Dana White addressed Nate Diaz’s upcoming fight with Mike Perry, which is set to take place at a Most Valuable Promotions card in Los Angeles. Speaking at a press conference in London, the UFC CEO said he was happy for Diaz after the former UFC star landed a deal that appeared too lucrative to pass up.
The matchup matters beyond simple curiosity. Diaz remains one of the most bankable names to come out of the UFC in the last decade, and any win in a high-profile crossover setting is going to fuel immediate talk about whether he still belongs on a major MMA stage. Perry, meanwhile, has built a second act as a violence-first attraction, so the bout is being viewed by many American fight fans less as a traditional divisional contest and more as a test of Diaz’s drawing power outside the UFC machine.
White said he met with Diaz a couple of weeks ago and had a good conversation with him. According to White, the two have not spoken since, but he suggested Diaz accepted an offer that was hard to turn down and made clear he holds no hard feelings over the move.
White also declined to give a firm answer on whether Diaz would still have a path back to the UFC after fulfilling his obligations with MVP. Instead, he indicated the promotion will see how the fight plays out before making any judgments about what comes next.
That uncertainty is the real story here. Diaz has long occupied a rare lane in combat sports: not a champion, but a proven needle-mover with a fan base that follows him across promotions and rule sets. Los Angeles is a fitting backdrop for that kind of event, with a fight crowd that has historically embraced both UFC stars and crossover spectacle.
If Diaz looks sharp and the event delivers attention, the noise around a return to the UFC will only get louder. For now, all eyes shift to Los Angeles, where the result — and Diaz’s performance — could shape the next chapter of his career.