via Getty
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES SEPTEMBER 8, 2019: Dana White, president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, at a news conference following a title unification bout between UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier at the UFC 242 mixed martial arts tournament. Valery Sharifulin/TASS (Photo by Valery SharifulinTASS via Getty Images)
via Getty
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES SEPTEMBER 8, 2019: Dana White, president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, at a news conference following a title unification bout between UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier at the UFC 242 mixed martial arts tournament. Valery Sharifulin/TASS (Photo by Valery SharifulinTASS via Getty Images)
Fans have been worried about UFC star Nate Diaz fighting Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 279. After all, Chimaev has remained undefeated while Diaz is coming off two losses. However, as per UFC President Dana White, the older athlete wanted to fight Chimaev.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
In a recent press conference, White said, “Ya, I care about Nate a lot. I like Nate and Nate came in here before … long before that fight was ever made. And we were talking about it being his last fight and you know, I said ‘listen, kid, you think about the worst that Nate Diaz has put on and the incredible fights and the big fights that he’s done with us, go do whatever you want to do man’.”
“But getting a fight done with him isn’t as easy as it seems. He was like, ‘why don’t you make a fight?’… Well, he asked for Francis Ngannou, you know. And I can go on forever, but … we got it done. That’s the fight he wanted. We made it and here we are.”
via Getty
LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 05: Nate Diaz reacts to his victory over Conor McGregor of Ireland in their welterweight bout during the UFC 196 event inside MGM Grand Garden Arena on March 5, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Josh Hedges/ via Getty Images)
“And it’s a good fight. It’s a fight that people want to see.”
While many fans wanted to see Diaz and Conor McGregor‘s trilogy fight, it won’t be a possibility, as Diaz’s fight against Chimaev will be his last bout with the promotion.
It would be interesting to see what ‘The Stockton Slugger’ does after his last UFC fight.
Dana White talks about the Nate Diaz-Conor McGregor trilogy
In the same press conference, White was asked about how close he was to making the Diaz-McGregor trilogy fight. It turns out, the contest wasn’t really in the discussions; mainly because ‘The Notorious’ is not yet ready to fight after sustaining a broken leg at UFC 264.
via Getty
LAS VEGAS, NV – AUGUST 20: (R-L) Conor McGregor of Ireland punches Nate Diaz in their welterweight bout during the UFC 202 event at T-Mobile Arena on August 20, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
However, Diaz did not want to wait for him to get back. White has no regrets about not making a third fight between both the fighters, as he believes the first two fights (UFC 196, UFC 202) were awesome.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
READ MORE- Who Does Nate Diaz Train With and Where is His Training Camp?
Post the Chimaev bout, fans might see Diaz in the boxing ring. When he shared a video of Jake Paul knocking out Tyron Woodley, many were excited that Diaz might switch over to boxing.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
What do you think about Diaz fighting ‘Borz’? Let us know in the comments below.
Watch this story: UFC London Highlights
