UFC President Dana White Has Reacted to Rumors of Nate Diaz’s Return… Don’t Get Too Excited Just Yet…
It’s been a busy couple of days for UFC President Dana White. He’s finally started promoting UFC 224, which takes place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil next weekend. The UFC boss came under fire for basically focusing efforts on promoting July’s UFC 226 event instead.
He’s also giving one-armed fighter Nick Newell a shot in his UFC Contender series. This is a big move for White because up until now he’s never been enthusiastic about signing one of the most inspirational figures in MMA. However, Newell will definitely bring dollars if he proves he’s good enough to fight in the UFC’s stacked lightweight division.
White has also finally given a reaction to rumors that Nate Diaz will be returning in August to fight in Los Angeles at UFC 227. Basically, don’t get too excited. While the UFC would love the Stockton fighter to come back, there’s nothing on paper yet.
Diaz Time
Nate Diaz hasn’t fought for the UFC since 2016 when he lost to Conor McGregor in a rematch at UFC 204. UFC fans have since voted it the greatest ever in the history of the company. Of course, Diaz’s star power was given a massive boost when he submitted McGregor earlier in the year, at UFC 198, stunning the world.
High-flying lightweight contender Kevin Lee has made no secret of the fact that he wants to have a shot at Diaz. The ‘Motown Phenom’ is one of the most exciting fighters in the division, and has just rebounded from a loss to Tony Ferguson to batter Edson Barboza.
Lee tweeted: “@danawhite @seanshelby if y’all really want @NateDiaz209 to fight you know who to come to.”
Not Yet
White has given his reaction to this call out. He’s basically warned fans not to get excited because neither Diaz brother has put pen to paper yet on a return, although negotiations have been going on for months. Kevin Iole reported:
“We offer him a fight every 3 or 4 months and have ever since his last fight. Nothing is going on.”
Of course, a fire doesn’t start without a spark, so there’s surely some truth in the rumors. A Los Angeles return would make sense for Diaz. He’d have almost three full months to prepare for his opponent and it would be in his home state.
Big Signing
However, there is exciting news for combat sports fans. Zuffa Boxing – the new boxing expansion promoted by White – look set to make their first high-profile signing. Mikey Garcia, the WBC lightweight champion is allegedly close to a deal with the organization.
This is big news for Zuffa and for Dana White who has made no secret of their desire to push out into the lucrative world of boxing. Garcia is highly promotable and very interested in fighting Vasyl Lomachenko, arguably the best boxer on planet Earth right now.
Exciting times are ahead for the UFC and Zuffa Boxing. With Conor McGregor expected to return at some point in 2018 and high-profile clashes like Stipe Miocic vs Daniel Cormier approaching, it’s set to be another big year.
