UFC's Nate Diaz Says He Wants to Fight Dustin Poirier Next, Then Retire
February 12, 2022
Mixed martial artist Nate Diaz told TMZ Sports that he wants to close out his career with a fight against Dustin Poirier.
"I would like to fight Dustin Poirier. Like now. Like I've been trying to. If there's any mix-up it's him, and them, and the game," Diaz said.
"I want the fight now. What's up Dana White? Let's get this retirement fight cracking so I can get out of this fight game. I'm done with it."
Diaz, who has one fight left on his UFC contract, is confident in his chances against Poirier, who is ranked as the UFC's No. 2 lightweight contender and No. 8 pound-for-pound fighter.
"He ain't doing s--t to me," Diaz told TMZ Sports during the Shaq's Fun House party in Los Angeles on Friday.
"I'll tell ya that much."
Diaz is 20-13 lifetime with 11 submissions and five knockouts.
Diaz has called out for a Poirier fight multiple times this year as he implores the UFC to make it happen.
Nathan Diaz @NateDiaz209<a href="https://twitter.com/ufc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ufc</a> stop playing wit me consider this my signature to fight this fucker I been trying to fight for a minute quit slowing down the real fight game it’s time <a href="https://t.co/6LTkbw9Fs0">pic.twitter.com/6LTkbw9Fs0</a>
Poirier also made it clear he'd be up for that bout.
"Of course we're interested [in that fight]," UFC president Dana White said about a possible Poirier-Diaz bout, per ESPN's Brett Okamoto.
"This is what we do. We make fights every weekend. What happens is guys just want to jump out of nowhere. 'I want to do this, I want to do that.' We have fights booked all the way to, I want to say May 2. Everything is in place. Everything is done. Obviously, Nate Diaz will get a fight."
Another Conor McGregor-Diaz battle could be on the table too, although that would depend on the former fighter's health after he shattered his left tibia and fibula in a UFC 264 matchup against Poirier.
"It could be [McGregor-Diaz], but it's going to depend—I think Conor is going to be back this summer, but I don't know if Conor will be back this summer," White said. "It's all going to depend on how Conor's leg heals and a million other things that could happen between now and summer. So, to speculate is stupid. I just stopped doing that."
The 36-year-old Diaz's fight resume includes wins over Conor McGregor, Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone and Anthony Pettis. His last fight resulted in a unanimous decision loss to Leon Edwards last June.
Poirier, who once held the UFC's interim lightweight title, is 28-7 lifetime with one no-contest. Fourteen of his wins have come by knockout, and seven have occurred via submission.
His most recent fight was a third-round submission loss in December to Charles Oliveira in a fight for the lightweight title.