Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez hopes fighters pay attention to Nate Diaz.
The Stockton slugger has been out of the ring since a loss to Jake Paul in the boxing ring in August. For Nate Diaz, the first was his first outside of the UFC in over a decade. Famously, he submitted Tony Ferguson in the final fight of his stint last September, fighting ‘El Cucuy’ after Khamzat Chimaev missed weight.
Many, including Eddie Alvarez, believed that the bout with ‘Borz’ was booked mainly as a punishment for Nate Diaz. Well, based on some emails released relating to the UFC’s antitrust lawsuit, that’s likely the case. As reported by John S. Nash, old emails were released about fight negotiations with names such as Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.
A few emails about Nate Diaz were released as well. In a private discussion with Dana White, Joe Silva in others from a 2010 email chain, they purposely low-balled him during negotiations. They added that if he declined, they would put him on the prelims against a ‘really tough guy’.
Those sorts of discussions aren’t surprising to Eddie Alvarez. Speaking on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, ‘The Underground King’ reacted to the leaked emails about Nate Diaz. There, he made it clear that he hopes other fighters are paying attention. Furthermore, he compared the situation to his exit from Bellator in 2014.
“Did you see that email, what they were doing to Nate?” Eddie Alvarez asked Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, referring to the UFC’s internal emails about Nate Diaz. “Oh my god, how dirty! How dirty! That’s the sport, and that’s important for the up-and-coming fighter who wants to be in this business. For them to understand that, like if you’re not cooperative, what the conversation is. In the boardroom, if you’re not cooperative.”
Eddie Alvarez continued, “Those are the conversations that are being had about you, the fighter, who’s signing these contracts. If, you don’t co-operate. I dealt with this in Bellator. I knew they were trying to kill me off, the minute I didn’t want to stay. When you don’t want to stay, when you don’t want to co-operate, the next thing is ‘How can we get him beat? How do we devalue him, to the point to where he can’t fight for anyone but us.’ That’s just the sport.”
“Those emails reveal, it’s so boom, right in your face. It was talked about, and it was a conspiracy theory. But now we see it like, oh wow. That’s how they speak about us when we’re not around.”
As of now, Nate Diaz is yet to book his return to the ring, or the cage. However, PFL executive Donn Davis did reveal that they’ve offered him upwards of $15 million dollars for a rematch with Jake Paul.
Yet as a fighter, you still get a fair chance to win. You are one on one, with rules, referee, etc.
While I do think Khamzat had a much better chance to win based on styles, Diaz had far more experience and high level bouts. It wasn’t like he was set up to be murdered ha ha.
And the UFC changed that to Diaz-Ferguson and Diaz retained all his clout.
As for Alvarez, who was THAT dangerous in Bellator t hat he couldn’t face back then?
Of coure, organisations will think about themselves first, just like fighters do as well. But there has rarely been huge mismatches in the UFC. I loooooooved PrideFC, yet they had way more mismatches.