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MMA fans have been waiting to see Nate Diaz in the octagon again, especially considering the controversial way his last UFC bout ended in 2019. The inventor of the Stockton slap has only graced a UFC card four times in the past five years, but surely a win will buck this trend.
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Let’s look at three potential opponents for Nate Diaz if he beats Leon Edwards at UFC 263:
#3. Nate Diaz vs Vicente Luque
With a rematch between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington potentially on the cards, and Gilbert Burns set to face Stephen Thompson at UFC 264 in July, the highest-ranked welterweight available to fight Nate Diaz is Vicente Luque. ‘The Silent Assassin’ is now on a three-fight winning streak in the UFC, impressively dispatching Tyron Woodley at UFC 260 earlier this year.
Stylistically, Luque is the perfect matchup for Nate Diaz. The Stockton native is a 2nd-degree black belt in BJJ (Luque is a brown belt). Luque also proved in the Woodley fight that he can stand and exchange shots with dangerous strikers. A bout between Diaz and Luque has Fight of the Night written all over it.
#2. Nate Diaz vs Jorge Masvidal
A rematch with Jorge Masvidal is probably the most likely outcome if Nate Diaz defeats Leon Edwards at UFC 263. The pair met for the first time at UFC 244 in November 2019 and 'Gamebred' claimed victory due to a doctor's stoppage, winning the BMF belt in the process.
When Kamaru Usman knocked ‘Gamebred’ out at UFC 261 last month, he not only defended the UFC welterweight title but apparently took the BMF belt to boot. Perhaps now Masvidal and Diaz could run it back without the circus of symbolic (and pointless) championships haunting them.
Diaz will be looking for revenge, and it could be the perfect fight for Masvidal to ease himself back into welterweight championship contention. Once the doctor is happy with the state of Diaz’s face, this has the potential to be a classic UFC rematch that may even turn into a trilogy.
#1. Nate Diaz vs Conor McGregor
A lot has happened since Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor last met in the octagon at UFC 202 in 2016. Since the fight, ‘The Notorious’ became the first UFC double-champ, fought pound-for-pound boxing king Floyd Mayweather in the most lucrative combat sports fight of all time, fathered three children, and became the richest athlete in the world.
Diaz, on the other hand, has been patiently waiting for their trilogy fight to materialize. So much so that the Stockton native didn't fight inside the octagon for three entire years after UFC 202.
It is easy to understand why Nate Diaz is seeking a trilogy fight against 'The Notorious.' Once a fighter receives 'McGregor money,' it can be hard to accept a fraction of the amount for their next fight. Of course, a fight against 'The Notorious' can only happen if Conor McGregor loses his trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. A lightweight title shot against Charles Oliveira could be the reward for the winner of that bout.
If the planets align for Nate Diaz, this could be the biggest UFC trilogy fight of all time.
