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Nate Diaz says he plans to take a break from the UFC

After facing Conor McGregor in what was one of the most memorable fights of the year, and perhaps...



Nate Diaz says he plans to tak...
Golf

Nate Diaz says he plans to take a break from the UFC

After facing Conor McGregor in what was one of the most memorable fights of the year, and perhaps beyond that, Nate Diaz has decided to take some time away from mixed martial arts. 

Diaz shot to prominence after calling out McGregor in the wake of his victory over Michael Johnson, before filling in on short notice when Rafael dos Anjos pulled out of UFC 196 with a foot injury. He subsequently handed the Irishman his first and only defeat to date in the UFC. 

Their hotly-anticipated rematch was one of the biggest draws in UFC history, and as good ol' JR would say, produced a real slobberknocker when the two came face to face in the octagon again in August. 

Diaz has yet to take on another bout since that loss and decided to take to Twitter on Wednesday night to announce that he would be taking a break from the sport, and wouldn't be in action again for another 10 months.

Similarly Conor McGregor is also taking some time away from the UFC, as he is expecting his first child, and is unlikely to return before the summer of 2017

Diaz's brother Nick has apparently just reached an agreement with the Nevada Athletic Commission over an unpaid fine that accompanied his ban for a failed drug test in 2015, which means he is free "to participate in all combat sport-related activities in the state once again."

That may factor into Nate's plans for the coming months, while he may also be calling out the UFC, who he recently accused of trying to hide him away. 

Speaking about McGregor's fight in New York against Eddie Alvarez where the Dubliner claimed his second title, Diaz said: "The UFC, they didn't even want to give me tickets to this fight. I think they wanted to just put this picture of him with the belts and it's the greatest thing that ever happened. They want to kind of like keep me out of the mix and hide me out from the whole thing."

However, Diaz refused to rule out a third fight with McGregor, adding: "The UFC knows that's a bad idea for him... Congratulations to Conor, he did a great job, got the two belts. Me and him know what happened the last couple of fights. That greatest of all time stuff, that just needs to come to an end cause I don't remember any of the greatest of all time getting worked over like the last two fights."

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