Nate Diaz rules out Conor McGregor trilogy, eyes ‘right fight’ for UFC return

Nate Diaz has revealed he is open to returning to the UFC, but only on his own terms and against opponents he deems worthy, ruling out a potential trilogy bout with Conor McGregor for the time being.

The 40-year-old veteran, who holds a 21-13 professional record, is set to face Mike Perry (14-8) at the MVP MMA: Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano event on Netflix on 16th May.

Diaz explained that while the UFC had approached him with lucrative offers, none of the proposed match-ups aligned with his ambitions.

"I want to go back to the UFC," Diaz said.

"I have bigger offers from the UFC than I got from [MVP and Netflix], but the offers weren't the opponents. I believe everything about the fight game is timing, and right now, if I went back to the UFC, I wouldn't be fighting the fighters I want to be fighting. I want to fight the best of the best.

"If I went back to the UFC, they want me to fight Conor McGregor right now ... I want to fight the best of the best, when they are the best. Conor is great, but I'm not trying to kill off Conor when he's on his last dying leg, literally."

Instead, Diaz has expressed interest in a bout with former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira, who recently claimed the UFC’s BMF title by defeating Max Holloway at UFC 326.

Diaz himself played a pivotal role in creating the BMF belt in 2019, winning the inaugural title fight against Jorge Masvidal.

McGregor (22-6) has not competed since suffering a broken leg in 2021 and may return to the octagon later this year, possibly as early as July.

While a trilogy between Diaz and McGregor has long been anticipated following their 2016 rivalry, Diaz insists he is focused on meaningful fights rather than simply being part of someone else’s comeback story.