Nate
Diaz didn’t win at UFC 263,
but he nonetheless authored the most talk-about moment of his
five-round clash with Leon
Edwards on Saturday night.
After being outclassed for the first four rounds, the Stockton,
Calif., native put Edwards in retreat mode when he staggered him
with a left hand in the final frame. Diaz pursued a finish but was
unable to put his opponent away in the waning moments of the bout,
as he went on to lose a clear-cut unanimous decision.
“The fight was a wrap,” Diaz said. “In a real fight, in the real
world, that fight’s a wrap. He was sleepwalking.”
For most of the bout, Edwards blended a varied striking arsenal
with takedowns to keep Diaz off balance and remain unbeaten in his
last 10 UFC welterweight appearances. The Cesar
Gracie protege didn’t hesitate to credit his adversary,
although he did so in the most Diaz way possible.
“At the end of the day I feel like he won or whatever, but I feel
like I’m the better fighter still, regardless,” Diaz said. “I feel
like the peak of the fight is what matters in the fight anyway,
what happened in the end.
“No hating on Leon, congratulations to him and why would you fight
anybody but the top guy if you’re going to fight at all. So I wish
it would have went my way, but it’s all good.”
Diaz, who was a clear fan favorite of those in attendance at Gila
River Arena in Glendale, Ariz., on Saturday night, also drew high
praise from UFC president Dana White for his performance.
“His leg was done in the first round. He went five rounds taking
leg kicks, bleeding out of both sides of his head,” White said.
“One was squirting this way, one was squirting this way. He was
still doing what the Diaz brothers do. He was working the whole
fight to get into his head and try to make him make a mistake, and
then he eventually caught him in the fifth round. He’s
unbelievable. He’s going to be asking us for a six-round fight next
time.”
It was Diaz’s first Octagon appearance since November 2019, when he
lost to Jorge
Masvidal at UFC 244 in a battle for the “BMF” belt at Madison
Square Garden in New York. The 36-year-old doesn’t want to be
inactive nearly as long following his latest defeat.
“I want to fight in three or four months, I’m ready to hop back in
there,” Diaz said. “Just to heal up. If I was unscathed I’d be back
in there next week. I was just unmotivated to train anymore because
I already put in all the hard work for the last fight in Texas
where it was supposed to be and then I had to linger on for another
f—ing month and it just sucked. Whatever, roll with the punches, do
what I had to do to get here.”
As for what’s next, Diaz never seems to be lacking for options.
However, neither he nor the UFC boss have a clear path in mind.
“I don’t have nobody in mind,” Diaz said. “I’m gonna go back home
and look at what’s poppin’ and who’s doing what and whoever wants
to fight. If it makes sense and it’s a good idea for both parties,
let’s dance.”
Added White: “I don’t know. He’s a fan favorite. People love him
– win, lose or draw. I don’t know. We’ll see what’s next.”