Daniel Cormier has suggested that he'd like to see Nick Diaz in fights against Niko Price, Donald' Cowboy' Cerrone, and Mike Perry. 'DC' indicated that these three fighters and others like them would be ideal stylistic matchups for Diaz.
During the latest edition of ESPN MMA's DC & RC show, Daniel Cormier and co-host Ryan Clark discussed Nick Diaz's future after UFC 266. Cormier said:
“For me, it’s guys like this: Niko Price, 'Cowboy' Cerrone, Mike Perry. Those types of guys, for me, I’m tuning in to watch Nick (Diaz) fight every single time.”
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At UFC 266 on September 25, combat sports icon Nick Diaz competed in his first MMA fight since January 2015. Diaz faced former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler in a middleweight bout.
The fight was initially scheduled to take place at welterweight. However, just a few days before the event, Nick Diaz's camp requested that the fight be changed to a middleweight bout.
Many believe that Nick Diaz was injured in the lead-up to the fight, owing to which he was unable to cut down to welterweight. The Stockton native lost via TKO after he chose not to continue fighting following a knockdown in the third round.
Their first fight witnessed Nick Diaz beat Robbie Lawler via second-round TKO at UFC 47 in April 2004. They are currently 1-1 in their series of fights.
Watch the full episode of DC & RC below:
Nick Diaz's fan-favorite style and potential future fights
Over the years, Nick Diaz has received widespread praise from the MMA community for his fan-friendly fighting style. However, considering that he has slowed down with age, it's unrealistic to expect the same level of output from the Stockton native. This is perhaps why Cormier believes Diaz should fight someone like Cerrone, who is also a brawler in the final days of his storied career.
Niko Price's most recent fight was a unanimous decision loss against Michel Pereira at UFC 264 in July. Donald' Cowboy' Cerrone's last fight was a first-round TKO loss against Alex Morono at UFC on ESPN: Rodriguez vs. Waterson in May.
Mike Perry's most recent outing saw him lose via unanimous decision to Daniel Rodriguez at UFC on ABC: Vettori vs. Holland in April. Presently, neither Nick Diaz nor the UFC have made any announcements regarding Diaz's next fight or opponent.