Nate Diaz has some prerequisites for setting up his next match.

UFC Lightweight Nate Diaz has not fought professionally since his rematch with Conor McGregor in August 2016. He lost a close decision in that fight, but won a lot of money and has been on hiatus ever since.

The UFC has always had strained relationships with the Diaz brothers, and Nate insinuated that he might be parting ways with the organization earlier this month.

This week, Diaz explained himself on the Outside The Box podcast. He implied that Tyron Woodley, who called him out, is merely doing the UFC’s bidding:

“I’m not fighting because I am a fighter. You’re fighting because someone’s telling you to fight,” Diaz said. “I’ll fight whenever the f**k I wanna fight. That’s because I’m a G, n**ga, I’m a fighter myself. I ain’t trying to do what nobody says, I’ll do what I say. And I will fight when I’m approached respectably.

“I don’t need to fight nobody. I’ll fight anybody, but I don’t need to fight anybody. And the fighters are like, ‘He’s not a fighter,’ I’m like, it sounds like you’re being manipulated into trying to manipulate me into getting into a fight. Guess what? You work for somebody; I work for me. Who’s the fighter now, motherf**er?”

Nate Diaz is one of the biggest stars in MMA, but without a belt, promotional value is his only leverage. It seems as if he is waiting for the right conditions and the right respect.

“Ask nicely, motherf**ers. Ask nicely,” he said. “I’m talking about the organization, the fighters. And make it a big deal, because I’m not trying to just sign a contract just because it’s a good idea for you guys.”

When asked about a rubbermatch with McGregor, Diaz didn’t shut the door on the possibility, but affirmed his strong position as a draw.

“Time will tell. I don’t know right now. There’s talk. They (the UFC) call me, we talk about things, but I think what’s happening is they want me to ask, and beg, and I don’t need nothing from nobody. I don’t need nothing from anybody.”

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