NEW YORK – If Nate Diaz never fights again after UFC 244, he’ll be financially set.
That said, while the media obligations, bright lights, and mental and physical tolls aren’t his favorite things, Diaz told reporters at UFC 244 media day Thursday that he can’t live without fighting either.
“I’ll never have to fight again (after UFC 244),” Diaz said. “I didn’t have to fight a long time ago. But what am I going to do? I’ve got all kinds of other stuff going on, but … I don’t like not fighting.”
Diaz is stuck between a rock and a hard place, which he’s passionate about – a love-hate relationship of sorts. He’s presumably made a solid chunk of change during his 28 UFC appearances, which included back-to-back big-money fights with Conor McGregor.
Diaz (20-11 MMA, 18-10 UFC) is on the verge of another large payday Saturday night, when he takes on Jorge Masvidal (34-13 MMA, 13-7 UFC) for the “BMF” title at Madison Square Garden.
The X-factor for taking fights post-Masvidal is promotability. Will an opponent step up and prove himself as a second ‘BMF’ foil for Diaz? Time will only tell, but Diaz isn’t ruling out UFC 244 being his last fight.
“I’ll take forever off, or I’ll get back to it if anybody comes correct,” Diaz said. “The only reason we’ve had problems in the past is because you better treat me like it’s supposed to be. I’ve been in this game forever doing my thing regardless of outcome. I’m coming back my next fight stronger, better anyways.”
Conflicted when he talked about his fighting future, Diaz believes both sides of the coin are unhealthy. He needs fighting, in a sense. But it also weighs heavy on him.
“I think (fighting) is the best thing for me,” Diaz said. “It’s weird because it’s self-destructive fighting, and it’s self-destructive not fighting. Kill or be killed. Like I said before, it’d kill him with it, it’d kill him without it. I don’t want to do this (expletive) at all, but sitting back watching somebody else do it is not comfortable for me.”
If any rising fighters out there are trying to boost their popularity to become a formidable opponent, Diaz has some advice for them. They should follow his blueprint if they want big money and big fights to come their way.
“I put out the blueprint for money-making the whole time, and these guys out there are chasing a belt still,” Diaz said. “Like they want to do (that). I pay attention with what’s going on.
“When I was fighting every couple months for so many years, I only focused and paid attention to be the best fighter in the world. Train, train, train. I never had a second to sit back and think about other stuff. So the second I took three years off or so, then everything started coming together. Then my marital arts started coming together better.”
You can watch Diaz’s entire media day scrum in the video below:
Conflicted Nate Diaz says UFC 244 could be final fight – but that could be 'self-destructive'
