Fighting superstar Nate Diaz only has one fight left on his UFC contract and an analyst believes Diaz will fight it out to become a free agent. Then he’ll box in a blockbuster PPV event.
Diaz last fought in June 2021, a unanimous decision loss to Leon Edwards, and he’s been aggressively searching the past few weeks for his next fight via social media. Specifically, he’s challenge top-ranked welterweight Vicente Luque and ex-UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson.
On Saturday, UFC president Dana White confirmed Diaz only has one fight left with the promotion and that they’re currently working on getting Diaz a match.
And former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson, who now works as an analyst for Bellator, thinks Diaz is planning a major move to line himself up for a big boxing bout.
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Thomson Thinks Diaz Plans to Box Jake Paul
GettyJake Paul & Nate Diaz
During the October 25, 2021, episode of Thomson’s “Weighing In” podcast, Thomson said that he believes Diaz plans to leave the UFC after his contract is over. And what will he do? Well, Thomson said he thinks Diaz wants to box Jake Paul.
The social media sensation is one of the biggest names in combat sports right now and has wins over two former MMA champions, ex-UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and former Bellator and ONE welterweight champion Ben Askren.
“He’s leaving the UFC, he’s fighting Jake Paul,” Thomson said via Mirror. “Just stop, ok. This is his last fight, he’s not fighting in the UFC anymore. He’s gonna leave and he’s gonna fight Jake Paul.”
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Thomson Thinks Conor McGregor Is No Longer a Big Enough Draw for Diaz
Thomson then said that he doesn’t think Diaz is interested in pursuing the rubber match with Conor McGregor any time soon. McGregor and Diaz are 1-1 in the UFC, fighting twice in 2016. A trilogy match has been a major talking point for both of their careers since “Notorious” edged the scorecards in their second fight.
However, McGregor is currently on an 0-2 skid courtesy of Dustin Poirier. And the last fight, which happened in July 2021, left McGregor with a broken leg. According to Thomson, Notorious’ stock is way down among MMA fans, further giving Diaz a reason to hit the road.
“He’s just trying to get a fight to get out the door, he’s done with MMA. He knows that fight is gonna make him double then he’d make [against McGregor]. Conor’s not that draw anymore that he once was. Conor can’t get out of his contract, he’s on an eight or ten fight deal I believe. So he’s stuck with the UFC forever.
“Speaking from a Nate point of view, I think Nate’s gonna leave and end up fighting Jake Paul in boxing.”
Thomson is the only fighter to have finished Diaz via strikes. They fought inside the Octagon in 2013 and Thomson won by second-round TKO.
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Analyst Says Nate Diaz Is Planning Blockbuster Boxing Fight