"What if he shocks us all and gets signed to the NBA" - MMA Twitter hilariously attempts to guess Nate Diaz's next venture

Nate Diaz's UFC 279 main event fight against Tony Ferguson was potentially his last in the octagon. A veteran of the promotion, Diaz has only known life in the UFC for the past 15 years.

Naturally, there is speculation about the future of the mixed martial arts icon. UFC fighters and fans alike tried to guess his next destination.

UFC welterweight Belal Muhammad aired the idea of Diaz switching over to basketball and playing in the NBA:

"What if he shocks us all and gets signed to the nba"

Check out his tweet below:

What if he shocks us all and gets signed to the nba

Fans expanded upon Muhammad's idea further and came up with crossover nicknames for Diaz:

@bullyb170 wouldn't it be funny one day if we have an incredibly talented athlete who goes back and forth between the nba and the ufc

@bullyb170 Nate curry

@bullyb170 LeDiaz

Meanwhile, UFC lightweight Terrance McKinney thought Diaz would make a great lacrosse player:

"Nate Diaz about to be the best lacrosse player in the country [fire emojis]"

Nate Diaz about to be the best lacrosse player in the country 🔥🔥

MiddleEasy also predicted a potential Olympic appearance and success for the Stockton native, and with his conditioning, he may well be in good stead to compete in a triathlon:

"Wait until Nate Diaz wins gold at the Olympic triathlon in 2024. Then you motherfuckers will get it. #UFC279"

Wait until Nate Diaz wins gold at the Olympic triathlon in 2024. Then you motherfuckers will get it. #UFC279 https://t.co/BFWTx1ajya

Chris Curtis and Max Holloway expressed their excitement to see Diaz in a new setting:

"I swear to God I would buy front row seats to a Nate Diaz Glory event. #UFC279"

"Nate is a g! Excited to see what’s next! #UFC279"

I swear to God I would buy front row seats to a Nate Diaz Glory event. #UFC279

Nate is a g! Excited to see what’s next! #UFC279

Others cited Diaz as the biggest fish in the ocean now that he is out of contract and a free agent:

Nate Diaz is going to be the biggest free agent in MMA history and it's not especially close.

Unreal how everything went in diaz way! That dude is gonna be a major problem as a free agent

Conor McGregor responds to Nate Diaz's dig

Nate Diaz commented on his future soon after his win over Tony Ferguson. The Stockton native spoke to Joe Rogan after his fourth-round submission win, saying:

"I want to get out of the UFC for a minute and show all these UFC fighters how to take over and own up another sport. How you're supposed to do it. Because Conor McGregor didn't know how to do it. And none of these other fighters know how to do it."

He expressed his intent to be a trailblazer and find success in a different sport. Diaz further listed a host of other combat sports that he would be open to trying.

Diaz's open-ended approach to his future is refreshing, with him not even ruling out a return to the UFC. However, longtime rival Conor McGregor did not take kindly to being called out by his former two-time opponent.

McGregor lashed out in a tweet, demanding respect and claiming he would beat both main event fighters:

"Ah come on bro I’m absolutely stinking. And with so much quality. This has never been seen before what I’m doing man. Please, Your nothing with out me. Respect, please. I’d slap you around handy. And Tony easy. I’d have sawed Tony in half. 2 ham ball heads. Respect the king."

Ah come on bro I’m absolutely stinking. And with so much quality. This has never been seen before what I’m doing man. Please, Your nothing with out me. Respect, please. I’d slap you around handy. And Tony easy. I’d have sawed Tony in half. 2 ham ball heads.
Respect the king. twitter.com/mmafighting/st…