5 potential opponents for Nate Diaz
While a lot of the talk coming out of UFC 241 was about Stipe Miocic and his recapture of the UFC Heavyweight title, perhaps the biggest piece of news following the blockbuster show in Anaheim is the fact that Stockton’s favourite son, Nate Diaz is back in UFC action – apparently for good this time.
Diaz defeated Anthony Pettis in a tremendous performance – one of the best of his career, a surprise given he hadn’t fought since 2016 – and with even UFC President Dana White now admitting that he’s a “needle-mover”, hopefully it won’t be long before we see him in the Octagon again.
But who should Diaz face? Here are 5 potential opponents for the UFC’s most popular bad boy.
#1 Jorge Masvidal
This one seems pretty logical, as Diaz outright called out Jorge Masvidal for a fight in his post-fight interview following his victory over Pettis on Saturday, suggesting that the winner would be considered “the baddest m********** in the game”.
‘Gamebred’ is on a super-hot run right now, coming off major knockouts of Darren Till and Ben Askren, and it seems like a clash between him and Diaz would make perfect sense right now.
At one point it appeared that Masvidal was in line for a title shot, but with Colby Covington now at the front of the queue for a shot at Kamaru Usman’s title, it seems that ‘Gamebred’ is the odd man out for the time being. This means a fight with Diaz sounds great, especially when you consider the confrontational attitude that both men possess as well as their fighting skills, particularly on the feet.
The one drawback? Money, potentially. Masvidal has been quoted as saying that he’d fight “King Kong in his prime” if the UFC are willing to pay him, but who knows how much he’s demanding, and whether the promotion will be willing to pony up? If the UFC are willing to grant him the big paycheque he’s demanding, then don’t be surprised to see this fight later in 2019.