UFC No Longer Interested In Diaz vs. Chimaev

A few weeks ago it was revealed that Nate Diaz only had one more fight remaining on his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) contract. There was some chatter of trying to book the Stockton slugger against rising phenom Khamzat Chimaev, but it seems that is no longer the case.

That’s according to MMA insider Ariel Helwani, who reports on Substack (via MMA News), that the promotion is moving away from that potential bout for the time being, which means Diaz will be under contract a little while longer.

“Sounds like the UFC is moving on from Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nathan Diaz fight and, as a result, have extended Diaz’s contract,” Helwani said. “I think they knew that would happen and were hoping to buy time for when Conor McGregor is ready to return later this year.”

Helwani also reported that Diaz has not locked down a new deal just yet, and with the looming return of Conor McGregor in 2022, the pieces could be setting themselves up for a possible trilogy between the two in the new year.

Diaz himself shut down a fight against “rookie” Chimaev and has always been keen on properly closing the book on his rivalry with “Notorious” in the form of a third fight after they split their first two bouts.

Diaz was last seen losing a lopsided decision to Leon Edwards at UFC 263, his second straight defeat and third loss in the last four fights.

Despite his recent woes, the younger Diaz brother is still a needle mover and one of the biggest and most popular stars under UFC contract, which is why you can not expect the promotion to let him go so easily.