Nate Diaz’s game of hardball shows no signs of stopping.
The number five ranked lightweight in the UFC has continued to hold out for more money during negotiations with the UFC for his much publicised rematch with Conor McGregor.
UFC president Dana White revealed that Diaz is being so difficult that the promotion may not get the fight over the line.
White, who met with both fighters a fortnight ago, claimed that the Stockton fighter’s stubbornness is proving a real sticking point in the process despite the eagerness of McGregor to get the bout agreement signed.
“We went to dinner here in L.A. two weeks ago, had a great meeting. He’s obsessed with this Nate Diaz fight. I don’t know if I can get it done,” White said on The Herd.
“I’ve been working on it.”
Diaz vs. McGregor II was initially slated to headline next month’s UFC 200 card but the bout was scrapped following McGregor’s refusal to fulfil certain media obligations.
And with the struggles that the UFC is having in rescheduling the rematch, White has conceded that he has been forced to look at alternative opponents for ‘The Notorious’.
“It’s just madness,” White continued. “It’s just been tough. It’s been a tough go-through, so we’re looking at another fight for Conor right now and we’ll see how this thing comes together. But Conor is just so obsessed with Diaz at 170 lbs, it’s been crazy.”
Diaz became the first man to beat McGregor in the UFC when he upset the odds with a second-round submission victory at UFC 196 in March and White believes that the significance of holding a win over a cash-cow as valuable as the Irishman is a major part of what has made Diaz suddenly so difficult to negotiate with.
“The reality is that since that Conor McGregor fight — obviously when you win a fight of that magnitude, it has definitely rubbed off on Nate,” White said. “People do want to see Nate fight. People do want to see this fight again, and I’m one of those guys who, I want to make the fight that people want to see, and I believe people do want to see this fight.
“But, people do want to see Conor McGregor vs. Frankie Edgar or Jose Aldo again too. I’m sure they would want to see him fight Rafael dos Anjos at 155 lbs for that title, so there’s a lot of fights out there for Conor, if we can’t get this Nate fight done.”
