"I'm not going to play their game" - When Nate Diaz threatened to walk out of UFC 244 BMF fight over mysterious PED allegations

The name Nate Diaz needs no introduction to somebody who is even a little familiar with the world of combat sports. The former UFC superstar is a legend in the sport of MMA and was a part of the UFC since 2007 before his departure from the company in 2022 following the end of his contract.

Diaz is also respected a lot in the MMA community as he has never been caught using illegal PEDs. However, there was one instance back in 2019 when he apparently tested positive for some kind of banned substance ahead of his UFC 244 clash against Jorge Masvidal.

But instead of waiting until after the fight, Nate Diaz broke the news himself and claimed that he was being set up. He even threatened to walk out of his UFC 244 fight against Jorge Masvidal and not fight until his name was cleared.

Nate Diaz took to Twitter and made it known that he wouldn't be competing until his name is cleared. He said:

“I call false on that, I only take Whole Food or natural food supplements. I don’t even eat meat. So until UFC, USADA or whoever is f**king with me fixes it, I won’t be competing."

He added:

“I’m not going to play their game and try to hide it or keep it quiet, as they suggested. I’m not gonna have my name tainted as a cheater like these other motherf**ker who keep quiet until after the fight just so they can get paid. F**king cheaters."

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Will Nate Diaz return to MMA?

Diaz's contract with the UFC expired following his fight against Tony Ferguson in 2022. After becoming a free agent, the former UFC superstar decided to test himself in boxing. To make that happen, he signed up to fight social media sensation-turned-boxer Jake Paul, which took place this past weekend.

Nate Diaz made his pro-boxing debut in a 10-round fight against Jake Paul in Dallas, Texas, on August 5. As was expected going into the fight, Paul's boxing skills were better than Diaz's as he secured a unanimous decision victory.

Since then, there have been a lot of rumors of Diaz potentially returning to MMA. However, nothing seems certain at the moment and it will be interesting to see what happens next.