What is Going On in the Mind of Nathan Diaz? He Just Asked the UFC to Fire Him Instead of Khabib Nurmagamedov’s Teammate Zubaira Tukhagov…
It’s been two years since we’ve seen Nate Diaz in an octagon – a lifetime in the world of combat sports. Since then the gears have shifted and he’s seen his shot at a trilogy fight with Conor McGregor pushed back. He’s been waiting for the perfect opportunity to come back, and he thought he had it against Dustin Poirier at the upcoming UFC 230.
‘The Diamond’ was forced to withdraw with an undisclosed injury, and Nate has also been pulled from the cards. Sitting disconsolate on the sidelines, the younger Diaz appears to be reassessing his career options. He watched UFC 229 and has a simple message for the UFC.
He believes that the perfect solution for the promotion is to sack him instead of Zubaira Tukhagov – the teammate of Khabib who attacked Conor McGregor. Nope, we don’t get it either.
@danawhite please let kabobs dumbass friend stay in @ufc
Fire me it will be bettter this way.
I think it’s more fair that way …— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) October 11, 2018
Subtle Message
Both of the Diaz brothers have had a well-documented complex relationship with the UFC. Nate hasn’t fought since losing to Conor McGregor back in 2016, while his older brother Nick hasn’t appeared in a cage since 2015. They’ve both still got a loyal following. Nate called for a 165 lb title shot against Poirier (the division doesn’t exist – yet) but the UFC refused. His message could just be tongue in cheek, or it could even be a message of unhappiness. He wrote:
“@danawhite please let kabobs dumbass friend stay in @ufc. Fire me it will be better this way. I think it’s more fair that way.”
Make of that what you will.
Threat
Diaz is just adding to a headache created by Khabib yesterday when the Russian promised to quit the UFC if they sack his teammate. He’ll do it too. These Dagestanis have a different level of bro code. In a lengthy statement on Instagram, Khabib wrote about the hypocrisy of his friend’s treatment.
“Why didn’t you fire anyone when their team attacked the bus and injured a couple of people? They could have killed someone there, why no one says anything about insulting my homeland, religion, nation, family?”
“If you decide to fire him, you should know that you’ll lose me too. We never give up on our brothers in Russia and I will go to the end for my Brother. If you still decide to fire him, don’t forget to send me my broken contract, otherwise I’ll break it myself.”
Rivals
Make no mistake – the Diaz brothers and Khabib are rivals too. They were involved in a ‘brawl’ of sorts back at the World Series of Fighting 22 in 2015. You can see that footage above (Khabib is minus his famous facial hair). After Poirier dropped out, Diaz said he’d just want until Khabib is ready to fight.
While the Dagestani would be the overwhelming favorite, there are worse match-ups the UFC could make. PPVs would be high, while their history with Conor McGregor would make the path going forward interesting for both men.
