Although Nick Diaz hasn’t fought since 2015, chances are most fans would argue that he remains a pretty big name in MMA. But, evidently, Colby Covington isn’t one of those folks…

The last time Diaz stepped into the cage was in January, 2015, when he lost via decision to the legendary Anderson Silva. The bout was eventually overturned to a no-contest, however, after Silva tested positive for banned substances.

Well, ever since then, there’s been a fairly steady stream of if and when Diaz would fight again. More recently it was reported that Diaz has agreed to fight Jorge Masvidal at UFC 235, March 2nd. Recently Covington reported that he had been approached about possibly fighting Diaz at UFC 230 earlier this month, when the promotion was hunting for the New York City card’s main event. Obviously, that fight never happened, and eventually, the UFC booked a bout between Daniel Cormier and Derrick Lewis.

More recently, Covington appeared on BJ Penn.com Radio, and while doing so, he had this to say about whether he’d be interested in facing Diaz now (quotes via BJ Penn.com):

“No chance [I fight him],” said Covington. “I wanna defend my belt, you know. The Nick Diaz fight, it was cool, I would’ve been willing to save The Garden and make The Garden great again. You know the Trump family would’ve came out to support, it would’ve been a spectacle. I would’ve made history there. But now, he’s been passed up. I’m not wasting my time on him, he’s irrelevant.

“He’s a jobber, he hasn’t won a fight in years,” Covington continued. “He’s definitely 209’s weakest… a bunch of those soy-boys over there in California, smoking that marijuana. So you know, he’s a joke. I don’t wanna waste my time anymore with guys like him, you know. Chumps.”

So, anytime you look at Covington quotes, you have to try and determine what’s authentic and what’s part of his shtick. It is true that Diaz hasn’t won a fight in quite some time (2011), but would “Chaos” really turn down a fight with the Stockton star? If he defeats his teammate Masvidal next year?

Well, if a bout with the welterweight champ Tyron Woodley is still in play, then obviously not. But, if say, that fight is behind Covington, win or lose, would he really pass on fighting Diaz? If the latter has returned to the win column? Probably not right? (Covington currently has 60.6 K followers on Twitter and Diaz has 629 K).

After all, if Diaz does defeat Masvidal, the outspoken fighter will almost certainly return to being one of the promotion’s top draws. That’s assuming you believe he’s already lost one of those positions.

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