The UFC president, the man who is meant to promote his fighters, condemns one of the promotion’s top talents…AGAIN!
Among the few fighters considered popular with the masses in the UFC nowadays stands Nate Diaz. Albeit in a very strange position, and after unlikely circumstances, its hard to deny either Diaz brother’s notoriety and widespread reach.
After years of fighting stern competition, taking on all challengers, Nate Diaz finally got his break in 2016. Although he’d put in plenty of work for the promotion, the UFC had always seemed reluctant to promote Nate Diaz.
At UFC 196, they had little choice.
Diaz’s Arrival
When then-lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos pulled out of UFC 196, the promotion was left with little option for a replacement. Conor McGregor needed to fight on that card, and in stepped Nate Diaz on 11 days notice.
Even though he was victorious at UFC 196, Diaz still was not getting his props from the UFC. Having previously stated Nate was ‘not a needle mover,’ UFC president Damna White was made to eat his words when UFC 196 earned pay-per-view views of 1.5 million.
As Diaz rocketed to superstardom with his submission win over the Irishman, surely, we thought, the UFC would jump on the hype train.
Nope
After their thrilling UFC 202 rematch went to the judges and was awarded to McGregor, Diaz decided to take some time off. For months we heard little to nothing from the younger Diaz brother, until this past week.
Blasting the UFC, Dana White, McGregor, Tony Ferguson, Jose Aldo and Anderson Silva, Nate was back in full volume. Trying to make big money in the UFC is a tough gig, and Diaz has previously demanded $20 million or he won’t fight again.
Even with his huge following and clear PPV status, UFC president Dana White is reluctant to promote him:
Dana Trashes Diaz…Again
After stating he was unsure of Diaz’s future as a fighter, White went on to tell Yahoo! Sports that Diaz is still not a big enough draw for a new contract:
“Whatever his deal is, he’s got a pretty good deal. I mean, listen, at the end of the day, what is Diaz worth without Conor McGregor? I don’t know. The kid isn’t in a position for pay-per-view or any of that type of s—t. But this could put him in a position. If he fought Tony Ferguson, it would be for the interim title.
“Obviously, if you held the interim title, you would get a piece of the pay-per-view. Diaz has to put himself in a position to make the pay-per-view money.”
“It doesn’t change my life one way or another. People really like the Diaz brothers. When they get in there, they’re tough and gritty and they mix it up. They’re fun to watch and their interviews are fun, and funny. They’re popular guys. But at the end of the day, people are excited about guys who want to win world titles and they want to find out who [are] the best fighters in the world in each weight class. Those are the things that sell and those are the things that people are interested in.”
After Thoughts
Having beaten their biggest star, drawn two million-plus pay-per-views in a row, and proven himself as a legitimate star, Nate Diaz still gets devalued by the UFC. Just what is it about the younger Diaz brother that has Dana White and co. so reluctant to even budge?
Dana speaks the truth, and I’m a fan of the Diaz bros. Nate seems to think he’s leap-frogged the entire UFC roster and deserves GSP / Anderson Silva PPV money because he’s 1 – 1 with McGregor. Nate Diaz didn’t draw 1.5 million PPV buys by himself, Nate Diaz vs Conor McGregor drew 1.5 million PPV buys. Would that PPV had done 1.5 million if Nate Diaz was fighting someone besides McGregor? Would it have done 1.5 million if Conor McGregor wasn’t on the card at all? Hell no and hell no. McGregor moved the needle, not Diaz, but now Diaz is claiming he’s a needle-mover, and Dana is trying to offer him a way to become a certified needle-mover, and Diaz is pulling this “screw that, I deserve Anderson Silva money” bullcrap.
100%, Diaz knows that Conor is his meal ticket but with Conor gone for perhaps a while Diaz is scared to fight anyone and lose and, with that, lose all his stock and any chance for a Conor money rematch. So he sits and pouts and demands 20 million even though he’s not a champion and he loses to wrestlers all the time. Conor made Nate a millionaire and now he thinks he’s a star. No, he was available, took a risk, and won the lottery. But his Cinderella luck is about up. So he huffs and puffs and BS’s away.
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