Bellator president Scott Coker interested in talking to Nate Diaz following exclusive negotiating period
Bellator president Scott Coker says he is interested in talking to Nate Diaz following his exclusive negotiating period with the UFC.
Diaz recently finished out his UFC contract with a fourth-round submission win over Tony Ferguson in the main event of UFC 279 earlier this month. The Stockton native has made it clear that he intends to test free agency and look at all of the options on the table now that he’s a free agent. The most-likely scenario is that Diaz takes a boxing match next, but that isn’t stopping other MMA promotions from conveying their interest. That includes Bellator, and its president Coker said before Bellator 285 last week he’s talking with Diaz’s camp.
However, Diaz is not exactly an unrestricted free agent just yet. According to Coker, who spoke to reporters following Bellator 285 in Dublin, Ireland, Bellator is definitely interested in talking to Diaz, but Coker confirmed that Diaz isn’t free to be spoken to just yet. According to Coker, Diaz is still under his exclusive negotiating period with the UFC, which is typically for three months. That means that the UFC would have final say regarding any contracts that Diaz is offered as essentially a restricted free agent. It’s for that reason that while Coker says he is interested in chatting with Diaz, he can’t make him an offer until that period is over.
“Well, here’s the thing, is that my guys reached out to the management and the management came back and said, ‘Look, he still has an exclusive negotiation period. So, let’s see how that plays out,” Coker said (h/t MMAjunkie.com).
The UFC has waived its exclusive negotiating period in the past, notably for Cris Cyborg, who eventually signed with Bellator. However, it looks like the UFC isn’t doing the same with Diaz, so Coker will have to wait a little while longer before Bellator can freely speak to him and potentially offer him a contract with the organization.
Do you think Bellator and Scott Coker will eventually sign Nate Diaz to a new contract?
