UFC fighter Nate Diaz is already setting himself up for his career beyond the octagon, announcing in advance of his UFC 279 send-off fight with the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev that he’s forming his own combat sports promotion.
Diaz’s “Real Fight Inc.” will focus on hosting a variety of combat sport events including boxing, MMA, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu according to a statement from Diaz’s team shared to Twitter by Ariel Helwani.
“The new venture has no bearing on his status as a fighter, where he will continue to be very active,” the statement said, clarifying that this wasn’t a sign that Diaz would be hanging his gloves up for good. “Real Fight, Inc. is his expansion into the business side of the sport where he has been a fixture for close to 20 years.”
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Diaz’s promotion is looking to recruit potential fighters from all over the world, “whether it be up and coming prospects or household names who fit the brand of ‘Real Ninjas. Real Fighters. Real S***’.”
In an interview with MMA Underground, Diaz stated the intention is to give a spotlight to other fighters who wouldn’t otherwise be looked at by the big promoters.
“The best fighters in the world aren’t the ones they tell you,” said Diaz. “It’s the real fighters who know how to put on a show, and that’s what we’re going to do—in MMA, in boxing, in jiu-jitsu. All of it.”
A trailer for the new promotion showing a fighter training in the streets was shared to both the promotion’s official Instagram account as well as Diaz’s.
It also shows Diaz and his team boarding a plane and flying to Las Vegas where UFC 279 is taking place at T-Mobile Arena.
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UFC 279 is being hyped up as the final chapter in Diaz’s UFC career since he has been extremely vocal about his dissatisfaction with UFC President Dana White and the organization as a whole, who he claims was holding him back from pursuing other business ventures by not granting him his final fight earlier in the year, going as far as to say they were holding him “hostage.”
There's only 𝐎𝐍𝐄 @NateDiaz209 😤
[ #UFC279 | Sep 10 | @TMobileArena | 🎟 https://t.co/OC4rzCMHG1 ] pic.twitter.com/1MyJNT6YQx
— UFC (@ufc) August 27, 2022
Diaz isn’t going into this new venture blind, since his brother, Nick Diaz, launched his own promotion War MMA after his loss to UFC legend George St-Pierre at UFC 158. Disappointingly, War MMA went on a permanent hiatus after its California debut in 2013.
Do you think Nate Diaz has a better shot than his brother did? Let us know in the comments.
NEXT: WATCH: UFC Welterweight Contender Nate Diaz Slaps Reporter At UFC 276 Over “Tweets”
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