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For the first time since 2022, MMA legend Nate Diaz is set to make a return to the sport where he first made his name.

Diaz (21-13) has agreed to face fellow former UFC fighter Mike Perry (14-8) in a five-round welterweight bout on May 16 in Los Angeles, Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions announced Monday. The fight, which emanates from the Intuit Dome and streams live on Netflix, joins the previously announced Ronda Rousey-Gina Carano and Francis Ngannou-Philippe Lins bouts to form an intriguing tripleheader in MVP's debut MMA event.  

"Glad to be back in action. It's time," Nate Diaz said. "Don't forget where this all came from. I got plans on doing a lot more in the next 10 years, no matter where it is. Time to set the bar again, so get ready for a new takeover again and again until the end of time."

The 40-year-old Diaz, a proud native of Stockton, California, last appeared in an MMA bout in 2022 when he recorded a fourth-round submission of Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 in the final fight of his contract. In recent years, Diaz has stayed busy in professional boxing with high-profile fights against Paul, in a 2023 decision loss, and in a close win over Jorge Masvidal in 2024. 

Perry (14-8), the reigning BKFC "King of Violence" champion, has rebuilt his name across combat sports after losing four of his last five fights in UFC before a 2021 departure. Perry is 6-0 as a bare-knuckle fighter with a handful of notable wins over former MMA stars and was also stopped in six rounds by Paul in a 2024 boxing match. 

"'The King of Violence' returns to MMA to elbow his opponent in the f---ing face," Mike Perry said. "Saturday, May 16, on Netflix, Nate Diaz is going lights out."

MVP, which was co-created in 2021 by former UFC executive Nakisa Bidarian, has become a major disruptor across the boxing promotional world in recent years, including its recent efforts in creating the deepest roster of women's stars across the world. The promotion now expands into a new combat discipline by boasting "the most star-studded MMA fight card ever assembled."

"MVP delivered the most-viewed boxing event since the advent of cable, and now we're set to break records again with the biggest viewership in MMA history with the addition of Diaz-Perry to Rousey-Carano and Ngannou-Lins," Bidarian said. "Nate Diaz is the real BMF, and Mike Perry is the 'King of Violence.' This will be a war from the first press conference all the way to the end when one of them has their hand raised."