Breaking: Nate Diaz Says He Will Not Be Fighting In 2017

By Muk

Nate Diaz has just confirmed the bad news that many fans have been speculating, and said that he will not return to the Octagon in 2017. Diaz broke this news to Ariel Helwani on his special live edition of "The MMA Hour" which began at 4pm, and this is heartbreaking news for fans all over the globe.

The Diaz brothers are two of the most popular fighters in all of MMA, and as things are looking now, we may not see either of them for quite some time. It has already been two and a half years since Nick Diaz has fought, and we are quickly approaching the one year mark for Nate Diaz's last fight, his five-round loss to Conor McGregor that took place at UFC 202. 

Diaz had stated that he would not fight anyone but Conor McGregor after their fight in 2016, but fans had hoped that he would break from that statement, especially once McGregor accepted the fight with Eddie Alvarez, and now with is anticipated boxing match with Floyd Mayweather. But it seems that for whatever reason, Nate Diaz is still going to stay sidelined. 

Nate Diaz has made more money in the last 18 months than he probably did in the previous 5 years, and he has certainly been enjoying the celebrity life that came following his first fight with Conor McGregor at UFC 196, so money is not something that is at the top of list of needs right now. 

To be frank, this sucks. Everyone wanted to see Nate Diaz vs. Tony Ferguson, for the Interim Belt, and the winner would be waiting for McGregor's return to the UFC. But that dream seems to have been squashed by Diaz's admission to Ariel Helwani today, and he may have forced the UFC's hand in trying to set up Ferguson vs. Khabib once again, even though there's a 95% chance Khabib doesn't even make it to the octagon on fight night. 

I'm upset, and I am praying that Nick Diaz will still fight at some point this year, maybe even for the belt this summer again Woodley, but things are not looking too bright for the fans of the two Stockton brothers.