Who should Nick Diaz fight if returns to the UFC (Opinion)
Nick Diaz will probably go down as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. It was too bad to see Nick Diaz lose the prime years of his fighting due to a ban imposed on him because of the consumption of marijuana. However, his ban was lifted early last year, and as of today, Nick Diaz is eligible to compete inside the octagon once again. So if Nick Diaz decides to come back to UFC, who should he face in his return fight?
Nick Diaz has had great rivalries with some of the greatest mixed martial artists in the form of Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, Carlos Condit, and Diego Sanchez. However, all these fighters have either been away from fighting or are not at the peak of their performance to sell the fight.
Who should Nick Diaz face in his comeback fight?
While there may be a lot of interesting option for Nick Diaz in hindsight, there aren't many match-ups which would make absolute sense for Nick Diaz to come back. Be that as it may, a Nick Diaz fight is always going to be a slugfest. It would take a heated rivalry or a noted athlete for Nick Diaz to come out of retirement. Regardless, let's take a look at the fighters who have called out Nick Diaz.
Recently, Diego Sanchez accused that Nick Diaz used to hate him during his early years in UFC. He also stated that Diaz would send E-mails and talk s**t about his mother and father. Diego Sanchez and Nick Diaz met way back at The Ultimate Fighter Season 2 Finale in 2005, where Sachez picked up an impressive unanimous decision win over the Stockton Slugger. Despite some incredible performances from Sanchez in his last few fights, the former top contender has not competed with top-ranked opponents. The likelihood of Diego Sanchez vs Nick Diaz 2 is slightly low if you look at other incredible options ahead of Nick Diaz.
Robbie Lawler and Nick Diaz had an epic encounter back in April of 2004. Nick Diaz saw a downfall in his career with three back to back losses to his name. Similarly, Lawler has not won a fight in the last three years. However, he has competed against top-ranked fighters, with his last loss coming against #2 ranked welterweight contender Colby Covington. Lawler is scheduled to take on top prospect Neil Magny and will look to jump back to winning way with a win over the UFC veteran. Lawler vs Diaz 2 makes perfect considering their heated rivalry inside the octagon. Both Lawler and Diaz put up a performance of a lifetime with Nick Diaz picking up a brutal KO win over the "Ruthless" Lawler.
There is an incredible opportunity against Jorge Masvidal. If Nick Diaz can get past Jorge Masvidal, it can directly put him in the title picture. Jorge Masvidal called out Nick Diaz after the elder Diaz brother called out Jorge Masvidal for his comments in the post-match interview after UFC 244 for the symbolic BMF belt against his younger brother, Nate Diaz.
There are several interesting options for Nick Diaz if he decides to make his return. However, at 37, it seems unlikely that the elder Diaz brother will make his much-anticipated return to the octagon. Nick Diaz has entertained the fight fans long enough to walk away from the octagon and never return. Only time will tell if Nick Diaz will ever return to the octagon. If he does, it's going to take the MMA world by storm.