Gilbert Burns would be open to a potential fight with Nate Diaz in the future, just not right now.
At UFC 264 media day, during Burns’s pre-fight scrum, “Durinho” stated that whilst a fight with Diaz would be possible, it’s not where he’s focused on right now, saying the Stockton native was not deserving to fight him.
“For sure,” said Burns in regards to fighting Nate. “(It would be) an easy fight. Easy money for sure fighting Nate. Any day of the week. (Nate) is not in my plans right now. I don’t think he deserves to fight me right now. I’m number two in the world right now. But he’s a big fight and he brings a lot of eyes and a lot of fans. Why not?”
Many people, including Burns, recognize that a fight with Diaz brings a lot of attention and popularity to themselves, making it an enticing fight to take from a financial standpoint. Whilst Burns acknowledges that it seems that the Brazilian is focused on the belt and legacy rather than the paycheck and fame.
Burns went on to say he wasn’t chasing the Diaz fight, pointing out that the American is on a two-fight losing streak, reinforcing the notion that he wasn’t deserving.
“He’s coming off of two losses,” said Burns. “There’s not much he can say about it (deserving to fight Burns.) I try to keep respect to all these OG guys in the UFC but at the end of the day, these guys have so many losses that I would fight them for sure, but I’m not chasing that fight.”
Currently ranked #2 in the welterweight division, Burns is set to face #4-ranked welterweight contender, Stephen Thompson this weekend at UFC 264. Burns will be looking to bounce back into the win column after getting beaten by current UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman back in February in a failed bid to earn the belt.
Who do you think would be victorious in a fight between Gilbert Burns and Nate Diaz?
