UFC 263: Nate Diaz ‘lost all motivation’ to fight Leon Edwards a month ago – ‘I kind of just winged it all’
- American reflects on delaying fight for four weeks because of injury and says he wants Octagon return in three or four months
- UFC president Dana White says ‘he was bleeding out both sides of his head and was still doing what the Diaz brothers do’
UFC fan favourite Nate Diaz said he “lost all motivation” to fight Leon Edwards having sustained an injury above his eye leading up to their fight.
“It went how it went. I got a cut in training, that’s why we had to push the fight back for a month to get ready for a war like that. S*** happens in the fight but I’m ready for that. At the end of the day, he won or whatever, but I felt I’m still the better fighter,” Diaz said at the post-fight press conference, highlighting how he almost caused a huge upset after wobbling Edwards in the fifth round.
“The peak of the fight is what matters, but anyway congratulations to him. I wish it went my way but it’s all good.”
“No [it wasn’t part of the game plan], I kind of just winged it all, walking through that fight, trying to get to the next point in this whole game. I didn’t feel like I was in any danger – of course I got cut and that [expletive] sucks, but I wasn’t motivated in training and I wasn’t trying to use any energy anywhere. I was just on cruise control,” Diaz said, adding that Edwards was “sleepwalking” after landing his straight left.
While he has edged closer to a rematch with Usman, Diaz is likely to drop in the rankings and face either a lower-ranked contender or line up a money fight. Regardless, he said he wanted back in the cage before the end of the year.
“I want to fight again in three or four months. I’ll be ready to hop back in there, but I need to heal up. If I was unscathed I’d be back in there next week,” he said.
“I was just unmotivated to train because I had already put in the effort in the last fight [scheduled] in Texas, and I had to do another month which sucked. Whatever, I rolled with the punches and did what I had to do to get here. I don’t have anybody in mind [for my next fight] ... but if it makes sense and it’s good for both parties, let’s dance.”
UFC president Dana White likewise said he was not sure who Diaz would face next but praised his trademark durability and stamina.
“He’s a fan favourite. People love him, win, lose or draw. We’ll see what’s next, I don’t know,” White said. “His leg was done in the first round but he went five rounds and took more leg kicks. He was bleeding out both sides of his head and was still doing what the Diaz brothers do: working the whole fight to get into [Edwards’] head and try to make him make a mistake. Eventually he caught him in the fifth. He’s unbelievable. He’s going to be asking for a six-round fight next time.”
