UFC 230: Nate Diaz Hits Back At Bruce Buffer For Criticism

Nate Diaz was not pleased with Bruce Buffer's recent comments that he should bow down to the UFC.

Diaz last fought at UFC 202 in his rematch against Conor McGregor in August 2016 in what is still the biggest pay-per-view in the company's history, with the former getting a huge payday in the process.

He has not fought since then, seemingly seeking a trilogy bout with the Irishman, but is set to return to action when he takes on lightweight contender Dustin Poirier at UFC 230 which takes place Nov. 3 at Madison Square Garden, New York.

However, he feels his return is not being marketed enough, particularly as the press conference he was taking part in was overshadowed by the news that McGregor would face Khabib Nurmagomedov for the lightweight title at UFC 229 in October, which led to this tweet that he wasn't fighting anymore.

When recently asked about Diaz's complaints that he was underpromoted by the Las Vegas promotion, Buffer responded that while he loves the Stockton native, Diaz needed to stop complaining and be thankful to the UFC.

"I love Nate Diaz but he’s always got a bad taste in his mouth," the UFC announcer told TMZ. "Nate, I heard you made 7 or more million dollars on your last fight. I don’t want to hear you complaining about being underpromoted by the UFC. You should be thanking the UFC and bowing to Dana White every time you see him. Ari Emanuel, Patrick Whitesell."

"You got 7 or more million dollars gross before taxes, maybe much more. Which I love knowing that you have, Nate. Please, I don’t want to hear any more complaints," Buffer said.

Diaz would respond Sunday night, claiming Buffer was the one bowing down to the UFC and that he would never bow down to anyone, no matter the amount of money involved.

The 33-year-old though, would show his respect to the longtime announcing veteran soon after.

While Diaz claimed he would not be fighting on the UFC 230 show anymore, it's more than likely that he will still be featuring and part of his tweet was a promotional tactic.

As of now, the fight with Poirier is the biggest on the annual Madison Square Garden card, but there's no official main event yet. UFC president Dana White claimed he was working on it, but should nothing come up, he may have to move Diaz into the main event slot.

If that is the case, it would be a litmus test to see how big of a pay-per-view draw Diaz truly is, especially without the presence of McGregor.

A win for him could also set up the long-awaited trilogy with McGregor, especially if the latter defeats Nurmagomedov a month earlier at 229, though the trilogy fight could still be booked even if there's no lightweight title involved.

Tony Ferguson meanwhile, is fighting Anthony Pettis in the co-main event of UFC 229 and an impressive performance for him in front of the large viewing audience that McGregor is expected to attract, could catapult him to the next shot at the lightweight title.