Nate Diaz Says He Wants to Conquer Another Sport, Eventually Return to UFC

Nate Diaz said after Saturday's win over Tony Ferguson he wants to conquer another sport before returning to UFC, via ESPN's Ariel Helwani.

The 37-year-old explained his plans to Joe Rogan in the post-fight interview, via Damon Martin of MMA Fighting:

"I want to get out of the UFC for a minute and show all these UFC fighters how to take over and own up another sport how you're supposed to do it. Cause Conor McGregor didn't know how to do it. None of these other fighters know how to do it. So I'm going to go out there and I'm going take over another profession and become the best at that."

The win at UFC 279 was the first for Diaz since 2019, having lost to Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards in this span.

Diaz was initially supposed to face Khamzat Chimaev on Saturday, but the opponent missed weight and UFC was forced to reshuffle the card. The original match was considered "punishment" by Diaz, who admitted he didn't want the bout, via ESPN's Marc Raimondi.

"I've gotta just go in there and fight him for you real quick," Diaz said. "I'm unmotivated for that."

The veteran can now be released from his contract, providing a chance to potentially move into boxing.

Jake Paul indicated Diaz could be his next opponent in a tweet after Saturday's fight:

Paul is set to fight former MMA star Anderson Silva after already beating Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren.

Conor McGregor also attempted a transition to boxing but lost to Floyd Mayweather.

Diaz believes he can do better than the others in a new sport.