There was a time when Nate Diaz garnered all the cheers from the fighting community with his performance inside the Octagon. Known for his impeccable striking and grappling prowess, the Stockton native has fought and defeated legendary fighters like Conor McGregor and Tony Ferguson. However, Diaz bid farewell to the MMA cage back in 2022, after he submitted Ferguson with a guillotine hold. But he hadn’t given up on fighting altogether. He went on to fight Jorge Masvidal and Jake Paul inside the squared rings. And now, Diaz has left the fighting community with the wishful thought of his return. 

The Ultimate Fighter 5 winner recently weighed in on his return while talking to Full Violence. The reporter asked Diaz if there was any fighter who excited him in the present time. Diaz replied, “Nobody. That’s why I’m not in there right now. There’s no buzz. Nobody is doing s—. Nobody to fight. Everybody is wack. Every single body. Boxing and MMA.” However, there were two names that the Stockton native believed would be interesting to go up against.  

They are none other than the former middleweight champions Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya. Well, Diaz didn’t really call Pereira or Adesanya out for a bout. But a mention while talking about the fighters who excite him, was reason enough to put ‘Poatan’ and ‘The Last Stylebender’ on alert. The 39-year-old fighter said, “There’s f—ing ‘Poatan’ Alex Pereira. And it was Adesanya, too. I mean, he’s still there but he’s not doing much right now.” 

Diaz and Pereira had already excited the world back when the duo linked up in 2024. On the other hand, Adesanya had previously talked in defense of Diaz. The former 2-time middleweight champion believed that the UFC fed him to the wolves during his final fights. But he also claimed that Diaz’s popularity was high because of Conor McGregor. The duo have fought twice during their tenure in the UFC. And both fighters have one win each over the other. Maybe that was the reason why a trilogy fight against McGregor excited Diaz. Let’s take a look at what he had to previously say regarding his comeback.

Nate Diaz reveals one condition for his return

During a conversation with JNMEDIA back in 2024, Diaz weighed in on his return to the UFC. He said, “The thing that interests me in the UFC, would be just somebody who’s doing something good. There are not a lot of names in the UFC right now, but I feel like they’re coming. There’s nobody [that stands out for me]. They’re all whack. When somebody good is coming in and doing something, I’m coming back and f—ing them up.”

‘The Notorious’ was also the name that still excited Diaz. But while the fighting world speculated a trilogy fight between them in a bare-knuckle bout, Diaz was against it. It wasn’t like he disliked the idea of a trilogy fight against McGregor. He simply wanted it to be the whole package. He said, “I’d like him in a real fight because we got history there and we gotta finish what we gotta do and that’s a real fight.”

The Stockton native retired with a professional MMA record of 21-13-0. Even though he was considered one of the greatest fighters of his time, his age wouldn’t really allow him to compete any more. He is already 39 years old, and is nearing 40. Making a comeback now, would mean risking injury that Diaz might regret for the rest of his life. So as fans, we can let him enjoy his retirement. 

What are your thoughts on the Diaz’s words about Pereira and Adesanya? Do you think he should make one final show in the Octagon? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.