Ever since Conor McGregor’s self-imposed “retirement” and subsequent withdrawal from the main event of UFC 200, the Dubliner’s rematch with Nate Diaz has become one of the biggest fights that the UFC can put together this year – but it’s beginning to look like even Dana White can’t make it happen.
White, the UFC president, did the rounds last night on SportsCenter and FOX’s The Herd and while he says that McGregor is “obsessed” with the idea of the rematch, Diaz is appearing less keen.
The problem, as is commonplace in the fight game, is money-related and with UFC 202 on August 20th tentatively scheduled to host the bout, time is quickly running out.
“Nate, who signed a deal going into that fight, then, you know, he signed the contract for UFC 200”, White said to Colin Cowherd on ESPN. “So Conor doesn’t show up for UFC 200, and now Nate is trying to blow up the deal.”
Speaking last week to Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour, Diaz implied that if the terms he are offered for the McGregor rematch aren’t appealing to him, he will walk away from the bout and it seems that White is beginning to lose patience with the Stockton fighter.
Since that Conor McGregor fight, when you win a fight of that magnitude it has definitely rubbed off on Nate. People do want to see Nate, they want to see this fight again. I want to make the fight that people want to see and I do believe that people want to see this fight.
But people want to see Conor McGregor fight Frankie Edgar, or Jose Aldo again too. I’m sure they’d like to see him fight Rafael Dos Anjos for the 155lb title. There are a lot of fights out there for Conor if we can’t get this Nate fight done.
When asked if a bout with Floyd Mayweather is one of them, White poured cold water on the idea.
I don’t read any of that stuff. There’s only one way this fight is happening [and] it’s through me. Here’s the reality: I haven’t talked to Floyd Mayweather once. If you look at how long it took to get the Pacquiao fight done – that’s the same sport! Now we’re going to put two different sports together?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNLViMVTNDc
