UFC's Dana White Talks Conor McGregor, Jorge Masvidal as Nate Diaz's Next Fight
August 18, 2019
UFC President Dana White has discussed the possibility of Nate Diaz facing Jorge Masvidal or a rematch with Conor McGregor in his next fight.
White spoke to ESPN's Brett Okamoto after Diaz beat Anthony Pettis via unanimous decision at UFC 241 on Saturday:
On a potential fight with Masvidal, White said: "Who isn't interested in that fight? I mean, that's a very interesting fight."
Okamoto also asked White if he thought the fight had any impact on McGregor: "I haven't actually looked at my phone yet, so I don't know if it's had any [impact], but if it did, there's something on my phone."
Asked if he had to guess whether he had a message from McGregor and what the Irishman would think, he replied: "I'd say yes."
Diaz made his first UFC appearance in three years Saturday having taken a hiatus after two fights with McGregor in 2016.
The American won the first via a rear-naked choke in the second round, but McGregor picked up a majority-decision win in their rematch.
The Athletic's Ben Fowlkes is hoping to see a third fight between the two:
McGregor has not fought since his defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov in October last year, which was only his second UFC outing since beating Diaz. He also faced Eddie Alvarez in 2016 and won the lightweight title in the process.
In March, McGregor announced his retirement from MMA, though White expressed confidence the Irishman would step into the Octagon again.
As for Masvidal, Diaz called him out after beating Pettis (warning: contains profanity):
As The Athletic's Shaheen Al-Shatti observed, a clash between Diaz and Masvidal would hold major appeal:
Masvidal, 34-13, is riding the crest of a wave after back-to-back wins over Darren Till and Ben Askren. The latter was the fastest knockout in UFC history as Masvidal ended the fight with a flying knee after just five seconds.
McGregor is perhaps the biggest box office draw in the UFC, though, and a decisive third fight with Diaz would be enormous.