Nate Diaz has expressed a distinct lack of interest in serving as a comeback opponent for former UFC double champion Conor McGregor, reportedly turning down the much-anticipated trilogy fight.
Diaz is set to make his return to mixed martial arts after a four-year absence, scheduled to face Mike Perry on May 16. This bout will take place at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, as part of an MVP and Netflix event featuring Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano.
Conor McGregor, meanwhile, has been out of active competition for nearly five years. The Irish superstar is also expected to stage his own highly anticipated return in July, coinciding with International Fight Week.
Previously, speculation mounted that McGregor’s return would finally bring about the rubber match between Diaz and “The Notorious,” aiming to break their 1-1 tie. However, the Stockton native currently shows no desire to revisit the rivalry with McGregor.
In a recent conversation with Theo Von, Diaz explained that a fight with McGregor will happen when the timing is mutually beneficial. He specifically stated he is not interested in being McGregor’s stepping stone for a return. Instead, Diaz prefers to face McGregor once the Irishman has shed his ring rust and broken his two-fight losing streak.
Diaz firmly stated, “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 someone’s dying out. I’m nobody’s comeback story.”
He further elaborated on the UFC’s attempts to match him with McGregor: “They [UFC] wanted me to come back and fight Conor McGregor, not [Charles] Oliveira. And they were like, okay, we want you to come back and maybe later we can do that. You know who is doing a good job, almost close to the same amount offer – Mike Perry, who’s the most violent mf. I’m more enthusiastic to get up and running and get ready to train for this mf who’s going to knock me out, or I’m gonna knock him out.”
