Nate Diaz is an American mixed martial artist known for his relentless fighting style, elite Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills, and outspoken personality. Those qualities helped make him one of the most popular fan favorites the sport has ever seen. The sport has a shortage of stars, and that’s exactly why a Diaz return could move the culture.
The icon and former UFC superstar had a slow rise to fame. As the UFC’s promotion was on the rise and striving for mainstream attention, Diaz had his own prerogative. He didn’t care about having a good public persona or about being a “company man”. He made this apparent with his cursing, lack of care for the media, and just his overall casual nature and approach to the spotlight. With all that being said, Diaz grew a giant fan base, known as the “Nick Diaz Army,” with his supporters appreciating him for being his authentic self.
Diaz had built notoriety through his big brother, Nick Diaz. Nick had quickly grown to fame with his performances in the UFC, Pride, and Strikeforce. Nate then stepped out of the shadow of Nick with his participation on season five of the “Ultimate Fighter.” Most though point to UFC 196 as his turning point.
UFC 196 would pit Diaz against the UFC’s golden boy, the “Notorious” Conor McGregor. Unlike Diaz, McGregor was everything that Diaz wasn’t: articulate and witty. While Diaz didn’t care for the extracurricular obligations that came with the company, McGregor took them and carried them on his back. The fight took place, and Diaz choked out McGregor in the second round. Everything then changed, and Diaz had gotten the rub.
Since then, he has become a global superstar. Diaz was able to segue his career into boxing matches with Jorge Masvidal and, more notably, Jake Paul. This helped Diaz obtain a level of financial freedom. This hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from staying active.
UFC president Dana White was asked about the possible return and said, “This will always be Nate’s house”. Diaz has spoken openly about wanting to come back and has name-dropped McGregor, Poirier, and Mike Perry as possible opponents. Well, McGregor hasn’t fought in years, Poirier is retired, and Perry is under contract with Bare Knuckle FC.
There are too many reasons for Diaz not to make a return. Between the money, legacy fights, fan demand, and unfinished rivalries, all signs point to a return. I think it’ll just take the right fight and contract to come together. I think the most important factor in all of this is his positive relationship with the promotion. He left once at the end of his contract, had his side quests, and now he’s ready to come back.
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