Insider Confirms Nate Diaz Denied UFC Offer to Fight for Jake Paul

Why not the UFC? Fans and analysts are questioning it after Nate Diaz revealed his MMA return just a few hours ago with UFC CEO Dana White’s rival, Jake Paul’s promotion. On May 15, Most Valuable Promotions will host the Stockton native’s comeback against BKFC champion and former UFC star Mike Perry in a five-round welterweight fight. The stakes are even higher for the UFC, since the same card will feature former UFC stars Ronda Rousey and Francis Ngannou on top of the card.

Now, veteran journalist and MMA insider Ariel Helwani has shared more details about Nate Diaz’s return. He revealed that the UFC, led by Dana White and his team, actually offered Diaz a comeback, but Diaz chose to decline the opportunity.

“I think there are many interesting points to talk about,” said Ariel Helwani. “Number one, that they got Nate and Mike is huge. No secret, you know, Nate was a free man. No secret. I can tell you, UFC was interested in bringing Nate back.”

Ariel Helwani talks Nate Diaz vs. Mike Perry. Says UFC was interested in bringing Nate Diaz back. #HelwaniShow pic.twitter.com/c8yoCs1UKW

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) March 16, 2026

Helwani, however, did not share additional details, such as when the UFC offered Nate Diaz a return or whether the offer was lucrative. Still, he remains a trusted voice because he maintains deep connections within the UFC despite the ban.

Looking at Diaz’s recent history, it’s clear he chases big paydays. After leaving the UFC in 2022 following his victory over Tony Ferguson at UFC 279, he quickly took a boxing match against Jake Paul in 2023. Then, he fought Jorge Masvidal in a rematch to settle their long-standing UFC rivalry, with the series now tied at 1-1.

Even so, Diaz’s decision to return to MMA rather than continue in boxing raises eyebrows and highlights just how lucrative the Netflix-MVP offer must be to bring him back into the cage. As a result, the UFC tried to bring Diaz back but failed, and they also could not secure Ronda Rousey’s return. Rousey is set to face Gina Carano on the same MVP card, a matchup fans have dreamed of for nearly a decade, and that is finally happening.

Rousey had been in talks with the UFC to return last year. However, after the UFC signed a seven-year partnership with Paramount, they abandoned the ESPN and PPV model, which limited Rousey’s PPV earning potential. As a result, she pulled out of returning to the UFC.

The same reasoning applies to the Stockton native, who declined the UFC’s offer. Jake Paul has built a reputation as someone who always promotes “fighters first” and frequently criticizes Dana White’s pay structure.

Beyond that, Diaz remains frustrated with the UFC due to personal issues, including a few years back when he publicly expressed his anger at Dana White after White challenged Diaz’s “needle-moving” capacity.

Diaz responds to Dana White’s critique

In his decade-long career with the UFC, Diaz headlined some of the MMA promotion’s most lucrative pay-per-view fights, all against Conor McGregor. Events like UFC 196 and UFC 202 were highly successful, with around 1.3 million and 1.65 million buys, respectively, which helped the UFC to stand out on the map.

However, Dana White later publicly questioned Diaz’s ability to draw, claiming he didn’t have star power. Upon hearing that, Nate Diaz fired back at White, sending a direct message to the UFC head honcho later that year.

“That’s cold, Dana,” Diaz said. “They [the UFC] had a deal with FOX. They had to reach certain numbers. You know how the deals work with this; they have to hit certain numbers for FOX, like ratings. In this month, you’ve got to hit these certain numbers, or however it works. So they’re putting all the headliners on the FOX shows. They’re like, we’ll get this guy who’s the needle mover, and we won’t have to pay him extra for it.”

Even though Nate Diaz later reconciled with Dana White after leaving the UFC, White didn’t acknowledge him beyond his accomplishments. What do you think about the ex-UFC star choosing to return with MVP instead of the UFC? Drop your thoughts below.