5 potential Nate Diaz fights that have likely passed us by

#4 Nate Diaz vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov

Khabib Nurmagomedov (left) and Nate Diaz (right)

Nate Diaz and Khabib Nurmagomedov aren't fond of each other and over the years, neither man has tried to hide the fact. Their rivalry began at the World Series of Fighting (now known as the Professional Fighters League) in 2015 when the Stockton native claimed that he apparently slapped the Russian.

"They took a group picture with me behind them, just to laugh at me, make fun of me. And then I'm watching my friend walk out, trying to watch his fight, and [Khabib] is like, ‘Ah, come on, man’ and they’re all laughing, 12 Russian dudes. I slapped him in his face for making fun of me and I’m like, ‘What?’ And he didn’t do nothing."

Diaz later claimed that Nurmagomedov and his Russian teammates were apparently mocking him and making fun of him, which prompted him to act aggressively. The pair almost came to blows another time during UFC 239 back in 2019 but the UFC security handled the situation before it could escalate.

Although Khabib retired in 2020 and a fight between him and the Stockton native never came to fruition, it would have been quite the spectacle to see Diaz and Nurmagomedov share the octagon in a bid to settle their rivalry.

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#3 Nate Diaz vs. Michael Chandler

Michael Chandler (left) and Nate Diaz (right)

Michael Chandler is currently one of the most entertaining fighters in the UFC. The former Bellator lightweight champion has a kill-or-be-killed style of fighting inside the octagon which never ceases to provide edge-of-the-seat thrilling action whenever he steps inside the cage.

Following his knockout win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 274, Chandler expressed a desire to fight Diaz in July. Although 'Iron' initially agreed to the July 30 date proposed by the Stockton native, he later claimed that it will be difficult for him to fight so early because he is yet to be medically cleared to compete.

After Diaz accused him of lying about not being medically cleared to compete in July, Chandler reaffirmed that he wasn't lying and asked the 37-year-old to "stay in the gym" and prepare for the fight.

Diaz, however, seems like he's hell bent on fighting in July and has seemingly moved on from the idea of fighting Chandler.