Nate Diaz isn’t ready to hang up his gloves just yet. The fan-favorite fighter, boasting a 21-13 MMA record (16-11 in the UFC), is eyeing a return to the Octagon for one final shot at UFC gold. Diaz stepped away from the promotion back in September 2022 after submitting Tony Ferguson at UFC 279, eager to explore new challenges outside the Las Vegas-based organization he’d called home for nearly 15 years.
Since then, Diaz dipped his toes into the boxing world with mixed outcomes. He dropped a unanimous decision to YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in August 2023 but bounced back with a majority decision win over fellow UFC alum Jorge Masvidal in July 2024. Now, the Stockton native is hungry to return to the UFC, feeling his legacy there remains unfinished—and underappreciated.
“The legacy – I don’t think about it as done,” Diaz said in a video posted to the Full Violence YouTube channel. “… I think it’s underrated, and I think there’s like fcking – I think I left more of an impact than a lot of these fcking, anybody has, really. I mean, Conor (McGregor) has in a way, and then you get like, my brother did – but all that sht gets forgotten about too. It can go away because you ain’t getting credit to begin with anyway. You might as well keep that sht going forever. That’s why I plan on fighting forever.”
Diaz has been a beloved figure in MMA since his breakout on Season 5 of The Ultimate Fighter in 2007. Alongside his brother Nick, he carved out a unique niche with his relentless fighting style and unapologetic persona, building a cult following that made every Diaz fight a must-watch event—win or lose. It’s that electric energy he believes he can bring back to a UFC roster he sees as sorely lacking in star power.
“Well, everybody’s boring right now, so I’m trying to do other sht for the moment,” Diaz said. “But like, I want to go back and get a UFC title. I don’t want to fight for nothing, you know? I want to fight for something. … It’s about buzz and who’s poppin’ and who’s doing something. Right now, there’s nobody doing sht in the UFC.”
If the UFC comes calling, Diaz has his sights set on welterweight, though he’s less certain about who’d step up to face him. “Nobody,” he admitted. “That’s why I’m not in there right now, you know what I’m saying? I’m watching. I’m hoping for something. … There’s no buzz, nobody’s doing sh*t. There’s nobody to fight, everybody is wack. Every single body in boxing and MMA.”
At 39, Diaz still sees himself as a force to be reckoned with, ready to shake up a stagnant fight game and chase the title that’s eluded him. Whether the UFC agrees and offers him that shot remains to be seen—but if there’s one thing Nate Diaz has never lacked, it’s the ability to keep fans talking.
