Nate Diaz calls out Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson after leaving UFC

Diaz submitted Tony Ferguson in the UFC 279 main event this month to see out his deal with the company

Nate Diaz has claimed he will ‘only fight’ Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson next, after the UFC icon left the promotion this month.

Diaz saw out his UFC contract by taking on Tony Ferguson, a last-minute replacement for Khamzat Chimaev, in the main event of UFC 279 on 10 September.

American Diaz submitted his compatriot in the fourth round to exit the UFC with a win, saying in his post-fight interview: “I wanna get out [of] the UFC for a minute and show all these other fighters how to own up another sport. Then I’m gonna be right back here to get a motherf*****g UFC title.”

In the lead-up to UFC 279, Diaz revealed plans to launch his own fight promotion, and the 37-year-old took to Twitter on Wednesday (21 September) to make an unusual call-out, as he addressed Hollywood actor and former WWE star Johnson.

“Im [sic] only going to fight the rock. Otherwise I’m goood [sic],” Diaz tweeted.

Ahead of UFC 279, Diaz had long waited for the promotion to organise a final fight for him and had repeatedly asked to be released by the UFC.

Dwayne Johnson presented the ‘BMF’ title to Jorge Masvidal when the welterweight beat Diaz in 2019 (Getty Images)

After trading wins with former UFC champion Conor McGregor in 2016, Diaz fought just four times – including his clash with Ferguson – to round out his deal with the company.

Many fans have called for a trilogy bout between Diaz and McGregor over the last six years, though it is unclear how the fight would come to fruition without Diaz returning to the UFC.