Nate Diaz wants to get licensed to box, too

When the great Nate Diaz was 22, he won The Ultimate Fighter 5, which came with a six-figure contract. It sounds like you’re rich, but you’re not. The contract is for multiple fights and could take years to hit $100,000.

So he kept fighting. And fighting. When the UFC got in a tug of war with Bellator over teammate Gilbert Melendez, El Nino ended up with a tremendous contract, one that put the Diaz brothers’ deals to shame. They balked at fighting for a while, but then came justice in the unlikely form of Conor McGregor.

When then lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos got injured, Diaz stepped up vs. McGregor and ruined the party. Reportedly made $2,000,000, too. His team negotiated hard for his compensation in the rematch, and he made more still, despite losing a controversial Majority Decision.

At one and one, a trilogy fight has to happen. And in the meantime, Diaz may have the same idea as does McGregor – the square ring.

“I’m going to get my boxing license in Cali, and Nevada,” said Diaz to Elie Sechback, as transcribed by Elias Cepeda for Champions.co. “I tried to get out of my contract years ago, my UFC contract, but they wouldn’t let me go.”

“I’m like, do your thing with Mayweather, but if…they let him out to box, then I’m boxing somebody, too – somebody mainstream on the same card or another card, whatever.”

“I’m not doing it for a publicity stunt – I’m doing it because I love the sport of boxing.”

“I want to win. I want to fight, for real, and get out of some of this s*** that I’m not into, anyway. I don’t think they want me in there, anyway, so might as well stay out.”

Like everything he says, Diaz’s remarks about boxing are real. He has trained since childhood with noted boxing trainer Richard Perez and has spent enough time sparring world-class boxers to legitimately give professional boxing a crack.