Bellator in talks to sign free agent Nate Diaz, confirms Scott Coker

Bellator has already made contact with what could be the biggest name in MMA free agency. Diaz has been in talks with Bellator’s Scott Coker.

Diaz competed 28 times for the UFC. He made his debut with the promotion in 2007 and has since become one of the biggest names in the sport of MMA due to his personality and fighting style.

Diaz finished his promotional contract at UFC 279 by submitting Tony Ferguson in the fourth round of the main event. Following his victory, Diaz stated that he would leave the UFC to "show all these UFC fighters how to take over and own up another sport," which most interpret as a boxing match against Jake Paul. Diaz also stated that he intends to return to the UFC to obtain a UFC belt, which he refers to as "the best title in the world." Scott Coker, on the other hand, hopes to have something to say about it.

Coker, the CEO of Bellator MMA, has a long history of promoting Diaz's older brother Nick Diaz back in the Strikeforce days, and in an interview with reporters ahead of Bellator Dublin this weekend, Coker revealed that Bellator is already in talks with the younger Diaz brother.

He said “We are definitely talking to him. We’ve reached out,” Coker said. “I know he’s probably talking to everybody. He’s in a pretty good situation. I know he wants to fight Jake Paul. Jake Paul is fighting Anderson Silva on Showtime pay-per-view, which is our home network, so there’s some synergies here. We’re just hoping that we could have some type of deal to at least have his MMA fights with Bellator. So we are in dialogue.”

Signing a high-profile free agent such as Diaz is nothing new for Coker. Bellator MMA has signed a number of high-profile UFC fighters in recent years, most notably former women's featherweight champion Cris Cyborg; however, Bellator is not the only promotion interested in Diaz. Both the BKFC and the PFL have already stated their intention to pursue Stockton's finest, and there's also the possibility that Diaz will simply choose to remain independent.

Where do you think Nate Diaz will be fighting next? Let us know in the comments.