Nate Diaz may have made a highly lucrative call by siding with MVP over the UFC. For a time, it seemed ‘The Stockton Slugger’ was poised to return to his old stomping grounds in the UFC. However, earlier this month, Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions announced that the younger Diaz brother will take on former UFC welterweight Mike Perry. When? 

The bout is set for May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, featured on the undercard of Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano, streaming live on Netflix. Ahead of the fight, UFC color commentator Joe Rogan got to discussing Diaz’s fight on Saturday during UFC London’s JRE Fight Companion, where he revealed that he believes Nate Diaz is set to make over $10 million.

“What did you hear they offered Diaz?” Rogan casually asked Brendan Schaub, UFC fighter turned comedian/podcaster. 

“I heard 10 mil,” Schaub said. 

“I heard it was more,” Rogan revealed.

According to sources, Nate Diaz‘s highest single-fight purse in the UFC came from his rematch against Conor McGregor at UFC 202 in 2016. Diaz reportedly earned $4,315,490 for that fight. Notably, this included a disclosed purse of around $2 million plus significant additional PPV points/bonuses—over 1.6 million PPV buys.

This means if Rogan is right, ‘The Stockton Slugger’ is making more than double his highest paycheck from the UFC. However, Joe Rogan feels Nate Diaz could have made the same money had he returned to the UFC for a trilogy fight against Conor McGregor. 

“I think he could have made that same money vs. Conor,” Rogan added during the podcast. “If someone could just drag Conor to an Ibogaine center again, clean that boy up. 

“Conor’s down,” Schaub claimed. “Conor’s fighting [in] the International Fight Week, supposedly.

“I hope that’s true,” Rogan responded. 

It’s worth noting that Conor McGregor was advocating for a spot on the UFC White House card. He had even entered the UFC’s drug testing pool and was cleared for a UFC comeback on March 20 after serving an 18-month retroactive suspension for violating the UFC Anti-Doping policy after missing three drug tests in 2024. 

Ultimately, though, the promotion chose not to add McGregor to the White House card, scheduled for June 14. Despite missing out on the historic card, ‘The Mac’ has expressed openness to making his long-awaited return to the cage at a later date. Although an opponent has not been finalized, Nate Diaz previously seemed open to facing ‘The Mac’ in a trilogy fight. 

The pair fought twice, securing one win each, setting the stage for a trilogy to decide who is superior. In the meantime, UFC CEO Dana White has also shared his thoughts on Diaz fighting for his enemy. 

Dana White claims he is happy for Nate Diaz

It’s no secret that Dana White and Jake Paul have been at odds with each other. Over the years, Paul has criticized the UFC CEO for dramatically underpaying its fighters. Naturally, White has also taken shots at Paul for his fights. So, when Diaz chose Paul’s MVP over the UFC, people speculated that ‘The Stockton Slugger’ may have jeopardized his relationship with the promotion.

However, during UFC London’s post-fight press conference on Saturday, White revealed that the two had recently met to discuss a UFC comeback fight and parted on good terms.

“He came in and met with me a couple of weeks ago. We had a good time, and I think Nate just got an offer he couldn’t refuse,” White said. “I haven’t talked to him since then, but I’m happy for him.

While White did not rule out a future return, he remained uncertain about what lies ahead. 

“I don’t know,” he said about Diaz’s comeback in the UFC. “Let him do his thing. Let’s see how the fight plays out, and we’ll see what happens.”

Diaz last fought in the UFC back in September 2022 when he submitted Tony Ferguson. In the aftermath of the fight, Diaz parted ways with the promotion amicably. Since then, he has appeared in two boxing matches against Jake Paul and Jorge Masvidal, losing the first and winning the second.

It appears Nate Diaz is set to make a career-high payday against Mike Perry in May. But the even better news is—Dana White is open to his return to the Octagon, and if Conor McGregor turns out to be his opponent, Diaz could get an even bigger paycheck. Would you like to see that fight?