Nate Diaz recently looked back on how his first fight with Conor McGregor came together, and the discussions he had to ensure he was adequately compensated for the short-notice assignment.
Diaz has long been a fan favorite in the sport of mixed martial arts, but his star well and truly grew to astronomical levels when he shared the Octagon with McGregor in Las Vegas at UFC 196 eight years ago.
Diaz answered the call on just 11 days’ notice, replacing the injured Rafael dos Anjos to face the then-featherweight titleholder in a welterweight bout.
Against the odds, the Stockton native handed McGregor his first professional defeat since 2010 and first setback on MMA’s biggest stage, countering the Dubliner’s tired takedown attempt in round two with some brutal ground-and-pound, which set up the shocking rear-naked choke submission finish.
As well as the victory, a Fight of the Night bonus, and a Performance of the Night bonus, Diaz exited T-Mobile Arena with his heftiest pay check to date. But the figure on it was apparently a far cry from what the UFC first proposed...
Diaz Says UFC Tried Offering ‘Pennies’ For McGregor 1
During a recent interview with UFC legend and current ONE Championship titleholder Demetrious Johnson, Diaz looked back on his first showdown with McGregor and discussed the short-notice bout coming together.
When discussing the financial implications that many expect to come with fighting McGregor, Diaz confirmed that UFC 196 marked his highest pay up to that point in his career.
But that was seemingly something he had to work for behind closed doors, outlining the offer originally slid across his desk by the UFC compared to what he ultimately managed to secure.
At the time, it was (the biggest pay check I’d received). But they were trying to give me pennies for that too,” Diaz said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, right. I know what I’m doing here. I’ve been through it.’ I’d already been into it with the organization about that. So they called me and they were like, ‘Hey, while you’re going to do this, we’re going to give you a million dollars.’ I was like, ‘Hey, you’re gonna give me more than that.’
So I got like five times more than that because of that. I knew the game by then and I was like, ‘F*ck that,’” Diaz continued. “Remember when I was telling you about how if I fight every two months, I could be rich. That basic math attitude kind of f*cking times 10, times 100, over and over again. So I knew what it was with the whole money in the business and sh*t. I might not be educated but I’m not stupid.
Both men have had some major paydays since. For Diaz, that’s currently in the realm of boxing.
After fighting out his contract with the UFC in a submission win over Tony Ferguson, the Stockton star went on to share the ring with YouTuber-turned-pugilist Jake Paul last August.
Having kept his stock high in defeat against “The Problem Child,” Diaz is next set to revisit his rivalry with Jorge Masvidal, which was forged inside the Octagon at UFC 244 back in 2019.
Although his current focus is on boxing and his match with “Gamebred” this weekend, Diaz has been firm in insisting that the final chapter in his storied feud with McGregor is not yet written.
With their series sat level at one win apiece, a trilogy could be in store down the line.