Three-Year Absence
I plan on going back to the UFC… – Nate Diaz
Since his coming-out party on the Ultimate Fighter in 2007, Nate Diaz has been making UFC news headlines. He’s outspoken, unapologetically himself, and most importantly, a badass once that octagon door closes.
#NateDiaz just added #BelalMuhammad to his #UFC comeback hit list 👀
“I think I’d beat the s— out of Belal.”
His potential return now includes McGregor, Holloway, Topuria… and Belal. pic.twitter.com/cowZmtxA9L
— LockerRoom RAW (@LockerRoom_RAW) May 29, 2025
Sadly, for fans like ourselves, we haven’t seen the Stockton rude boy compete in the UFC since his 2022 guillotine choke win over a fellow legend in Tony Ferguson. Meaning that in four months, it’ll be three years since Diaz has fought on the big stage due to multiple side missions in the sport of boxing, where he lost to Jake Paul and most recently defeated Jorge Masvidal.
Aged 40, there’s no denying that we’re reaching the latter stage of Diaz’s fighting career.
However, UFC rumors have been sparked, and the man who’s entertained the masses for 15 straight years could be eyeing his octagon return!
NATE DIAZ pic.twitter.com/5jAMaOnmDi
— Chxps Sports Archive 📷 (@chxpsarchive) May 26, 2025
‘I’ll Fight Belal Muhammad’
Since becoming the first UFC fighter to defeat Conor McGregor via the legendary rear-naked choke in 2016, Diaz has been one of the most popular and polarizing characters in combat sports. So, when you realise he was traveling in Asia to shoot a TV show with Jon Jones recently, there should be no surprise.
That said, it was a shock to hear Diaz calling out a former champion, considering his call-outs have been radio silent during his boxing stint.
During the recent UFC 315 pay-per-view, Diaz was filming a video for his YouTube channel, and while watching Jack Della Maddalena beat the living daylights out of Belal Muhammad, the UFC legend said, “I’ll fight Belal’s ass.”
In typical Diaz talk, he also highlighted that he would ‘beat the sh*t’ out of Belal Muhammad.
Diaz Is Open to Fighting Topuria, Holloway, and McGregor
While the Stockton representative is clearly open to fighting Belal, the former welterweight champion isn’t the only name that’s left his mouth of late.
During a recent appearance on the HJR podcast, Diaz confirmed he’s planning to return to the octagon whilst also highlighting a few UFC fights he’d be interested in.
“I plan on going back to the UFC,” Diaz said. “If they have me, I would go back and f*cking whoop someone’s ass. I’m not fighting in there because there’s nobody to fight, really. It’s kind of slow rolling.”
“Whenever [McGregor] is back. Me and him have unfinished business.”
“It’s the most entertaining sh*t there is,” Diaz said regarding the BMF belt. “Those are the guys I want to fight, like Max Holloway. But besides that, I would also like to fight other guys. Ilia Topuria, he’s good, but he’s smaller than me.”
OTD: 8️⃣ YEARS AGO
Nate Diaz TAPS OUT Conor McGregor pic.twitter.com/deJZBibn6f
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) March 5, 2024
To no surprise, when it comes to Diaz’s opponent interests, he’s down to fight the best; Holloway, Belal, Topuria, and McGregor can all get it, but let’s be honest, we don’t care who the opponent is, we just want his UFC return, sooner rather than later!
