Dana White Says Despite Nate Diaz's Complaints, Their Relationship Has Always Been Good

The ordering process for Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-views has changed: UFC 241 is only available on ESPN+ in the U.S.

Nate Diaz’s status as a cult favorite among Ultimate Fighting Championship fans may stem as much from his anti-authoritarian stance towards his promotion as to his exciting fight style, but his boss claims it’s a different story when they interact directly.

Diaz (19-11) makes his return to the Octagon this weekend after a nearly three-year hiatus to take on former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis in the co-main event of UFC 241.

In the lead-up to this weekend’s fight, Diaz has spoken about feeling neglected by the UFC after he lost to Conor McGregor in their rematch in August 2016. Diaz is adamant that the promotion went to all efforts to get the Irishman his rematch after Diaz submitted him in their first fight, but after their second bout the UFC continued to promote McGregor instead of looking to book a trilogy fight.

UFC President Dana White was asked about his relationship with Diaz ahead of his bout against Pettis and said their relationship has always been “good” despite the 34-year-old’s hiatus from the sport (via MMAJunkie.com):

“It’s funny – I did this interview the other day about Nate,” White said. “Nate’s one of these guys that, he has this personality where it’s like he’s saying ‘(expletive) you’ to The Man, but he never says ‘(expletive) you’ to The Man. Every time I’m around Nate, he’s a good kid, and I’ve always had a good relationship with Nate, a personal relationship with Nate.

“He’s tough to deal with on the business side, but personally he’s a good guy. And whatever you want to say about the Diaz brothers, when they say they’re gonna fight, they sign the bout agreement, and they show up and they fight. So I don’t see any problems.”