Late last week reports emerged that a meeting between the UFC brass and Nate Diaz to discuss a rematch with Conor McGregor had gone badly, with angry Dana White reportedly storming out of the building, but the Stockton native claims that’s not quite true.
“That was exaggerated,” Diaz told Ariel Helwani on a special edition of ‘The MMA Hour’ show. “We finished talking and then we walked out. It wasn’t the worst meeting. It wasn’t the best meeting but it wasn’t the worst meeting either.”
As many had speculated, any tension there was between the two parties at the meeting appeared to focus on the financial side of the agreement for the fight, which the UFC are believed to have earmarked for UFC 202, likely in August.
“It seems like this is a pretty big deal, so can I be compensated for this?” Diaz claims he said during the sit-down in Stockton. “They weren’t the happiest about that, but they’re not talking to me about it right now, so we’re working on it and we’re going to get it figured out.”
In addition to looking for a bigger payday, Diaz also requested that he get the same level of publicity as McGregor, who he defeated by second round submission in their first fight at UFC 196 earlier this year.
“Can I get built up a little better?” Diaz told the UFC. “Conor McGregor is an artificial, they pushed him and he wasn’t whooping all types of asses and sh*t. They put me in, I’ve been in fight after fight, I didn’t do no media, I didn’t do no sh*t … now he’s where he’s at because the UFC kicked his ass and put him in gear and blew him up. How come he was such a big deal when he beat Dennis Siver. Who the f*ck is Dennis Siver? Is that guy even ranked? I’m like, ‘get the f*ck out of here.’
Despite his demands appearing to meet somewhat of a frosty reception, Diaz believes that things are still heading in the right direction for what would undoubtedly be one of the biggest fights in UFC history.
“They were cool and I was cool and it was just business talk. It didn’t end on the happiest notes but I think stuff is getting done and stuff is moving forward.”
Check out Diaz’s full interview with Helwani below courtesy of MMAfighting.com.
