UFC President Dana White Nixes Lyoto Machida vs. Nick Diaz; Calls it a “Bad Idea”
A proposed middleweight bout between former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida and former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz appears to be off the table.
After revealing to UFC Tonight earlier this week that he wanted to match up Vitor Belfort and Lyoto Machida at middleweight as the UFC 167: St-Pierre vs. Hendricks co-main event in November, UFC president Dana White shifted gears.
While Machida’s camp warmed to the Belfort fight, Belfort has been reluctant to take any non-title fight in the middleweight division. So White turned to Diaz as a potential opponent for Machida.
The bout would have marked Diaz’s move up from 170 pounds and Machida’s drop down from the 205-pound division.
White now appears to have nixed the idea.
“It was a bad idea, the Diaz vs. Machida thing,” White told reporters following the UFC Fight Night 26 post-fight press conference on Saturday night in Boston.
“Diaz didn't turn it down… there's other things going on with Diaz.”
White declined to go until detail, but indicated he felt it was a bad idea on the UFC’s part to even offer the fight to Diaz.
Machida in the meantime has shifted his focus to Chael Sonnen, who submitted Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in Saturday night’s main event.
“Since @vitorbelfort hasn’t accepted our fight, I am sure that @danawhite can match me against @sonnench,” Machida tweeted shortly after Sonnen’s victory.
White on Saturday night didn’t propose any new options for Sonnen, Machida or Diaz.
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