According to his coach, Charles Oliveira has no interest in fighting Nate Diaz at 165, 175, or any division at all.
In an interview released yesterday, Nate Diaz discussed who he would like to face next inside the Octagon. At the top of his list was Dustin Poirier, and the only other name he mentioned was that of #3-ranked lightweight contender Charles Oliveira. There are a just a couple small problems with Diaz’s proposal.
Firstly, Nate Diaz wants the fight to happen at 165 or 175 pounds. But Oliveira has not competed at welterweight since his very first MMA fights in 2008. Second, there’s the other small matter of Oliveira wanting nothing to do with the fight according to his coach Diego Lima.
“To be honest, it is a fight that theoretically makes no sense to us,” Lima told AG Fight. “Nate is not active, much less ranked. It is a fight that would only happen for financial reasons. But even so, I don’t think it would be beneficial for us at this point. We know that McGregor sells a lot. Really who he faces sells well. Nate is not at that level.
“Our goal is the belt. Even if it is very financially worthwhile, today I do not see this struggle adding to Charles’ career. The goal is only one, the lightweight title.”
Nate Diaz and Charles Oliveira do share one thing in common regarding their next fight: Both men would like for it to be against Dustin Poirier. The difference is that Nate Diaz may want the fight primarily for the money it could bring in while Oliveira wants the glory of being UFC champion in a potential title bout. Poirier has expressed an openness to both fights but has seemed more enthusiastic about a potential Diaz fight, preferably at 155, however.
We’ll see who Oliveira and Diaz are ultimately paired with for their next fight, but it appears Oliveira is one of the few fighters who does not have Nate Diaz on their fight wish list.
Who would you like to see Charles Oliveira and Nate Diaz fight next?