Footage has surfaced of Dana White's conversation with Nate Diaz following his win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 earlier this month.
Diaz, 37, saw out his UFC contract by submitting fellow veteran Ferguson in the fourth round of their fight in Las Vegas. The fan favourite was supposed to fight Khamzat Chimaev in the main event, but their fight was scrapped after Chimaev missed the welterweight limit by 7.5b. White later admitted that it "wouldn’t have been good" if Diaz fought Chimaev due to the opposing directions their careers are going in.
White has always had a rocky relationship with Diaz and his brother Nick during their long stints in the UFC, with Diaz even 'taking a p***' on the promotion's HQ earlier this year as he struggled to book a fight. The pair were able to put their differences aside just moments after Diaz submitted Ferguson, with White entering the locker room and praising Diaz for his legendary career.
“How you doing? Are you all f***ed up" White asked Diaz, who suffered swelling to his right shin after his hard-fought win over Ferguson. White then complimented Diaz's Nike Travis Scott trainers labelling them "his favourite shoe" before telling him: "Well, congrats. Good luck with everything, man. This is always your f****** house. If you need anything... whatever you need, it’s your house kid."
Despite his willingness to get out of the UFC, Diaz shook White's hands and suggested they should "hangout" again soon. Diaz shared his plan to celebrate the win at the iconic Wynn hotel XS nightclub, with White wishing him a good time before the pair parted ways. White also shook hands with members of Diaz's team such as Gilbert Melendez and Jake Shields before leaving the locker room.
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Although Diaz is out of contract with the UFC, the exclusivity period of his contract means he will be unable to negotiate with any other promotions for three months. The promotion also has the ability to match any offers Diaz receives from other organisations up until September of next year. Diaz has been linked with moves to bare-knuckle boxing and the WWE, with a lucrative fight against Jake Paul also on the table for him.
White wished Diaz "nothing but the best" for the future, stating after his win: "No matter what Nate does from here on out, this is his house. He's been here forever, it's been a blast having him here and I wish him well. Whatever he moves on to do, I wish him nothing but the best."
