Nate Diaz

UFC: Nate Diaz and Dustin Poirier down to fight each other

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UFC 269 was this past weekend and Dustin Poirier (28-7, 1 NC) was fighting for the lightweight title. It was Poirier’s second opportunity at undisputed lightweight gold.

Charles Oliveira (32-8) was able to defeat Poirier on Saturday by submission. The loss made Poirier 0-2 in bids to become the UFC‘s undisputed lightweight title.

A dejected Poirier appeared on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show yesterday and talked about the fight. Poirier mentioned that he hadn’t watched the fight back yet and that he didn’t know what would be next.

In fact, Poirier mentioned that he doesn’t know if he’s going to fight at lightweight ever again. Poirier has expressed interest for a while in moving up to the UFC’s welterweight division.

When asked about potential opponents, Poirier said there’s only one name that gets him excited. That would name is Stockton’s own Nathan Diaz (20-13).

Both interested in January UFC fight

These two were supposed to fight a couple of years ago. However, Poirier had to pull out of the fight with an injury and fans never got to see the highly anticipated matchup.

Diaz took to Twitter yesterday and said that he would fight Poirier next month. Poirier then responded saying that he would fight Diaz this month and the two went back-and-forth.

UFC 270 is the January PPV and one of the main card fights just dropped off. Derek Brunson and Jared Cannonier has shifted to UFC 271 in February.

With the main card opening there, the writing is on the wall if the UFC is interested in making it happen. Ariel Helwani reported last night that it’s not just Twitter talk and that both Diaz and Poirier have serious interest in fighting.

My guess is that the UFC is going to start working towards making this happen. The promotion has been trying to figure out the perfect fight for Diaz as he only has one fight left on his contract.

I think everyone can agree that a fight with Dustin Poirier would be perfect. This will definitely be something to watch over the coming days.

After falling short at UFC 269, what’s next for Dustin Poirier?

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This past weekend at UFC 269, the undisputed lightweight title was on the line. Dustin Poirier (28-7, 1 NC) was looking to finally get his hands on undisputed gold when he took on Charles Oliveira (32-8).

For Dustin Poirier, the fight couldn’t have started better at UFC 269. The former interim champion dropped Oliveira and hurt him a couple of times in the first round. Things were going according to plan.

However, the second round saw the momentum completely shift. After a grappling exchange, Poirier found himself on the bottom. Fearful of the submission game of Oliveira, Poirier rode out the round on bottom while eating plenty of elbows.

In the third round, Oliveira charged forward and forced another grappling exchange. This time, the UFC champion was able to immediately get the back of Dustin Poirier.

Once there, the fight was essentially over. Oliveira started attacking a rear-naked choke and was able to lock one in. Poirier tried to fight it off but was forced to tap as Oliveira successfully defended his UFC lightweight title.

What’s next after UFC 269?

There are no other words to describe Poirier’s loss other than crushing. Poirier admitted at the post-fight press conference that he was heartbroken and devastated by the result.

Make no mistake about it, Dustin Poirier is one of the best fighters in the UFC. However, undisputed gold has been outside of his reach his entire career.

He got his first shot two years ago against Khabib Nurmagomedov and suffered the same result. Now, The Diamond must go back to the drawing board and figure out whats next.

The UFC does have a couple of options they can look at. An obvious choice from a rankings perspective is Michael Chandler (22-7). Chandler is on a two-fight losing streak but the losses came to Oliveira and Justin Gaethje.

A fight between Poirier and Chandler would re-establish one of them right in the title picture. If Poirier is looking for a big money fight, I love the idea of him and Nate Diaz (20-13).

These two have wanted to fight for years and now could be the perfect time. Diaz needs a fight and Poirier might want a money fight over a contender fight with Chandler.

That fight could setup a potential fourth matchup with Conor McGregor (22-6) once McGregor is ready to return over the summer. There are still plenty of big fights out there for Poirier and don’t rule him out just yet.

What does the UFC do with Nate Diaz?

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The UFC is currently in a unique spot with one of their biggest stars. Nate Diaz (20-13) is currently looking for a fight and he cannot seem to get one locked down despite the promotion exploring a variety of options.

Diaz has one fight left on his UFC contract and the promotion is trying to decide what to do with that fight. Most recently, the promotion has tried to offer Diaz a fight with superstar prospect Khamzat Chimaev (10-0).

Chimaev is coming off of another massive win at UFC 267 where he completely destroyed Li Jingliang in the first round. The Chechen welterweight has finished every opponent he’s faced in four fights and he’s only absorbed one significant strike.

The UFC is struggling to find Chimaev an opponent for his next fight as well. Given the star power of Diaz, the promotion wanted to pair him with Chimaev to make Chimaev an even bigger star should he defeat the fan favorite, Nate Diaz.

However, Diaz isn’t interested. Diaz told TMZ that he wouldn’t fight a rookie like Chimaev but he would fight anyone in the top ten of the UFC‘s welterweight division. With that, who should the promotion pair him with?

Options for Diaz’s next UFC fight

The option that I like the most is a matchup with top contender Vicente Luque. It’s clear now that Leon Edwards is likely going to get the next shot against Kamaru Usman. With that, Luque is going to need to take another fight before getting a title shot of his own.

The UFC approached Luque about fighting his teammate Gilbert Burns. However, Luque wasn’t interested in that matchup given their relationship. I think the promotion is likely going to book Chimaev against Burns next.

