KSI claims Nate Diaz and several other ex-UFC stars rejected March boxing match against him: “We were scrambling”
YouTuber-turned-boxer KSI has claimed that Nate Diaz and several ex-UFC stars rejected a fight against him.
‘The Nightmare’ recently booked his return to the boxing ring earlier this month. Back for the first time since a unanimous decision loss to Tommy Fury in late 2023, KSI will meet Dillon Danis. ‘El Jefe’ wasn’t the first choice, as the YouTuber was originally set to meet ex-football star Wayne Bridge at Misfits 21 instead.
However, neither one of those bouts were what KSI was aiming for in his March return. Appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show earlier today, the YouTuber-turned-fighter discussed his next bout. In the interview, the British boxer alleged that several high-profile fighters rejected an offer to face him.
Those names include ex-UFC stars such as Nate Diaz, Donald Cerrone, and Tony Ferguson. KSI added that they approached Jorge Masvidal to fight, but ‘Gamebred’ was unable to do so due to his UFC contract. For what it’s worth, the former UFC title challenger has already shot down the Brit’s allegation on social media.
“I reached out to Nate Diaz… he said no. We went to Masvidal, he couldn’t do it because of his UFC contract. Went to Donald Cerrone, he said no. Went to Tony Ferguson, he said no. So we were scrambling.
And then eventually, Mams comes through to me like, we got Dillon Danis…… pic.twitter.com/tjMXGEu4t1
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 11, 2025
Idk what it is with you UK mother fuckers but stick to selling that piss in a bottle because I will beat your fucking ass @KSI
— Jorge Masvidal (@GamebredFighter) February 11, 2025
KSI claims Nate Diaz and several ex-UFC stars rejected offer to face him in March boxing match
“We reached out to so many other fighters, I’ve done a YouTube video on this. “KSI stated earlier today. “I reached out to Nate Diaz, because we want to show the world that, okay Jake beat Nate Diaz in the way he beat him. Let me show what I can do. Similar to what I did with Tommy Fury… He said no. So, we went to Masvidal and he said he couldn’t do it because of his UFC contract. We went to Donald Cerrone, he said no.”
He continued, “We went to Tony Ferguson, and he said no. So we’re scrambling, like, what are we going to do? We need to try and find an opponent, we’ve got a date, March 29th, set. So we had to find someone. Eventually, Mams [Taylor] comes through to me and said we’ve got Dillon Danis… I was like, screw it. Let’s just go, let’s just go have fun.”
In the case of three of the names KSI mentioned, they’re already tied up. The aforementioned Masvidal is reportedly targeting a return to the octagon in April, with Cerrone intending to do the same. Lastly, Tony Ferguson recently signed to the upstart Global Fight League, which is set to kick off later this year.
What do you make of these comments from the YouTuber-turned-fighter? Do you want to see KSI vs. Nate Diaz?
