MMA
After three years out of the octagon, the fan-favorite Nate Diaz is set to return to the UFC action in a welterweight bout against Anthony Pettis on August 18.
Nate had not fought since his rematch loss to Conor McGregor in August 2016 but denied the rumors that he had been waiting for the trilogy fight.
‘I was not waiting for him for a second. I have outdone the whole game. I’m the top two fighters in whole game right now – three [with] Jon Jones.
‘Three, you know what I’m saying, and that’s not fighting for three years. I don’t need to fight. I sneeze louder than everyone hears about it. But it’s like, ‘Hold up you guys want me to sit out and vanish?’ that’s what everyone wants.’
‘I’m like, “You guys pay me way too much to be sitting here, playing a stupid f****** game doing what you guys want me to do, so I’m going to step it out.
Diaz said.
The younger brother of Nick Diaz also replied to Dana White's claim that he had been turning down the fights and said, "You’re going to offer me prelim fighters and be like, “He turned this down”, and it’s like you guys are using that against me now."
Diaz explained that his absence was just because UFC offered the low-level fights.
"Then two years flew by, and the whole time I’m sitting there like, “When is somebody going to step their stupid (expletive) up and start calling for a fight because that’s what I did."
"I’m like, “You’re the guy getting all the love and all the s*** that I worked hard for, and they’re just handing it over and promoting it, and I put work in, and if you’re not sitting there thinking this guy is getting what you worked for, you’re not working hard enough”.
Diaz continued.
‘I think the part of not fighting, the fight wasn’t with the fighters no more, they’re not on my level. The fight was with the whole organization, the whole thing. I’m like, I’m losing this fight if I’m just going to sit here and die off in this little town.’
