Nate Diaz on his return to the UFC and the Conor McGregor trilogy fight in the BKFC

Nate Diaz is more than ready to fight Conor McGregor again, but on his terms.

The UFC superstars ended their series in the Octagon with a 1-1 draw, with Diaz winning the first fight by submission and McGregor winning the rematch on points in a hard-fought multi-round match.

Eight years later, McGregor and Diaz have yet to settle their scores, and a window of opportunity is slowly but surely closing, with McGregor's endorsement deal expiring after two fights and Diaz, now a free agent, having already expired two years ago.

McGregor could soon enjoy the fruits of his free agency, too, but for now, the Irish fighter had become a promoter as part owner of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. McGregor had for a time touted a role as a “player-trainer” in the company and was ready to take the gloves off in his future as a fighter.

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His longtime rival Diaz says he is also a fan of BKFC and caught the action at a show with David Feldman earlier this year, but the UFC veteran prefers fighting McGregor in the cage rather than in the ring.

“But I wouldn't like to fight him in a fist fight,” said Diaz Jamal Niazwhen asked if he would fight McGregor in a bare-knuckle rematch. “I would like to see him in a real fight because we have history there and we have to finish what we have to do and that is a real fight. It is the total package.”

Diaz, 39, who boxed in his last two fights against Jake Paul and Jorge Masvidal, has not competed in MMA since his loss to Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 in 2022.

In his 15-year UFC career, Ferguson has been nothing but the 4-ounce gloves, and while that has changed with his free agent move, Diaz has no plans to trade the gloves for BKFC anytime soon.

“I don't think I'm going to fight anybody bare-fisted just because someone hit me in the face bare-fisted. I'm going to punch them on the ass and take them down,” Diaz said.

With no fights scheduled for Diaz (21-13) at the moment, who knows what the future holds for the UFC fan favorite?

Diaz, from Stockton, has not given up on the idea of ​​a second attempt in the UFC, but in his eyes there are not many matchups that stand out for him other than a long-awaited trilogy with Conor McGregor.

“What I'm interested in in the UFC would just be someone who is doing something good,” Diaz said of potential opponents for a UFC return. “There aren't many names in the UFC right now, but I feel like they're coming. There's no one who [that stands out for me]. They're all crazy. If someone good comes along and does something, I'll come back and finish them off.”

Once a former title challenger, Nate Diaz has traded wins and losses in the UFC, fighting some of the biggest and baddest names in the UFC for more than a decade.

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