Nate Diaz, who shot to the top of the MMA world after his submission win over Conor McGregor at UFC 196, has not been seen since losing the rematch at UFC 202 last year. The younger Diaz brother has reportedly been looking for things to be “all the way right financially” (via MMA Fighting) before agreeing to a bout. That, of course, came after UFC President Dana White suggested Nate Diaz may never fight in the UFC again.
Well, in a new interview with Fight Source in advance of UFC 214 and Combate Clasico, it appears Diaz may have gotten the itch. On a potential return to the octagon, Diaz (19–11) said that “I’m sure sooner than later” would be the case.
“I’m just taking some time, taking the Summer off” he added, “but I’ll make some decisions next year, end of this year.” That could mean that a Diaz return could come early 2018, or perhaps by the UFC’s big year end show. It would be a huge boost for the promotion, which has struggled thus far in 2017, with the recent UFC 213 reportedly doing dismal numbers. Thanks to his two bouts with McGregor in 2016 and a ton of media exposure, Diaz remains a potentially big needle mover for the promotion.
Not that MMA is the only thing on his mind. When asked about the current boxing/MMA crossover talk (with Mayweather-McGregor on the horizon, and plenty of boxers and mixed martial artists calling each other out), Diaz said that “I think it’s all entertaining. Depends on what you’re looking for.”
‘If it was me, I would go and promote my boxing skills and show the world that I’m a boxer” he continued, “like I’ve been telling people the whole time.”
Diaz admitted, however, that he’s been focusing on the business side of things, so a boxing bout is unlikely. Fans, at least, can hope for an MMA return soon.
