Nate Diaz punches Conor McGregor during UFC 196 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on March 5, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Rey Del Rio/Getty Images/AFP
Nate Diaz is not nice.
In an interview with MMA Hour, Diaz called the ongoing negotiations for a fight between UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor and retired boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. as nothing but a publicity stunt.
It sure has enticed fight fans with both McGregor and Mayweather releasing teasers of a potential match, but Diaz sees the fiasco as something to just keep the public interested.
“I think the Mayweather thing is a publicity stunt,” said Diaz as per ESPN.com. “It’s great for both of them.”
“Boxing followers will start following Conor, MMA followers are going to start following Floyd. They’re all benefitting, and no one is losing, so they’re going to keep the ball rolling.”
Diaz added this verbal feud is nothing more than talk with both fighters simply bluffing.
“But every day I hear about this Mayweather s—, it’s always about, ‘am I going to take the fight?’ It seems like this is a pretty big deal, can I get compensated for it?,” said Diaz. “I’m like, ‘hey I call your bluff. Fight [Mayweather], I’ll be here.”
Diaz is set to have another crack at McGregor in the Octagon after their initial UFC 200 bout was cancelled. The Irishman pulled from the card after he refused to fly to Las Vegas for promotional obligations.
McGregor was initially set to fight UFC lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos in UFC 196 but an injury to the Brazilian forced the featherweight champion to face Diaz in a welterweight fight.