UFC president Dana White hopes to get Nate Diaz back into the octagon this year after all of 2020 without a fight.
Diaz (20-12 MMA, 15-10 UFC), “The Ultimate Fighter 5” winner and one of the most notable names on the UFC roster, has been silent about his future plans for the past few months.
White said he also has no firm plans for the one-time UFC title challenger. Ideally, that will change sometime in 2021, but he’s not sure about Diaz’s unpredictable nature.
“I hope (he’s fighting this year),” said White during a recent ESPN + fan Q&A with Laura Sanko. “I hope so. I would love to see him fight. I am not counting on it, but I would love to see him fight.”
Diaz has not competed since losing the “BMF” title fight to Jorge Masvidal by doctor’s interruption TKO in November 2019 at UFC 244. Prior to that, he reached a unanimous decision to win Anthony Pettis in August 2019.
There were brief discussions of a Diaz rematch with Masvidal in late 2020 or early 2021, but the promotion seems to deviate from that idea.
White was asked if we could see Diaz return for an anticipated trilogy fight with rival Conor McGregor, who fights Dustin Poirier in the UFC 257 main event on January 23. It’s a matchup that both men ultimately expected, but White didn’t. I don’t promise much that it will unfold within the next 12 months.
“Probably not,” White said.