Nate Diaz has finally given a clearer explanation for why a third fight with Conor McGregor did not happen. He was not interested in returning just to fight a version of McGregor that he did not see as the best version available.
Speaking about the UFC’s push for the fight, Diaz said:
“I go back to talk to them about it and they’re all ready for me to come back and fight Conor,” he said. “I’m like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa. Listen to what I’m talking about. I want to fight the best of the best when they’re the best of the best.”
That explains the split. Diaz was not chasing the trilogy just because the name still carries weight. He had already called for a McGregor trilogy before, but this time he made it clear the timing mattered as much as the matchup.
Instead, Diaz is moving ahead with an MMA return against Mike Perry on May 16 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California on the Most Valuable Promotions card headlined by Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano. The event will stream on Netflix, giving Diaz a high-profile return outside the UFC. The money tied to Diaz’s Netflix comeback has already become part of the conversation, which adds another layer to why this route made sense.
Diaz then got more specific about why McGregor was the wrong opponent right now.
“Conor is great but I’m not trying to go kill off Conor when he’s on his last dying f—— leg, literally. That’s f—– up. But, I’m not trying to be the ending to some f—— story like that… At the same time, I ain’t trying to get f—– up but by nobody who just got knocked out on his a–.
This guy is down and now he’s nothing but motivated to fight me because who else is he going to fight in there? They’re probably going to give him the BMF belt, f*cking b*tch ass Oliveira, who I believe I would beat the f*cking sh*t out of.”
The point was blunt. Diaz did not want to take the fight under those circumstances, and he also was not interested in stepping into a situation he saw as unstable on both sides.
Nate Diaz just revealed he turned down the Conor McGregor fight 😳
“I wanna fight the best of the best. I’m not trying to kill off Conor when he’s on his last dying leg.
At the same time, I’m not trying to get f*cked up by nobody who just got knocked out and broke his leg.” pic.twitter.com/lgjyAWL4FI
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) March 31, 2026
Nate Diaz says he wants the belt he created
Diaz also made it clear that his focus is not only on McGregor. He still sees unfinished business around the BMF title and the lane he believes he helped create.
“I believe they want me to come back and fight Conor McGregor not Oliveira. I’m like, well, I’m going to fight for my belt that I created, that I deserve since I started a whole division to bring value up to all these f—— fighters.
“Me and Conor will fight again when the time is right, but it’s going to be when we’re both on the uprise, not when somebody is dying or I’m nobody’s comeback story either,” Diaz said. “I’m fighting the most dangerous motherf*cker there is on Netflix, and then I’m hunting his boy (Jake Paul) who he works with at MVP. That’s what I’m doing right now. That’s my objective and that’s what I’m doing. I didn’t want to talk about it, but that’s what’s happening.”
That part of his argument is also simple. Diaz believes the UFC is leaning toward the biggest money fight, while he is still looking at legacy, leverage, and what he sees as the division he helped elevate.
Diaz has spoken before about how important McGregor was to his career, so this is not about pretending the trilogy has no value. It is about Diaz saying the version on the table was not the one he wanted.
For now, that means the McGregor trilogy waits again while Diaz takes a different road back into MMA through Netflix and a fight with Perry.
