Roundtables
ROUNDTABLE: Will Nate Diaz fight in the UFC again after loss at UFC on Fox 13?
Dec 18, 2014 - 4:15:03 PM ROUNDTABLE: Will Nate Diaz fight in the UFC again after loss at UFC on Fox 13?

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Do you think Nate Diaz will fight in the UFC again? Why or why not?


RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

I can imagine Uncle Dana making Nate play out his entire contract, if just to spite him. But I can also see them giving Nate what he wants, unconditional release, as a side-effect of the class-action antitrust suit brought upon them by Cung Le and others. Part of the suit references the fact that UFC fighters can't just sit out their contract because the contract would freeze once a fighter refuses a fight (see Couture, Randy versus Emelianenko, Fedor). So, Dana's Hubris versus Risk Management? I'm putting my money on Dana's Hubris every time. Nate might retire, but if he fights again, it'll be in the UFC.


FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

No, I think they release him. They made their feelings about him known prior to his fight, and he didn't do anything during that fight to change their minds. I think Diaz has entered that territory of not being worth the hassle. I think the UFC releases him and Bellator picks him up. It might be what's best for him in the long run. It'll give him a chance to be the big fish in the small pond for a while, and maybe that motivates him.


BRAD WALKER, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

The Diaz brothers frustrate the hell out of me, they say they want more money and will leave UFC to find it, but no one is willing or able to pay them more than the UFC can. Nate is a great fighter but he is also a complete douche like his brother and I wouldn't be surprised to see them leverage each other against the UFC in future possible negotiations. Yes he will fight in the UFC again, but no he won't be an impact player when he does.


KALE HAVERVOLD, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I hope so. If he does, it will likely be vs. another striker as he is his best when in brawls. I'd love to see him matched up with someone else who likes a good brawl!


TOM STRONG, MMATORCH UK CONTRIBUTOR

I think it's a dead cert that we'll see Nate Diaz return to the UFC for another fight, he might bitch and whine about pay and anything else that goes through his head, but at the end of the day he needs the UFC as much as the UFC need him. Whatever Dana says about Nate Diaz, like his brother he's is a 'needle mover.' People tune in to see him fight as you never know what might happen, and like Saturday night you never know what's going to happen.

He obviously wasn't in shape against dos Anjos, and it showed in a one sided beat down. Still, he refused to quit, and kept going when many a fighter would've found a way out.


CASH NORMAN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I think Nate Diaz is frustrated and infuriated with the deal he received after his brother Nick Diaz and teammate Gilbert Melendez both successfully renegotiated substantially better contracts with the UFC. Diaz may feel undervalued and unappreciated by an organization that he's fought a substantial portion of his career. Diaz's recent statements, no showing open workouts, interview walkout, missing weight, as well as posting a lit joint on his instagram, are him basically giving the UFC the middle finger, and are all signs he may be fed up and ready to move on.

As far as will he fight in the UFC again, I believe he will. Despite what Dana White says about Nate Diaz not being a "needle mover" he understands the popularity of the Diaz brothers. Although Nate Diaz may not a big commercially viable star like Jon Jones or Ronda Rousey, he is a big name the UFC doesn't want to give away to Scott Coker at Bellator. The UFC has 50+ shows that will have to invariably have to be filled by well known fighters for FOX, Fox Sports, Fight Pass, and PPV shows.


DAN MOORE, MMATORCH UK COLUMNIST

No one should really care where he fights next, because as a talent, he's not even close to being elite anymore. Diaz has one thing going for him and that's his surname. Even then, the allure it brings has been largely cultivated by his brother, and not by him. Last week he did everything he could to muddy the waters, and almost anyone else would've received their marching orders by now. I half expected him to appear at the lawsuit press conference, just to round off his week of mayhem.

If I were the UFC, I'd take it on the chin and let him rot. He signed a multi-fight contract, and as we recently saw with Wanderlei Silva, if he doesn't honour it, he can't go anywhere else. Granted it doesn't set a positive example to other fighters, but the UFC are unique in the fact they will (for now) face no real consequence either way. Diaz in Bellator or WSOF won't harm the UFC at all, but on this occasion I'd be inclined to keep him on the roster.