In a recent podcast with Chael Sonnen, Nick Diaz shared his thoughts about the compensation that his brother, Nate, is getting in the UFC. Nick said that he would rather see Nate hang his MMA gloves and leave the industry than get into a bout for a fight salary of 20 grand to show and 20 grand again if he wins.
“It makes me sick. It makes me sick what I get paid. It makes me sick for what I’ve done in the past. Then you see this guy [McGregor] come out and do really well and it drives you crazy. [Nate] is stuck in the stone age back there, but I’m trying to help bring him some understanding. It’s a quick fix, though. They really sell him short, both of us. As far as the 20 and 20, these guys are laughing, thinking it’s a joke. No, dude. That’s what he gets paid,” Diaz shared about his brother’s pay.
The only thing that can resolve this at the moment is for Nate to go against Conor McGregor. There were two other MMA fighters who called out the champion during the post-fight interview and Nick didn’t hesitate to support his brother’s call.
“You can’t lie to the fans. They know what they want to see. It’s the fight that needs to happen. My brother’s definitely relevant. You can’t just act like he’s not. This fight should probably happen, as far as I’m concerned. You’ve got these other guys that aren’t very popular, even though they’re holding the belt. Belts aren’t important. It’s the fights that are important. Important to the fans, important to the show. That’s more money for everybody. I think Conor was saying he wanted the fight, too, one time on account of somebody pulling out because they were hurt. He was asking for the fight, too, so give him what he wants,” Nick said.
Brendan Schaub also went in and pitched in his thoughts on a possible McGregor-Diaz fight by saying that both MMA fighters would have to be separated by glass, like those seen in jail visits.
“If my brother signed a fight with somebody he’s not going to punch him in the face. Come on. He’s not going to show up at someone’s door when he’s on his way to breakfast. The fight’s already signed. The fight’s already happening. Have I ever punched anybody I was going to fight? It’s not going to happen. However, if [McGregor] doesn’t want to acknowledge what my brother said out there, in my opinion, that’s a huge insult. Hey, who the f**k are you? You’re going to get punked out. We’re all on planet Earth walking around. We have to be at the same places. You want to get punked out in front of all your fans? My brother’s fighting for 20 and 20. It doesn’t matter to him. He’s doing a free fight,” Nick said.
Nick admitted that he is not completely confident the MMA promotion leading up to the bout will not get a bit physical. Even McGregor looks like he is going to bring it one once he steps in the cage.
“[Rogan and Schaub] didn’t come off out of line or anything. For instance, like my brother’s ‘going to hit him before the fight happens.’ Someone could definitely get slapped up, but that could easily go both ways. Conor’s going back and forth with guys and you don’t see anything really happen, but they probably would happen on the outs and they would on account of nobody acknowledging what’s what,” Diaz added.