NEW YORK – Nate Diaz has never cared much about belts, so why should that change now?

With or without a shiny gold trinket, Diaz considers himself the sport’s “BMF.” It’s always been that way. In his mind, he comes to fight more often than anyone else – that’s “BMF” status.

“To be honest with you, I don’t care about the belt,” Diaz told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden following his open workout Wednesday. “The belt just had to add to it. The whole time, the belt is just a credential for all these guys to think they’re ahead of the game, ahead of everybody in the game. I’m like, ‘I already know I’m ahead of the game, anyways.’ I’ve never chased a belt.

“My whole career, I was never after the belt. I was just after a fight, a win. BJ Penn was a champion forever when I was (coming up). I had a lot of respect for him. I grew up watching him. So I was never hunting him down. I was just fighting, showing everybody I was the best fighter. I was never chasing a belt like the rest of these guys.”

Diaz concluded his thought, “So now, a belt just comes with it, I guess. The belt’s already mine anyways. I’m the one who created it.”

Eager and ready to be done with the media obligations which come with a major event in one of the world’s foremost fight venues, the Stockton, Calif. native said he wished it was fight day.

Instead, Diaz (20-11 MMA, 15-9 UFC) will have to wait until Saturday to put on the gloves and throw down with Jorge Masvidal (34-13 MMA, 11-6 UFC) at Madison Square Garden in the UFC 244 main event.

“I’m far from excited at all the more of this (media) there is,” Diaz said. “It makes me just want to get to the point, get done, and get out of here. It comes with the territory, but it’s all good. I can deal with it. What day is it? Wednesday? I wish it was Friday or Saturday already.

Fans of the UFC may think it’s crazy how history brought us to this point. Diaz and Masvidal – two OG’s of the game, meeting in an unlikely matchup in one of the UFC’s marquee events of the year for a one-time-only “BMF” title. The only one unsurprised by this is Diaz himself.

“I knew personally before he had his last fight a long time ago,” Diaz said. “… If I was a fan of the sport, I’d want to see me versus Masvidal or Masvidal versus my brother. Because everybody else is weak and whack. There are some great fighters out there – great attitudes, great personalities and all that. But as far as straight up fighting – what we all tuned in for initially anyways – I figure if anyone was paying close enough attention, the best fight you could probably imagine would be me and him.”

Diaz recognizes Masvidal’s “BMF” status. But beyond “Gambred,” there aren’t many “BMF’s” who stick out to Diaz. In order for the next challenger to get a crack at the newly minted title, Diaz said fighters need to start proving their worth and credibility.

“Look, anybody who fights me, it’s going to be like this,” Diaz said. “This is what it is. Baddest (expletive), that’s what I already am. I don’t need that. I was just letting it be known and now it’s on a large scale. Win, lose, belt, no belt – every fight I fight is going to be the biggest fight. The baddest (expletive) fight. Because I ain’t fighting no suckers. No more. Anymore. I said that years ago, just not to you guys. I ain’t fighting no more suckers.

“… They’re going to have to bring some attention to themselves to make us recognize. We’ve gotta hear them. I’ve gotta hear them. I’ve said that before. It’s like, you want to fight? We better hear it. We better see it. You better do something impressive. Something good. That’s what I’m doing. I’m fighting the guys who are doing something good. I would expect the same.”

UFC 244 takes place Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN2/ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.