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#2. The UFC has always used its older legends to build new stars
Some fans will undoubtedly frown upon the idea of handing Nick Diaz a UFC title shot at either Kamaru Usman or Colby Covington.
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That’s because Diaz is 38 years old now, hasn’t won a UFC fight since 2011, and hasn’t actually fought since 2015. However, giving an older legend an unexpected title shot would be nothing new for the UFC.
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2002, for instance, saw returning legend Ken Shamrock leapfrog the much more deserving Chuck Liddell to take a shot at UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz. Shamrock hadn’t fought in the UFC since 1996.
While his 2006 fight with Matt Hughes wasn’t for the UFC welterweight title, it was still an eyebrow-raiser to see 39-year-old Royce Gracie return to the octagon. It forced deserving title contenders such as Georges St-Pierre and BJ Penn to wait in line.
In fact, fights like these make sense from a business standpoint. In a trick taken from the world of pro-wrestling, often the best way to create a new star is to have them beat an older legend from a previous era.
Current UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is a star of sorts right now. But he hasn’t really been able to ascend to the next level yet, despite beating a fairly big star in the form of Jorge Masvidal twice.
If Usman were to face off against a genuine superstar like Nick Diaz and give the aging legend a beating, it would push him over the top. He would finally become the massive star he deserves to be.
That alone makes the fight a worthwhile one for the UFC to book.
#1. A fight between Nick Diaz and Kamaru Usman would probably be entertaining
When it comes to the popularity of Nick Diaz, it’s worth remembering exactly why he became so famous in the first place.
The native of Stockton, California, has a largely unique personality, even in the world of MMA. He’s a trash talker, but not in the same sense as Conor McGregor. Diaz is abrasive, tells things like they are and genuinely doesn’t care what people think about him.
That personality makes him beloved by some and despised by others. However, when you watch him fight in the octagon, it’s immediately easy to see why he’s such a star.
Nick Diaz has one of the most entertaining fighting styles that we’ve ever seen in the UFC. He blends his volume-based boxing with a truly wicked ground game and a ridiculous amount of aggression.
Essentially, any time he steps into the octagon, it’s well worth watching. Unfortunately for other UFC welterweight contenders such as Leon Edwards, it’s nearly impossible to match Nick Diaz in terms of putting on an entertaining fight.
Diaz’s clashes with Diego Sanchez, Robbie Lawler and BJ Penn rank among some of the best fights in UFC history. There’s nothing to suggest that a fight with Kamaru Usman – even if it’d likely end badly for him – would be different.
At the end of the day, the goal of the UFC is to put on entertaining fights that people want to watch.
