Nate Diaz has been told by former champion Henry Cejudo that the UFC are trying to "kill" him in his final fight.
The UFC star has just one fight remaining on his contract with the promotion and is yet to find an opponent for his final bow. Leaked cards from UFC president Dana White's 'war room' have suggested Diaz could face rising star Khamzat Chimaev this summer.
Cejudo believes that the UFC could be trying to use his significant financial draw before his planned departure from the company. “Right now the UFC, I think they want, they want to feed him to a shark,“ Cejudo said while assessing Diaz's future with The Schmo.
“That’s why they’re trying to kill… Because Diaz knows that there’s so much money to be made outside the UFC, that he doesn’t even care what millions they’re gonna end up giving him. I do believe that Nate leaving the UFC is just going to generate more money for fighters, and kind of giving that leverage to fighters like: Hey man, it’s not the UFC, it's not the only place where you can make a good living.”
Diaz has become one of the promotion's most high-profile names since making his debut in 2007. He is yet to be officially offered an opponent for his showpiece ending having verbally agreed to face Dustin Poirier.
However after talks broke down, Diaz asked to be released from his contract on social media as his UFC career looked like it may be coming to an end. He later stepped up his contract row with the UFC by urinating outside the company's Performance Institute.
Who do you think Nate Diaz should fight in his final UFC fight? Let us know in the comments section below
The 37-year-old has since made fresh demands for an opponent with Chimaev calling out the star after his victory over Gilbert Burns. Diaz previously turned down a challenge from the Chechen star branding him a "rookie", but could be left with a lack of alternative options this year.
Former MMA star Dan Hardy believes Chimaev could inflict serious damage on Diaz if the pair agree to a cage meeting. “The most important thing about professional competition is that it’s safe, and it’s sanctioned, and the athletes are looked after," Hardy said on Full Reptile. "That often requires them getting matched appropriately.
“And often, like, if Nate Diaz gets Chimaev in his last fight, it almost feels like the UFC have ordered a hitman on him. Because it’s not a fair fight to give him because of who he is. He [Diaz] has got so much scar tissue.
"He’s a 155er that’s fighting a guy that’s somewhere between welterweight and middleweight. Like, it’s an assassination attempt. And what it will do is it will do physical damage to him, but it will also do brand damage to him.”
