Last Wednesday, UFC lightweight contender Nate Diaz (17-9) sent out a tweet requesting his release from the UFC, wondering if “It’s time for me to be on my way..?”
@ufc @danawhite I would like to request to be released from the @ufc Its time for me to be on my way .. ?
— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) February 26, 2014
There was no comment from the UFC brass and that sent many different media outlets speculating about Diaz’s tweet.
Journalists and fans alike were unsure what to think, or the reasoning behind his tweets and the story behind the rumored fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov.
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I talked with Diaz — who is currently ranked #5 in the UFC’s lightweight division — and he set the record straight.
Kano: It was reported that you turned down a fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov. I saw you say on Twitter you didn’t turn it down, what happened?
Diaz: That’s bullshit. They offered me Khabib and I was fine with that, but asked if I could renegotiate my contract. Next thing you know, I see on Twitter they say I turned it down. I didn’t turn down shit.
Kano: So what happened?
Diaz: To be honest with you, I never turned down any fight and I’ve had repeated turndowns to fight me. I got a whole list of names that turned down fights with me. Hit me up we’ll talk about it. Imma blow up all those mother**** since the UFC thought they’d blow me up.
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Diaz has fought 19 times in the UFC since joining the promotion in 2007 after winning The Ultimate Fighter 5 (22 fights including TUF.) Compare that to former UFC welterweight champion George St. Pierre’s 21 fights in the UFC since 2004, and you can see Diaz has fought when his number has been called.
One of the most exciting fighters to watch in mixed martial arts, Diaz is dangerous on his feet or the ground, with four of his wins coming by way of knockout and submitting 11 of his opponents. A fan favorite, Diaz goes into every fight to finish, and doesn’t look to win by points.
To be continued…
David Kano is lead writer for MMA Show News and co-host of The Hollywood MMA Show. You can follow him on Twitter @TheDKano.
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