Nate Diaz Responds to Francis: ‘You Should’ve Listened to Your Daddy’
This weekend, Nate Diaz returns to the octagon as he faces Leon Edwards on the main card at UFC 263.
Diaz has not competed since November 2019 when he lost to Jorge Masvidal via a medical stoppage. The two fighters fought over the symbolic BMF belt (Baddest Motherfucker) but it was finally a doctor who stopped the fight due to a cut on Diaz’s eyebrows.
The fact that Diaz is taking longer breaks from the UFC has become one of his hallmarks. He has repeatedly expressed his frustration with the UFC, said he wants to leave the organization and has been willing to leave the sport if he does not get what he wants.
Diaz has been involved in some of the UFC’s most well-known bouts, including two high-profile encounters with Conor McGregor, which broke PPV records. Although he fought for smaller purses at the beginning of his career, Diaz has become one of the highest paid athletes in the UFC.
Money is currently a hot topic in the MMA world after the Logan brothers pulled in huge sums at their boxing events. MMA profiles such as Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley have been given the opportunity to jump on the bandwagon and have raised substantial purse as well.
Even established fighters such as Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou have openly criticized the UFC’s pay structure. The latest in a series of UFC fighters to openly complain was Paulo Costa who withdrew from his scheduled main event in August. The Brazilian complained, among other things, about his pay and accused the UFC of ruling techniques.
Nate Diaz advises Francis Ngannou
In an interview conducted by Yahoo Sport, both UFC pay and Francis Ngannou were mentioned. Diaz told what he thinks fighters in Ngannou’s position should do if they want more money.
– What is Francis Ngannou doing wrong? I’ve done more right than all these bastards for years. They should have said that “Give me more money” shit a long time ago, just like I did.
– I have never been a champion, but I still said, “Fuck you, let me make some money”. What happened next? I ended up on the plus side but no one jumped on the train, but now they say, “What are we doing wrong?” You should have listened to Daddy several years ago, fucking idiots, all of you, the whole bunch.
While Diaz is scheduled to face Leon Edwards this weekend, UFC President Dana White has said that Ngannou will face Derrick Lewis next.
The question is whether Ngannou is as interested in a rematch against Lewis. Ngannou has been open with his intentions to face “Bones” Jones, something that truly qualifies as a supermatch.
The catch, however, is that Jones is in something of a stall with the UFC as they are not willing to pay him what he thinks he is worth. Ngannou has been relatively quiet about the issue, so time will tell if he accepts the title fight against Lewis or if he listens to “daddy” Diaz.
