Kamaru Usman does not think that highly of Nate Diaz. The Stockton native recently beat Jorge Masvidal in a boxing match. After the fight, he called out UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards. Co-hosts Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo got into an argument on their show on whether Diaz deserved this matchup or not.
Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo brought up Nate Diaz’s callout for Leon Edwards on the Pound 4 Pound podcast. Cejudo asked Usman if he believed Diaz was a world-class athlete. The former welterweight champion had an interesting reply to this.
No. He was. And don’t get me wrong, shout-out to Nate Diaz, Nate Diaz can still fight. But he’s not a world-class fighter. Are you crazy? Are you cr*zy?
Kamaru Usman on Pound 4 Pound podcast
Usman suggested that if Diaz stepped into the octagon with fighters like Shavkat Rakhmonov, Justin Gaethje, or himself people would quickly see what he meant. On the other hand, Cejudo argued that the UFC could at least consider the possibility of matching up Diaz and Edwards, given Diaz’s legacy and history with the welterweight champion. The two fighters had previously fought back in 2021 at UFC 263.
Kamaru Usman doesn’t believe Nate Diaz is a world-class fighter anymore:
“[Nate] is not a world class fighter. Are you crazy? Throw Nate Diaz in there with Shavkat Rakhmonov…. with myself… with [Jack Della Maddalena]… with Justin Gaethje. Cmon.”
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— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 8, 2024
Usman argued that despite his legacy, Diaz belonged nowhere near a title shot at this point in his career. He acknowledged Diaz putting up good fights outside the UFC. But to say Nate Diaz would walk into fighting world-class mixed martial arts fighters right now in the UFC sounds absurd to him. Instead, he has better matchups for the former UFC contender.
Kamaru Usman suggests alternative matchups for Nate Diaz
So should Nate Diaz skip fighting in the UFC altogether? Not exactly. According to Kamaru Usman, there are still big-money fights lined up for Diaz other than competing for the UFC welterweight title. The Nigerian Nightmare believes Daz should stick to boxing for now.
Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal boxing bout (via X)Usman suggested that if Diaz was looking for big names to fight, he should look into Jake Paul’s offer when they previously fought in the boxing ring last year. According to one of Paul’s recent tweets, Diaz had turned down 15 million Dollars to fight Paul in the PFL. If not, a trilogy fight with Conor McGregor has been in discussion forever.
Nate Diaz, PFL and Jake Paul will offer you $15 million to go into MMA and fight him in MMA… the Conor McGregor fight’s still there. That’s a huge one.
Kamaru Usman on Pound 4 Pound podcast
Diaz had been fighting in the UFC ever since he was 20. Usman made sure he praised Diaz for his longevity and his legacy. However, the former welterweight champion simply is not for Nate Diaz fighting for the title.
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