In a statement released over the weekend, UFC veteran Nate Diaz will reportedly be throwing his hat into the fight promotion industry.
“Nathan Diaz will be applying for his promoter’s license in the coming weeks to form Real Fight, Inc., a new promotion that will focus on promoting combat sports shows, specifically boxing, MMA and BJJ,” the statement read. “The new venture has no bearing on his status as a fighter, where he will continue to be very active. Real Fight, Inc. is his expansion into the business side of the sport where he has been a fixture for close to 20 years.”
Diaz is currently slated to complete the final fight on his current UFC deal on September 10th in a bout against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 279. After that, it appears that the 37 year old is serious about striking out on his own in an effort to control not only his own future, but that of other aspiring fighters as well.
The Stockton, California native holds a professional record of 20-13, with wins over household UFC names such as Conor McGregor, Donald Cerrone, and Anthony Pettis. The younger brother of Nick Diaz, Nate first broke into the UFC during the Ultimate Fighter Season 5, following stints in the WEC, Strikeforce, and Pancrase.
Despite being a PPV darling, and regularly taking on some of the biggest names in MMA, Diaz and UFC President Dana White haven’t seen eye to eye for some time now, as evidenced by the promotion taking over a year to book his final fight on his current contract. As a result, Diaz has stated his displeasure over being a cog in the UFC machine, while other fighters benefit off his name.
While it’s initially unclear what the format of Real Fight, Inc will be, the move has already drawn support from other UFC fighters including heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
Additional details regarding the promotional vehicle are expected to be released following Diaz’s final UFC bout.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Streetice00. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.