According to TMZ, last Friday's lunch meeting held by UFC head honchos Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White with Nate Diaz ended on horrible terms, with White storming out on a pub in Diaz's hometown of Stockton, Calif.
But Diaz disputes this version of events. On Wednesday's special edition of The MMA Hour, Diaz admitted it wasn't the most productive meeting, but also said that the reports on the way it finished were blown way out of proportion.
"That was exaggerated," Diaz said of the TMZ report. "We finished talking and then we walked out. It wasn't the worst meeting. It wasn't the best meeting but it wasn't the worst meeting either."
After helping deliver the UFC what's been reported as the second-biggest buy rate in company history with his second-round submission of McGregor at UFC 196, Diaz wants to get paid like a superstar for the rematch.
"It seems like this is a pretty big deal, so can I be compensated for this?" Diaz said. "They weren't the happiest about that, but they're not talking to me about it right now, so we're working on it and we're going to get it figured out."
The way Diaz sees it, after what he went through with the UFC 200 date falling out, he should get a better deal for the new fight, which is believed to be targeted for UFC 202 in August.
"I think they thought that this is the new deal, this is a new fight. That was UFC 200, this is UFC 202 now. I said yes to 200, and I wasn't happy with it. I was rushed into the last thing anyway."
Diaz also believes that this time around, he should be the beneficiary of the same promotional push McGregor, the featherweight champion, has received.
"Can I get built up a little better?" Diaz said. "Conor McGregor is an artificial, they pushed him and he wasn't whooping all types of asses and sh*t. They put me in, I've been in fight after fight, I didn't do no media, I didn't do no sh*t ... now he's where he's at because the UFC kicked his ass and put him in gear and blew him up. How come he was such a big deal when he beat Dennis Siver. Who the f*ck is Dennis Siver? Is that guy even ranked? I'm like, 'get the f*ck out of here.'
"My following is strictly from ass whooping and talking some sh*t," Diaz added. "And this motherf*cker is like on top of the world because the UFC wanted him to?"
Still, though, Diaz sees this as business, and he believes in the end, the McGregor rematch will be made.
"We went and took a picture by the mural that was downtown here, and then afterwards we talked a little more," Diaz said. "They were cool and I was cool and it was just business talk. It didn't end on the happiest notes but I think stuff is getting done and stuff is moving forward."
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