shortlist
This past week, Diaz made it known that he wants to return at the UFC White House event set for June.
Initially, the former UFC star said he would like to face the winner of the UFC 326 BMF title fight between Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira, predicting that ‘Blessed’ would come out on top.
Now, just a week after those comments, Diaz has laid out a new hit list of three names – starting with the long-awaited trilogy against Conor McGregor.
He told TMZ Sports: “I would like to fight somebody, I’m ready to get back into real action, I want to fight either McGregor (trilogy), I want to fight maybe Dustin Poirier if he stops being such a p—- and then maybe Mike Perry, we’ll see what happens in the future, though.”
Fans have clamoured for a decisive third fight between Diaz and McGregor since their UFC 202 rematch in 2016, which left their series tied at 1-1.
And interest in that potential third meeting was reignited recently when Dana White dismissed talks of a McGregor vs Michael Chandler bout at the upcoming UFC event.
An ongoing feud has persisted between Diaz and Dustin Poirier for years. Even with ‘The Diamond’s’ recent retirement, it appeared he would still consider returning for a fight against the Stockton fighter.
On the other hand, a match-up with Mike Perry would likely fall under BKFC rules – but it is doubtful that Diaz would make a move into bare-knuckle fighting.
The door was left open for a Diaz return to the UFC
Diaz, despite being 40 years old and having passed his fighting prime, consistently remained one of the most popular fighters on the UFC roster.
He also had a strong relationship with Dana White, even though he and his brother Nick have had their share of differences with the UFC boss over the years.
When Diaz left the promotion in 2022, White said it would ‘always’ be Nate’s house. He never completely ruled out a potential return to bring him back onto the roster.
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