Nate Diaz is willing to put his self-titled championship — ‘The baddest mothef*cker in the game’ — on the line against Jorge Masvidal.
Following his victory over former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis in the co-main event of UFC 241, Diaz set social media threads ablaze when he called out Masvidal, one of the most recognizable fighters on the UFC roster since his viral five-second knockout of Ben Askren.
Speaking at the post-fight press conference, Diaz further explained why he feels as though Masvidal is a worthy challenger.
“You’ve got to recognize who is the best and who the best in the game is…and it’s not who they’re saying it is…it’s who I’m saying it is,” Diaz told the gathered media.
“It’s the guys that have been in here forever and who are still on top of the game. Pettis just knocked out Thompson who was just fighting for the 170 title a whole bunch of times. He fought Pettis and Pettis knocked his ass out real quick. Who’s the real baddest in the 170 division? They were trying to pump up dude and then Masvidal goes in there and knocks his ass out. I started fighting in 2004 I think…I think…and then he’s been around since then and maybe a little longer. He just did that and I just did that, so that’s the best fighter to me; the best martial artist that’s still on top of the game.”
Diaz is adamant that he will not be responsible for the fight not being put together as quickly as possible, insisting he would be ready to take the fight in a month.
“If everything works out how it’s supposed to work out, then sh*t, I’ll fight next month,” he said. “If nobody is in a hurry to get this done and do it right and treat it like it’s meant to be treated, I ain’t in no rush. It’s not going to be me who is sitting out; it’s gonna be them holding me out or people not jumping on it and trying to get it done. That’s where I’ve been for the last three years because I never stopped training camps. Nobody was showing me anything for being the best fighter in the world, which I am, just like Masvidal, that’s what I’m saying.”
“Why is nobody like, ‘What? That’s the guy to fight, he just beat the best guy and he’s been around doing this the whole time.’ I’m the best martial artist in the world, I’m not like these hold onto you wrestlers who are going to hold you and hopefully win a round and find a loophole to winning these fights and putting belts on their waists,” he added. “Now we’re fighting for the ‘Baddest motherf*cker in the game’ belt and that’s mine…I’d like to defend it against Jorge Masvidal. Baddest motherf*ckers, that’s how we’re going to do this.”
Diaz also didn’t rule out a trilogy fight with Conor McGregor in the future.
“If that’s something that works with the schedule [I’m interested]. I’m going to fight the baddest dude on the baddest shows that people want to see. That’s what I want to do, so it’s up to everybody that’s involved with that. If that’s what they want to do they got to call me and tell me they want it.”
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