Nate Diaz Opens up on Challenging Perry Fight
10 days removed from his corner throwing in the towel, Nate Diaz took to social media to discuss his loss to Mike Perry
Prior to the night of May 16, Nate Diaz (21-14 MMA, 0-1 MVP) hadn't fought in MMA since the night of Sept. 10, 2022. That late summer Saturday evening, he appeared for the last time under the UFC promotional banner in the restructured main event of UFC 279.
Diaz was originally booked to fight Khamzat Chimaev that weekend, but at the official weigh-ins the morning before the card, Chimaev missed weight for the bout by 7 1/2 lbs. Chimaev was instead booked for a 180-lb catchweight against Kevin Holland on short notice.
The late switch in opponent didn't hurt Nate Diaz, who submitted his new adversary, Tony Ferguson, by way of fourth-round guillotine choke. Earlier this year, Most Valuable Promotions announced that it would be holding its first-ever MMA card for May 16. Nate Diaz made his return on the card in a five-round co-main event versus Mike Perry (15-8 MMA, 1-0 MVP.)
Nate Diaz Bloodied in MVP MMA 1 Co-Main Event
Even though the May 16 fight was slated for an advertised five rounds at five minutes per round, Mike Perry only needed 10 of those minutes to complete his assignment a week and a half ago. As the second round of the fight wore on, Perry landed a slew of strikes to batter his opponent.
This offensive attack proved to be too much for Diaz to handle. During the one-minute timeout between rounds two and three, referee Mike Beltran watched Diaz's cornermen attempt to repair a cut, warning the Diaz team that the fight would be stopped if the cut became too compromising.
Just before the third round of the co-headlining feature was to have begun, Diaz' corner resigned from the bout, giving Mike Perry the TKO victory.
Nate Diaz Breaks Silence on What Went Wrong at MVP MMA 1
It's been 10 days since Nate Diaz lost to Mike Perry inside Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA. On Tuesday afternoon, Diaz took to Instagram for his initial public comments since the fight.
In those comments, he mentioned that he'd like to fight Mike Perry again, including #Rematch at the end of the post.
"It was easy to get up for me in this fight," Nate Diaz posted. "Now I think it'll be even easier to get up for him. Either way, shoutout to Mike on the win and for getting me off my ass."
Nate Diaz Ready for More When Time Comes
Upon declining an opportunity to return to MMA for a contest under the UFC banner, Nate Diaz accepted the offer from MVP. In the Instagram post, he made it clear that the May 16 contest wasn't just a one-off appearance.
"I wasn't happy with my activity," he wrote, "but a lack of opponents will do that."
Nate Diaz also mentioned that he'll be ready for any adversary in his next fight.
"Now I've got a target," Diaz said. "Hunting season."
