Nate Diaz (22-14) has been handed a 180-day medical suspension following his TKO loss to Mike Perry (14-8) last Saturday in Los Angeles, stalling any plans of a quick return.
It was Diaz’s first MMA fight since walking away from the UFC after his stoppage win over Tony Ferguson in September 2022. Diaz suffered a potential fracture to his left hand during the fight, which ended after round 2 following a corner and official stoppage due to facial lacerations that left him unable to safely continue.
The loss marked Diaz’s third MMA defeat in his last four MMA fights, as he suffered a stoppage loss to Jorge Masvidal in the inaugural BMF title fight in November 2019, and then lost to Leon Edwards by unanimous decision in June 2021, before defeating Tony Ferguson by a round 2 stoppage in September 2022, which was his last UFC fight.
The 180-day suspension is subject to medical review. Should Diaz receive medical clearance within the next few weeks, the suspension could be cut down to 60 days. Despite the loss and the suspension, Diaz has dismissed calls for retirement and made clear he wants to continue fighting, while already calling out Perry for a rematch.