Nate Diaz fought out the last fight of his contract this past September. While he was scheduled to fight Khazmat Chimaev, the fight gods had other plans and he was matched up with Tony Ferguson in a fitting end to his run with the promotion.
In interviews, Diaz highlighted the contractual issues he had with the UFC prior to being given the Chimaev fight. Notably, he stated that when he was offered a fight to fulfill his existing contract, it came with the proviso that he would have to add on additional fight to his contract. Diaz’s interview with Ariel Helwani highlighted his side of the story which was that he was being sidelined by the UFC until the expiration of his contract or taking a deal which would require he renew with the UFC.
The good news for Diaz and his fans is that he had a happy ending to his career with the UFC. Of course this is combat sports, so a return to the UFC is never out of the question. But, for the time being he is now a free agent.
Even though Diaz is 37 years old, he has significant options with the biggest being boxing. Its inevitable that Diaz squares up with Jake Paul in the boxing ring. The lead-up and the fight should provide for an instant hit on PPV. Moreover for Diaz, he should get the big payday that he, Francis Ngannou and most MMA turned boxers crave.
Wins or losses did not matter to the popularity of Nate Diaz. He went 2-2 since returning from a 3 year absence from 2016-2019. Yet, Diaz’s popularity was at its highest since his return in August 2019.
2023 will be an interesting year for Nate Diaz as it’s hard to think that he would sit out the year without taking a fight whether it be boxing or MMA.
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