UFC's Dana White jabs back after Nate Diaz vents over contract situation

Ongoing contract discussions between the UFC and Nate Diaz, one of the promotion's biggest stars, spilled into the public on Tuesday when both Diaz and president Dana White commented on the situation.

On Monday, Diaz (20-13) asked the UFC to either release him from his contract or book him a fight by August. He also indicated he wishes to box YouTube star-turned professional boxer Jake Paul. He accompanied his post with a video clip of Paul knocking out former UFC champion Tyron Woodley in December.

«UFC release now please or give me fight with anyone in July or August,» Diaz wrote on Twitter. «I got bigger s--- to do.»

At a news conference on Tuesday in Salt Lake City, UFC president Dana White commented on the promotion's efforts to book Diaz's next fight.

«I don't know what we're gonna do,» White told The MacLife's Oscar Willis. «I like Nate, [but] let's be honest. Nate has won one fight in five or six years. When these guys get into these positions, you have guys who have been with us for a long time, that we respect and care about… you want to be fair and do the right thing, whatever. Nate Diaz is not going to come in and fight [welterweight champion] Kamaru Usman. We're trying to do the best we can, trying not to s--- on anybody or disrespect anybody.… He probably should go on and fight Jake Paul. That's a fight that makes sense.»

Diaz (20-13), 37, has not fought since a unanimous decision loss to Leon Edwards in June 2021. He has one fight left on his UFC contract, and for the better part of a year he has been publicly demanding the promotion book him that final fight. Diaz has expressed interest in facing multiple opponents, including Dustin Poirier, Vicente Luque and Tony Ferguson.

The UFC did offer Diaz a fight