Is ex-UFC star Nate Diaz retired from MMA?

The fight was initially scheduled for June 1 at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California. However, the date clashed with two massive events: UFC 302 featuring the main event between Islam Makachev and Dustin Poirier, and the Queensbury vs Matchroom Boxing 5vs5 event; sensing a potential financial bloodbath in terms of Pay-Per-View buys, the organizers decided to shift the event to a later date. But fans must be curious to know, why didn’t the two UFC veterans run it back in the Octagon. Well, the answer lies in the status of Diaz’s business ties with Dana White’s UFC.

Nate Diaz’s contract with the UFC is over

Diaz’s contract with the UFC ran out in November 2022. He was one of the biggest stars of the UFC roster, bringing in a lot of revenue for the company with high-profile fights against Conor McGregor and Jorge Masvidal in recent years. Diaz began working with the multi-billion-dollar enterprise in the fifth season of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show in 2007. Nonetheless, he ended his association with the UFC on a high, with his last fight against Tony Ferguson ending in a fourth-round submission at UFC 279.

The UFC had an exclusive negotiating window with Diaz after the termination of his contract. But nothing concrete came out of it, with Diaz’s representatives immediately beginning “the process” of his free agency, and discussing future fights.

As a free agent, Diaz is currently pursuing lucrative fight offers outside the UFC. But whether the 39-year-old fighter will rejoin the company could be anybody’s guess. Or will Diaz ride off into the sunset after a couple of big-money boxing fights?

Nate Diaz wanted to return to UFC’s biggest event of the year

As a free agent, the Stockton native collected a big paycheck after squaring up against Jake Paul in the boxing ring last August. Although he lost to Paul on the judge’s scorecards, he still got a taste of what it was like to be a “motherf—er who can do whatever the f— he wants”. But since that fight, opportunities have been few and far between, and they weren’t interesting enough for Diaz.

Thus, he was looking for a way to come back and fight under the banner that made him a household name. “I wanted to [fight at [UFC 300], but I don’t think so,” Nate told popular Twitch streamer ‘Sneako’.

With his contract expired, and fighting for no specific banner, lining up prospective fights has become a laborious and difficult process. But the 39-year-old fighter is steadfast in his resolve and is determined to “find my own way.”

He is undoubtedly the biggest combat superstar in the free market, and after prolonged negotiations, he finally bagged a boxing fight deal with Masvidal. Until now, he is still able to find work without the UFC. But is there still hope for Diaz possibly making a return to the biggest MMA fight promotion?

Is Nate Diaz coming back to UFC? Dana White answers

The UFC head honcho remained cryptic about Diaz’s return to the Octagon. That being said, he did praise Diaz’s performance against Jake Paul, his first boxing fight as a free agent.

“For a kid pushing 40 years old fighting a guy four weight classes bigger than him in boxing and two in MMA and going the distance at his age against a 20-f*cking-something-year-old kid, so far, he’s fared the best,” White told reporters gathered at the UFC apex following the conclusion of DWCS (Dana White’s Contender Series) 57.

White was also very appreciative of Diaz’s contribution to the success of the company, but remained non-committal about his potential return. “This will always be Nate’s house. Nate grew up here. He came up on ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’ He fought some of the biggest fights ever here. We love the kid. I don’t know about fighting in the future, but this is always going to be his house. We’ll see,” Dana said.

Looking at Nate’s upcoming grudge match, it must be pointed out that this will not be the ‘GameBred’s’ debut in boxing after his contract with the UFC expired. The former BMF title holder went up against Joseph Benjamin in 2005 and secured a majority decision victory. The Diaz fight will be the second professional boxing match for Masvidal. With very little experience in the professional boxing circuit for both contenders, the fight seems very evenly matched.

Who do you think will win? Masvidal or Diaz? Let us know in the comment section below.