UFC star Nate Diaz has been told not to leave the promotion unless he can box Jake Paul.
Diaz is currently on the last fight of his UFC contract but the promotion is struggling to book him against an opponent. The fan favourite has requested his release from the promotion and protested by ' urinating ' outside of their headquarters last week.
Once a former lightweight title challenger, Diaz hasn't fought in the UFC for almost a year but now-retired Michael Bisping thinks there are several fights to make for him in the promotion.
"Why does Diaz wants out of his contract so badly? Because he gets paid well, Bisping said on the ' Believe You Me ' podcast. "I understand there are other promotions. There's a Jake Paul fight perhaps. That's one big fight with Jake Paul. That's it.
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"In the UFC he's got Conor McGregor and pretty much anytime Diaz fights it's always a big fight. The man's a superstar. It's a spectacle. He's got numerous big fights in the UFC."
Despite a trilogy between Diaz and McGregor being on the table for several years, the Stockton native has said he would rather be released than fight McGregor for a third time because the Irishman "sucks".
"I been trying to fight everybody and no go, what’s the hold up UFC? I’m not fighting Conor he sucks," he wrote. "I’ll fight some one quit slow rolling me please, thanks," Diaz and McGregor fought twice in 2016 with both men holding a win over each other.
Diaz was linked to a fight with Dustin Poirier for several months, but the UFC has since moved on from the fight. Leaked matchups showed that Diaz was scheduled to face Khamzat Chimaev in July, a fight Dana White said isn't official but they were considering.
UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith says Diaz has at least five potential opponents that can make "barn-burner" events. He thinks Diaz would make more money from a rematch with Jorge Masvidal and trilogy fight with McGregor than he would against Paul.
"McGregor, Masvidal, Poirier. I can think of five barn-burner pay-per-view events [for Diaz]," Smith said. "In my opinion, with those fights, especially with Conor, if you add Conor and then four others and then you match those against what he would make in a Jake Paul fight, I think he makes more money in the UFC."
