UFC president Dana White has dismissed Nate Diaz's claim he is being held hostage in his contract battle.
Diaz has just one fight remaining on his deal and has frequently demanded to be released from his contract to pursue alternative options. Most recently, Diaz made an appearance on the MMA Hour, where he delivered an emotional rant about his situation.
During the interview, Diaz declared that he was being held hostage by the UFC after claiming to have requested five or six fights with UFC contenders. "My last fight was in June of 2021," he told Ariel Helwani.
"I've been working on it. I was trying, a month or two went by and I was ready to go. I've been trying to get this show on the road but they don't want me out of contract. They're keeping me in and holding me hostage, but I want out, that's my main objective here."
In response, White has continued to reiterate his own plans to get Diaz his final fight, but isn't certain about the potential date. “We can’t hold guys hostage,” White said during a post-fight press conference on Saturday night. “It’s not possible. I owe you three fights a year. If I don’t fight you three times a year, I have to pay you. How can I hold him hostage?
“What do you think my plans are? I’m going to get him a fight. I don’t know (when). We’ll see what happens. I have to get him three fights a year. I offer fights, and he either accepts them or turns them down. Obviously I’m not paying him, so I’ve offered him fights. “I mean, imagine having a f***** conversation like that. It’s like, come on. Nate Diaz vs. Francis Ngannou? What should I say? Just f****** stand there like, ‘Holy sh*t. This is crazy.”
Who would you like to see Nate Diaz fight in his final outing? Let us know in the comments section below!
Diaz quickly responded to White's latest comments on social media, tweeting: "Dana said Francis Ngannou was injured and couldn’t fight right now. I don't know why he was so confused in the interview. And in the last nine months I have been offered zero fights and I have asked for five legitimate opponents. Thanks for the kind words, can I go now?"
The Stockton native first verbally agreed to face Dustin Poirier on social media but a fight failed to materialise. He later entered negotiations with Vicente Luque, which also collapsed, seeing him miss out on an opportunity to fight Jake Paul in December.
Leaked match-ups later showed Diaz paired with rising contender Khamzat Chimaev for a fight this summer. However, despite Diaz confirming talks had been held, a fight was never booked. The UFC are understood to be most keen on a trilogy bout between Diaz and Conor McGregor, but the American star would rather be released than step in the Octagon with his former rival.
