Nate Diaz Removed from UFC Roster, Officially Becomes Free Agent

Nate Diaz is officially free to pursue career options outside the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Diaz completed his contract with the promotion at UFC 279, where he submitted Tony Ferguson in the fourth round of their bout on Sept. 10. Though his contract ended, the UFC still maintained exclusive negotiating rights with Diaz until recently, when it waived the rest of the negotiating period. MMAFighting.com was first to report the news of Diaz becoming a free agent.

Diaz’s manager, Zach Rosenfield, told MMAjunkie.com that a return to the UFC is not out of the question, particularly for a Conor McGregor trilogy.

“Nate is going to be looking at the biggest fights possible,” Rosenfield said. “He has stated that completing the trilogy with Conor McGregor is something that interests him, and that has not changed.”

Rosenfield added that Diaz plans to compete “multiple times” in 2023 with a combat sports schedule that “will include boxing.” Diaz also recently launched his own combat sports promotion, Real Fight, Inc., which is expected to include MMA, boxing and jiu-jitsu.

Diaz emerged as one of the UFC’s biggest stars over the course of promotional tenure that began in 2007 after he won “The Ultimate Fighter 5.” He compiled a 16-11 mark in the Octagon and reached the pinnacle of his star power when he submitted McGregor at UFC 196.