Nate Diaz said he will return to UFC competition in this year but he claims he is ready to return against UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley on July 7 at UFC 226 fight in Las Vegas.
Diaz has not fought since losing to Conor McGregor in 2016, and his trainer wants to ensure the 32-year-old is physically and mentally ready to make his long-awaited comeback.
“I’m getting to the point where I’m sick of not fighting. I’m not getting any younger,” Diaz said two weeks ago.
“I put that tweet out saying I wanted to fight in May or June, but I didn’t say who because I evaluated my options. And now, Woodley is my best option.
“I see him on TMZ every week, talking about me. It’s not really my weight class, but I’m with it. I think it’s my title we’re fighting for. If he’s the one calling me out, whose title are we fighting for? Who’s the real champion here?” Diaz added.
In last November, Woodley continues to call out Diaz for a fight. According to him, he had already accepted the fight and that Diaz needs to sign the contract in order to make the fight happen.
And then UFC was interested in hosting a Woodley-Diaz fight for UFC 219 last December, but after a failure in the negotiations, Woodley decided to undergo a shoulder surgery that he was already delaying and still recovering.
But on the other hand, Woodley claimed that his fight with Diaz was never offered by UFC president Dana White.
“Delusional Dana constantly demotes me as a fighter when the job is to promote his fighters, especially champions.” Woodley said.
“Why would I get in camp, and why would Nate give a 15 million dollar purse request if there was no fight? It’s obvious they haven’t found their blockbuster headliner yet. This was a reality, and they know it.” the 35-year-old MMA added.
Conor McGregor punches Nate Diaz. (Source:www.rollingstone.com)
A fight between Woodley and Diaz may also spark controversy. Diaz usually fights in lightweights, but his fights against McGregor were his only two welterweight shots in seven years.
Diaz appeared to bet on a third fight against McGregor, thanks to which he could have received a lucrative purse, but there is no indication that McGregor will return to the octagon.
