Nate Diaz is not thinking about retirement anytime soon, even after suffering a brutal stoppage loss to Mike Perry at MVP MMA 1.
The longtime Stockton fan favorite returned to MMA for the first time since leaving the UFC, but things did not go his way in the co-main event of MVP MMA: Rousey vs. Carano on Saturday night. Perry overwhelmed Diaz with relentless pressure and heavy shots, opening several nasty cuts before Diaz’s corner stopped the fight in the second round.
By the end of the fight, Diaz was covered in blood and struggling to see as Perry continued pouring on the pressure.
Still, Nate Diaz stayed true to himself during the post-fight press conference and immediately brushed off suggestions that he should retire after the defeat.
“‘You should hang them up,’” Diaz mocked. “Maybe I just don’t fight the most violent. Maybe I just fight the second-most violent.”
“People are like, ‘Maybe I’m done, I’m retired, here’s my gloves in the cage.’ I’m like, you should’ve just not fought the most violent motherf***er alive and you would’ve been okay.”
Despite the loss, Diaz admitted his corner made the right decision to stop the fight because the cuts severely affected his vision.
“I was mad, but I understand,” Diaz said. “My eye was leaking blood and I knew I wasn’t going to get it done out there. I was f***ing blinded on the right side.”
The fight marked Nate Diaz’s first professional MMA appearance in five years after stepping away from the UFC to pursue boxing matches against Jake Paul and Jorge Masvidal. Diaz lost to Paul before bouncing back with a majority decision win over Masvidal.
According to Diaz, returning to MMA after such a long break reminded him just how demanding the sport really is.
“I didn’t actually feel good at all. I felt like s***,” Diaz admitted. “As I got closer, I realized MMA is hard work. My body was just starting to get back into rhythm, and then it was time to fight.”
“Now I’m ready to fight. Let’s line up another one and get it going.”
Even after taking a tough loss, Nate Diaz made it clear he still has unfinished business in combat sports and has no plans of walking away.
“I don’t have a checkout time,” Diaz said. “This s*** is forever. When I do check out, I don’t need to be crying about it or putting my gloves in the cage. You’re just gone. Do whatever the f*** you want.”
Diaz also called for an immediate rematch with Perry and revealed he plans to get back to training almost immediately after recovering from his injuries.
“ASAP,” Diaz said when asked about a rematch. “Heal up and I’ll start running on Monday. Rematch ASAP.”
The loss drops Nate Diaz to 1-2 in his post-UFC combat sports run, but if history has shown anything, defeats rarely damage his popularity. Whether he wins or loses, Diaz continues to remain one of the biggest attractions in combat sports and judging by his latest comments, he has no intention of slowing down anytime soon.
