Daniel Cormier doesn’t mind Nate Diaz returning to the UFC at the Sphere but not as a headliner.
Diaz completed his UFC contract in September 2022 when he defeated Tony Ferguson. Even though he parted ways with the company, UFC CEO Dana White said the door is open for Diaz to return in the future. Diaz was most recently seen in action last September, when he lost a unanimous decision to Jake Paul in a boxing match.
Diaz (21-13 MMA, 16-11 UFC) took a dig at UFC 300 by expressing interest in returning at UFC 306, which will be the Noche UFC event Sept. 14 at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
I’ll be here fuck 300 pic.twitter.com/CEcskGli7F
— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) February 25, 2024
Cormier thinks there are better options to headline UFC 306 than Diaz.
“I like Nate Diaz, but I believe now it is the time for us to be honest with ourselves so that Nate can start to be honest with himself.” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “There are only a couple of people that he can headline a pay-per-view with right now, just because of where he is in his career. I think that’s Conor McGregor if they do the trilogy and possibly Jorge Masvidal. But we also have to be honest to ourselves in this regard: We are keeping these dudes, Masvidal and Diaz, relevant.
“Because when they say things everybody jumps on it, like I am doing right now myself. But does that pay-per-view, Noche UFC, look better to you with Nate as the main event? While the name value is exciting, Nate Diaz the fighter isn’t that guy anymore. … This isn’t the guy that beat Conor the first time. Nate has had moments. Against Leon Edwards, he had a moment. But outside of that, he got beat on the whole time. Last time he won a fight was against Tony Ferguson, and we know who Tony Ferguson is today.”
That doesn’t mean Cormier wouldn’t like to see him on the card. However, with Diaz’s star power, a headlining spot is likely what awaits him if he returns.
“Will I watch him on the pay-per-view card? Absolutely,” Cormier said. “… But to be the headliner, with all these great fighters that are deserving of that spot? I don’t think so. I don’t need to see that.”
Daniel Cormier not keen on Nate Diaz headlining UFC 306 at Sphere: ‘I don’t need to see that’
