Dana White Dismisses Booking Nate Diaz Until He Is ‘Dying To Fight’

UFC president Dana White dismisses the thought of booking Nate Diaz until the Stockton native truly wants to compete.

It’s no secret that Diaz beats to his own drum. The UFC lightweight hasn’t competed since Aug. 2016 and was holding out for a trilogy bout with Conor McGregor. He ended up settling for a fight with Dustin Poirier, but “The Diamond” was forced to pull due to an injury.

ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reached out to White regarding Diaz’s status. White made it clear that he won’t force a fight on Diaz:

“I’m not interested in making a Diaz fight until Diaz is just absolutely dying to fight. When he’s ready to fight he’ll let us know.”

Diaz has said he’ll wait for the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s ruling on UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Many believe Tony Ferguson should be next in line for a shot at the 155-pound gold. Of course, one can’t rule out the possibility of Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor II. Nurmagomedov submitted McGregor in the main event of UFC 229 earlier this month.

Diaz has fallen in the UFC lightweight rankings to the ninth spot due to his inactivity. While Diaz could certainly return to a high-profile bout, he hasn’t made things easy for the UFC. White immediately laughed off the thought of Diaz taking a late replacement opponent for UFC 230. Time will tell if and when Diaz ever steps back inside the Octagon.