ELMONT, N.Y. – UFC president Dana White insists he is working on getting Nate Diaz the final fight of his contract.
After months of hostile messages on social media, Diaz (20-13 MMA, 15-11 UFC) finally spoke out in an interview setting this past week on “The MMA Hour” and aired his grievances with the promotion. Diaz claimed he’s being held “hostage” by the promotion as he sits on the final fight of his deal and said he unequivocally wants to test free agency.
White said the fighter is painting a false narrative.
“We can’t hold guys hostage,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Saturday’s UFC on ABC 3 post-fight news conference. “It’s not possible. I owe you three fights a year. If I don’t fight you three times a year, I have to pay you. How can I hold him hostage?”
White refused to answer who or what fights Diaz may or may not have turned down that created this situation. Diaz is clearly unhappy and said he would fight anyone, and White could only respond by claiming he’s doing his best to get something booked.
“What do you think my plans are? I’m going to get him a fight,” White said. “I don’t know (when). We’ll see what happens. I have to get him three fights a year. I offer fights, and he either accepts them or turns them down. Obviously I’m not paying him, so I’ve offered him fights.”
White did acknowledge that getting a deal done has been tricky. Diaz said that heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and middleweight titleholder Israel Adesanya are the only fighters to match his magnitude for a fight, although he recognized those were unrealistic.
However, White said the anecdote proved a window into what life is like dealing with a Diaz.
“I mean, imagine having a f*cking conversation like that,” White said. “It’s like, come on. Nate Diaz vs. Francis Ngannou? What should I say? Just f*cking stand there like, ‘Holy sh*t. This is crazy.'”
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