PHOENIX – Dana White had high praise for Nate Diaz after his UFC 263 loss, but doesn’t know what comes next.
Diaz (20-13 MMA, 15-11 UFC) succumbed to defeat against Leon Edwards (19-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) on Saturday with a unanimous decision loss on the card, which took place at Gila River Arena and aired on pay-per-view. The fan-favorite said he felt he won “in the real world,” despite clearly losing four of five rounds on the scorecards.
White didn’t indicate he felt Diaz’s assessment of the result was accurate, but he gave him major props for enduring a tough fight where he was cut open badly and largely dominated.
“His leg was done in the first round, he went five rounds taking leg kicks, bleeding out of both sides of his head,” White told reporters, including MMA Junkie, post-fight at UFC 263. “One was squirting this way, one way squirting this way. He was still doing what the Diaz brothers do. He was working the whole fight to get into his head and try to make him make a mistake, and then he eventually caught him in the fifth round. He’s unbelievable. He’s gonna be asking us for a six-round fight next time.”
Diaz had now lost back-to-back fights, and three of his past four overall. He said post-fight that it was his wish to return to the octagon within the next three or four months, but did not name any specific opponents for his next bout.
White said he doesn’t know what he wants to do with Diaz next, either, but is fully aware that there are few fights involving him that won’t draw a lot of eyeballs.
“I don’t know (what’s next),” Diaz said. “He’s a fan-favorite, people love him win, lose, or draw. I don’t know. We’ll see what’s next.”
