One of the UFC’s Cult Heroes is Back in the USADA Testing Pool… Nate Diaz Submitted His First Drug Test of the Year Intensifying Speculation That He Could Fight Conor McGregor in a Trilogy Fight…
It’s been a very strange couple of years for Nate Diaz. The first man to beat Conor McGregor in the UFC, you’d imagine that he would have become a massive star in his own right. While he definitely has popularity within the promotion, he’s hardly got mainstream fame and hasn’t fought since dropping a tight decision loss in his rematch with the Irishman, back in 2016.
Now almost exactly three years later, it looks like Diaz might be on his way back. At the age of 34 and with a young child recently born, it’s definitely not surprising that he’s keeping his options open. Together, with his brother Nick, Nate is one of the most entertaining fighters on the roster because he just does not care.
The news that he has submitted his first test sample of the year to USADA has got many people excited. Is that trilogy fight with McGregor finally going to happen?
Tension
Diaz is known to have a tense relationship with the UFC. He’s felt undervalued since the McGregor fights and was arguably a victim of his own success by waiting too long for a trilogy fight and missing out on other lucrative battles. He was booked to fight Dustin Poirier last year, but that fell through. Now ‘The Diamond’ is an interim champion.
MMA is an unforgiving sport. The news that Diaz has submitted a test sample at least proves that he is keeping his options open. Today Donald Cerrone v Tony Ferguson was confirmed for the summer. Both of those men would have been ideal opponents for Conor McGregor. It’s fair to speculate that negotiations for a trilogy fight could at the very least be in motion.
Has to be Right
According to Diaz, the UFC also tried to book him against Tony Ferguson to fight in July. However, he was unimpressed by the terms they offered him. He’s been heavily involved in the medical cannabis industry of late and that’s how he’s been making his money. Diaz the International Business Times:
“They tried to give me the cold shoulder and hide me out and let me die off. But it’s all good because I’m not gonna die off. I’m still right here in the game. I’m still training harder than anybody. I still got people calling. The f*ckin’ cannabis industry is f*cking blowing money out of their mind over here.”
Dream Fight
McGregor’s head coach John Kavanagh has said in the past that he would love for his prize student to finish that trilogy. It’s the fight that excites the SBG guru more than any other. He told MMA Fighting back in 2018:
”For me, he (McGregor) had already lost to him (Diaz), it’s a bigger guy, Conor’s skill set is shutting people’s consciousness off and he’s impossible – a freaking Homer Simpson head, he just keeps moving forward. Conor’s bravery in the fight.”
I’ve seen Conor fight a lot of people that he’s able to walk through and that’s great, it’s fun and you raise a belt, but it doesn’t it doesn’t really excite me that much, not really. But that fight, if you’d been around him, by the time he’d got backstage we were watching that night, and then the next morning he was not off the phone until Lorenzo and Dana said that would be his next fight.”
