Nate Diaz was possibly working towards a return to the UFC before he signed a deal to fight for Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions as part of the upcoming Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano card on May 16.
That’s according to UFC CEO Dana White, who reacted to the news that Diaz signed with MVP to face Mike Perry on the highly anticipated card that’s airing live on Netflix. While Diaz hinted at a potential return to the UFC for several weeks, especially during the promotion of the “BMF” title fight between
Max Holloway and Charles Oliveria, he ultimately opted to go with MVP, where he’s facing Perry on the main card.
While it was an unexpected announcement, White didn’t sound too surprised, especially if Diaz is getting the chance to cash a huge payday for the fight.
“He came in and met with me a couple weeks ago,” White said about Diaz during the UFC London post-fight press conference. “We had a good time. I think Nate just got an offer he couldn’t refuse. I haven’t talked to him since then. But I’m happy for him.”
Diaz hasn’t addressed his decision to sign with MVP publicly or how much he’s being paid, but the fight is happening in California, and the salaries for the event should be released by the state athletic commission. Perry has already stated publicly it’s the biggest payday of his career.
There were rumors swirling for weeks that perhaps Diaz was going to be a candidate to welcome Conor McGregor back to the octagon so they could settle a trilogy after they split a pair of fights in 2016. Obviously, that didn’t happen, and now Diaz is preparing to throw down against Perry instead.
The matchup serves as Diaz’s first MMA fight since 2022 and the first for Perry since he left the UFC in 2021.
As far as Diaz possibly returning to the UFC after the clashes with Perry in May, White remained non-committal about the future and working with him again.
“I don’t know,” White said. “Let him do his thing, and we’ll see how the fight plays out. We’ll see what happens.”
