Nate Diaz took to social media to publicly ask for the UFC to release him from his contract. He has been out of competition since June 12th, 2021, after losing a unanimous decision to Leon "Rocky" Edwards.
Edwards controlled the majority of the fight with crisp kickboxing. But Nate was able to steal the show by almost finishing the fight in the last seconds of the 5th round, landing a flush left cross that had Edwards on ice skates.
Lookin' For a Fight
Nate is on the last fight of his contract and has voiced his intention to move on afterwards. Over the last 7 months Nate has offered to fight the likes of lightweight legend Tony "El Cucuy" Ferguson, welterweight contender Vicente "The Silent Assassin" Luque and former lightweight interim champ Dustin "The Diamond" Poirer.
In December, Nate was reportedly offered a fight with the buzzsaw prospect Khamzat "Borz" Chimaev, but felt slighted by the offer. Stating, ""Don't disrespect me like that, trying to offer me a fight with a rookie."
The Hang Up
The hang up in negotiations seems to be related to Nate's lack of interest in renewing his contract. According to reports, the UFC is willing to give Nate a fight but want him to extend his contract first.
Both sides have failed to agree upon the terms of an extension and I'm almost certain Nate doesn't even want to. Nate seems to want to finish off his contract and explore other promotions or compete in the squared circle.
Greener Grass?
According to Dana White earlier this month, there is a "very good" chance that Diaz would ink a new deal, but as of late it doesn't seem that way. On Saturday, Nate released a series of tweets tagging the UFC brass and voicing his frustrations. He also indicated that he wanted to move on from the UFC.
Break The Bank
Nate Diaz is unquestionably one of the biggest draws in the sport. It seems as though the UFC brass is trying to squeeze every last dollar out of the man before they are willing to let him ride off into the sunset.
Unless they absolutely break the bank to keep Diaz, I just don't see him signing a new deal. I believe that the UFC is still counting on the trilogy fight with Conor McGregor. They don't want Nate to leave prior to milking that last cash cow. Conor is still out recovering from the brutal injury he accrued fighting Dustin Poirer.
Expectations
Personally, I'd love to see the matchup between Diaz and Poirer as the final fight of his deal. If Nate is able to venture off into new endeavors after, that would be ideal. Nate is no spring chicken, and I'd like to see him get out before he takes any more serious damage.
Regardless of what happens, I will always ride as hard as possible for Stocktons own. The Diaz brothers are my favorite fighters of all time. I am forever grateful for the blood, sweat and inspiration they've supplied us over the years.
