Myles Jury says he accepted UFC bout with Nate Diaz – but got no response

Accepting the bout was apparently the easy part. Getting his opponent to follow through on it seems to be the real challenge.

Rising lightweight contender Myles Jury has apparently accepted a fight with veteran Nate Diaz, but it doesn’t appear the fight is going to happen any time soon.

Jury (14-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC), who’s won five straight in the UFC and moved to No. 15 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings, said he accepted the fight a week ago. However, Diaz (17-9 MMA, 12-7 UFC), who’s ranked No. 8 but hasn’t fought since a November TKO win over Gray Maynard, apparently hasn’t.

As Jury wrote on Twitter (with a retweet from the UFC’s official account):

.@NateDiaz209 I respect u a lot, BUT… I confirmed to fight you & have been waiting on you for a week. Are we getting after it or what?—
Myles Jury (@FuryJury) June 29, 2014

Diaz, who – despite signing a new contract earlier this year – has simply cut off communication with the company, UFC President Dana White recently said. The fighter, who suffered back-to-back losses to then-champ Benson Henderson and Josh Thomson before the Maynard win, has stated he wants more money. (Diaz even asked for his release earlier this year.)

He said as much in a response to Jury:

Bout my money #breakbread till then don't call ..—
Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) June 29, 2014

#entrepreneur—
Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) June 29, 2014

Diaz is the younger brother of UFC vet Nick Diaz, who’s also been on the sidelines as part of a retirement he announced following March 2013 loss to then-champ Georges St-Pierre.

This past month, White suggested he’s done trying to twist the brothers’ arm.

“The thing that’s sad about it: I like them,” White told MMAjunkie. “And I used to have a really good relationship with Nate, but fighting or any other sport, it isn’t a profession. It isn’t a job. It’s an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to make money. It’s an opportunity to achieve great things in a short window of time.

“And if they want to sit out their window of time, for the rest of their career, that’s up to them.”

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.