NEW YORK – Nate Diaz has options. The options just don't have Nate Diaz (yet).
That's according to Diaz, who gave his first public update in a while to MMA Junkie at the Ki MMA launch event Monday, where he responded to several pitches about what potential next moves could be.
Would Diaz fight for Ki MMA?
Diaz, who was one of the featured luminaries in attendance for Scott Coker's new promotion announcement, acknowledged a few potential next moves. While no singular opponent seemed to be overly intriguing, the prospect of fighting MMA in a ring was a bit more exciting for the MMA legend.
"One-hundred percent, especially if there's a ring involved," Diaz said. "I'm going to be fighting everywhere for a cool minute. ... I like to have the options of fighting in a ring or a cage.
The ring's different. People don't even know. You can cut people off in the corners of the ring, which you can't do in MMA. They run in circles from you. There's ways to use the ring to your advantage and there are disadvantages and all that. I'll take down a D1 top-of-the-line wrestler in this b*tch easy. In the cage, there's no chance. There's too much energy to even go through with that idea. Different sh*t happens in these things. It's almost a different sport, but same sport. I like that we'll have the option to show people what's up in here.
Is Mike Perry an option despite the recent outcome at the Duel Arena event?
Diaz, 41, most recently competed at MVP MMA in May, when he lost to Mike Perry by corner stoppage between Round 2 and Round 3. Since, Diaz has expressed interest in getting that one back. However, Perry just suffered a setback of his own when he injured his arm and was TKOed by Brandon Jenkins at a Duel Arena event in September.
"Our times are on different paths right now," Diaz said. "Different sh*t might happen. I'm open ears to see what different people might offer and what's popping right now. I was anxious to get back in and whoop his ass real quick. Things changed a little bit, but we'll see what happens with time. I'll beat his ass at some point."
MVP? Sure. Jake Paul? Sure. PFL? Emphatic no.
MVP and PFL recently announced a merger, which seems like more of a branding switch. PFL seems like it will operate similarly, just under the MVP name. With Jake Paul's connections and audience, the move could open up the door for more high-profile shows.
Even though they are now one, and PFL will officially switch its name over to MVP at the end of the year, Diaz sounded like he will only fight under one of their banners.
"I'm going to fight (Jake Paul), too," Diaz said. "I hope they change the name. I don't want to fight in anything called PFL. (MVP) sounds better than PFL. Think about it. Would you fight or like that? PFL? What does PFL even mean? OK, well, would you want to be the PFL champion if you're just some random guy off the street? PFL? Professional Fighter's League champion?"
Dillon Danis? An even more emphatic no.
Perry was initially scheduled to fight Dillon Danis on the Duel Arena event. Like many other scheduled Danis fights, however, it never happened. Diaz doesn't predict he'll sign up for the matchup any time soon, as Danis sounds his "wolf ticket" alarm.
"That's what killed it all? Why are you fighting that guy? He's f*cking, not a fighter. He's a f*cking p*ssy b*tch. People keep falling for this. I'm like, 'Anybody who wants to fight him, beat his ass in a bathroom somewhere.' You don't have to fight that guy. He's f*cking not an eligible opponent. It's embarassing that he's even trying to fight people. He's scared. He cut himself open just not to fight. That's crazy to me."
The road forward – regardless of where it is
One way or another, Diaz hopes turning the calendar on the new year will mean an active schedule. Having only fought (in any discipline) once since mid-2024, Diaz plans to crank up the in-cage (or in-ring) appearances a notch in 2027.
"I'm tying to come off and see," Diaz said. "No one is that impressive right now. There are impressive people out there for sure, but nothing's that impressive at the moment. I'm going to stay January minimum, before halfway through the year, I'd like to fight next year. I'm trying to get active, at least two fights next year. I'm trying to get some sh*t done and whoop some motherf*cking ass."
"... The way I think about it is I already did the quantity. I'm talking about quality fights, not quantity. I'm talking about the best fights, a good fight, things people want to see, or I would want to see if I was on the outside perspective. That's the way I work."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Nate Diaz weighs next options: Mike Perry? Scott Coker? MVP? Definitely no Dillon Danis
