Nate Diaz has never filtered himself, and his latest appearance on This Past Weekend podcast was no different. In a wide-ranging rant, he took aim at fighters-turned-analysts, calling them out for breaking down fights they once competed in. That eventually turned personal, with Daniel Cormier catching the full force of it.
“You’re a great wrestler DC. You can’t fight for s—. You’re a f— big old p—-,” Diaz said bluntly.
It came in the middle of a broader frustration Diaz has with analysts critiquing active fighters. He questioned their credibility, their intentions, and even suggested jealousy plays a role. For someone who built his reputation outside the traditional “champion” path, Diaz clearly sees things differently.
But if Diaz opened the door, Cormier walked straight through it. Responding on his YouTube channel, the former two-division champion defended himself by flipping the conversation entirely.
“I don’t know everything. But when you list the people that are analyzing fights there is one big striking thing that’s familiar and is that we were champions.” Cormier said. “Last time I told Nate Diaz that you will not compare us, but let’s do that. Jon Jones, Stipe Miocic. That’s it.”
“Koji Oishi, Hermes Franca, Clay Guida, Joe Stevenson, Gray Maynard, McDonald, Benson Henderson, Josh Thompson, Dos Anjos, Conor McGregor, Masvidal, Leon Edwards. 13 times to 13 people. This is mine. This is who I lost to, two. And when I lost those fights, I was in my mid to late 30s, you were losing fights in your 20s. You were in your absolute athletic prime in a sport that you chose and you got beat multiple times by all these people.”
Ok so I responded! And I got a lot to say but it’s all facts. Why can’t these cats leave me alone ! Live at 5pm eastern/2pm pacific at my YouTube channel. Link
https://t.co/9luqO2b8rQ pic.twitter.com/Zz5Ffwguaf
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) April 1, 2026
“I’m happy for you. But you up here acting like you mad because somebody talking about how you’re average. Reality is you’re average. You’ve always been. So you keep punching above your head. Punch at Khabib, not the same. You punch at Justin Gaethje. You punch at my man Dustin Poirier. All these dudes had titles. Let it go.”
He even acknowledged Diaz’s financial success, reportedly earning around $10 million for his next fight on Netflix. But for Cormier, money doesn’t rewrite legacy. And that’s really what this comes down to. So when Diaz questions analysts, he’s really questioning that system. And when Cormier fires back, he’s defending it. Neither is wrong from their own perspective. But they’re speaking two completely different languages. Still, the former double champion has also come out with a reality check for the Carano vs Rousey event, where Diaz will be competing next!
Daniel Cormier dismisses the hype around the Carano vs Rousey Netflix card
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Cormier admitted the Diaz vs Perry fight is actually the one that grabbed him most. Why? Not because of rankings or belts, but because of what it guarantees, yet it still doesn’t compare to the UFC.
“Now let me tell you why. Nate Diaz and Mike Perry are not two of the best welterweights in the world, make no mistake about it,” Cormier shared. “They are not of the level of Kamaru Usman, Islam Makhachev, Jack Della Maddalena, Michael Morales, Sean Brady and Ian Garry. They’re not that. The best fighters are in the UFC, make no mistake about that.”
That’s the distinction he keeps coming back to. Star power vs competitive level. He pointed out that both Diaz and Perry “know how to engage an audience” and will bring a fight people want to watch. That matters. But it doesn’t change where they stand compared to the top of the division.
And that ties directly into his bigger point about the sport itself. No matter how big another event feels, the highest level still sits inside the UFC system. That’s why he drew a hard line when comparisons started coming in. With Ilia Topuria vs Justin Gaethje and Alex Pereira vs Ciryl Gane expected on the White House card, Cormier didn’t hesitate.
“Nothing is ever going to be the UFC… for people comparing it to the White House card, no chance,” he added.
That’s why even when he doubles down by comparing the Netflix card to the UFC’s White House lineup, he’s reinforcing that same idea he mentioned earlier. Big fights are one thing. Elite fights are another. The question now is simple. When fans look back years from now, what matters more? The belts or the moments?
