Nate Diaz on fighting, the Nick Diaz Army and headlining MSG
Editor’s note: This interview was conducted in September, well before Nate Diaz vented his frustration about a drug test before UFC 244. He has been cleared to fight.
The only time Nate Diaz attended an event in Madison Square Garden, on Nov. 12, 2016, he had to be snuck in. It was for Conor McGregor‘s lightweight championship fight against Eddie Alvarez.
“They wouldn’t let me in, remember?” Diaz said to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani as the two recently had a sit-down in the arena. “I snuck in the back with some of the East Coast hooders that work in here. They got me in.”
Diaz said he and the UFC were “bumping heads” back then, so he wasn’t invited.
The UFC 244 main event will showcase two of the most rugged — and popular — fighters on the roster, with Jorge Masvidal facing Nate Diaz for the mythical BMF title. In the co-main event, Darren Till makes his middleweight debut against Kelvin Gastelum.
UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz
• Saturday, New York
• Early prelims: ESPN2/ESPN+, 6:15 p.m. ET
• Prelims: ESPN2, 8 p.m. ET
• Main card: ESPN+ PPV, 10 p.m. ET
How times have changed.
The next time Diaz attends a fight at MSG, he’ll be a guest of honor. His name and likeness will be splashed across the marquee and on posters, as Diaz will face Jorge Masvidal for what the UFC is marketing as a BMF title.
In the three years since McGregor scored a second-round TKO of Alvarez to add the lightweight belt to his featherweight title — becoming the first person to hold two UFC belts simultaneously — Diaz has fought exactly one time, winning a unanimous decision over Anthony Pettis on Aug. 17. Afterward, Diaz respectfully called out Masvidal, who was coming off two impressive knockout wins, including one over Ben Askren that took just five seconds, a UFC record.
Diaz’s performance against Pettis reenergized his large and loyal fan base, and the public reaction to his matchmaking idea persuaded UFC president Dana White to ultimately schedule the Masvidal bout.
As Diaz and Helwani toured the arena, conversation spanned from Diaz’s relationship with his brother Nick; how he went from feeling disrespected by the UFC to having a title invented for this fight; and why he doesn’t want his family attending his fights.