With that, the opening is there for Luque to fight Diaz next and this is a fight that both men have verbally expressed interest in. However, the UFC hasn’t moved in that direction as of yet.

The only other fight to watch out for would be the BMF rematch with Jorge Masvidal. The UFC tried to make this fight last year but ultimately pivoted when they tried to book Masvidal against Covington.

That said, the word is that the UFC is fully planning on booking Masvidal against Covington now that both are coming off losses. All that being said, I think Vicente Luque – Nate Diaz is going to be Diaz’s last fight on his current UFC deal.

Who will Conor McGregor face in his UFC return?

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Conor McGregor, UFC

The biggest star in the UFC is getting closer and closer to returning. Conor McGregor (22-6) is still recovering after he broke his leg in his last fight against Dustin Poirier (28-6, 1 NC) back in July. The fight was the third installment of the rivalry between the two men.

With McGregor losing by doctor stoppage at UFC 264, McGregor went 0-2 against Poirier this year after winning their first fight. However, there are a lot of questions still surrounding the rivalry especially with the way the third fight ended.

McGregor took to his Twitter account over the weekend to answer some fans questions. Of course, many UFC fans were wanting to know when he would be making his return to the octagon.

In a response, McGregor said that he would resume full MMA sparring in April with a UFC return imminent at that point. Given that information, we should probably expect a McGregor return in the early summer months.

McGregor’s UFC return

When Conor McGregor is ready to return, the UFC is going to have some decisions to make. Who will the promotion pair him up against when he returns? McGregor has publicly said that he wants to fight for the title upon his return.

However, I just don’t know how realistic that option is. With that, what are some more realistic options for The Notorious one. I think the first obvious choice would be the trilogy fight with Nate Diaz (20-13).

McGregor and Diaz are both massive stars and they are currently 1-1 after two fights. This would get McGregor back into the swing of things against a big time opponent and it’s a winnable fight for him.

This would be the smart play in my opinion. Of course, there’s the outside chance that he comes right back to a fourth fight with Dustin Poirier. While the UFC could do this, I think they should hold off for now.

Another option to watch out for is Rafael Dos Anjos (30-13). Both men are former UFC lightweight champions and they have beef. They were supposed to fight years ago, but RDA pulled out with an injury.

They have had backstage run-ins and neither man likes each other. This could be another route the UFC could go. If I had to guess in terms of the likelihood, I would say it goes: Diaz, RDA, Poirier.

Who is next for Khamzat Chimaev after UFC 267?

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This past Saturday on the main card of UFC 267, we saw a welterweight showdown between phenom Khamzat Chimaev (10-0) and Li Jingliang (18-7). Li entered the contest ranked 11th and was supposed to present the first real challenge for Chimaev in the UFC.

Chimaev stormed on the scene last year with three quick wins over quality opponents in the span of three months. With how dominant he was the UFC rushed him to the top and booked him against top welterweight contender Leon Edwards.

However, a rough battle with COVID kept Chimaev on the shelf for over a year. This past Saturday, he finally returned and many wondered how he would look. Chimaev looked to be the same, but there were questions about his performance after a battle with COVID.

Couple that with Li as his opponent and it wasn’t expected to be easy for Chimaev. Well, at UFC 267 Chimaev made it look easier than ever. Moments into the fight, Chimaev shot in on Li and picked him up and carried him over to where Dana White was sitting.

Chimaev talked with White as he slammed Li to the ground. From there, the Chechen proceeded to smash Li before locking up a rear naked choke and putting him to sleep. Chimaev has fought four times in the UFC, he’s 4-0 and he’s only been hit once.

What’s next after UFC 267?

I swear I’m not exaggerating in saying this, but I truly believe that Khamzat Chimaev could compete with either of the welterweights fighting at UFC 268. Whether that be the champion Kamaru Usman or the challenger Colby Covington, I really believe Chimaev can compete.

Whether he would win or not in a potential fight with those two is a different story. With how good he looks, what should the UFC do with him next? Well, I think I want to see him fight one more guy on the back end of the top ten before jumping straight to a title eliminator.

Chimaev and Neil Magny (25-8) have had some back-and-forth for a while. Magny has already come out and said that he wanted to fight Chimaev next. UFC President Dana White said the promotion will also talk with Nate Diaz (20-13) about potentially fighting Chimaev.

However, I find it highly unlikely that Diaz would accept that fight. My guess is that Magny is going to be the guy and I think it’ll happen sooner rather than later. Given the way Chimaev is, I wouldn’t even rule out the UFC booking this fight before the end of the year.

Will Nate Diaz leave the UFC after his next fight?

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One of the biggest stars in the UFC has just one fight left on his current deal. That fighter would be Stockton’s own, Nathan Diaz (20-13). Diaz has blossomed into being one of the top earners for the promotion over the past few years.

For Diaz, the rise to stardom came when he took on Conor McGregor on short-notice. McGregor hadn’t lost in the UFC and had just captured the featherweight title at the time after knocking out Jose Aldo. Diaz stepped in for an injured Rafael Dos Anjos to take on McGregor.

After a hot start from McGregor, Diaz stopped him in the second round. The two would rematch in one of the greatest fights in UFC history. McGregor got the nod, but Diaz walked away an even bigger start than he was before.

That’s been the pattern for Diaz over the past few years. Even when he doesn’t win like his matchups with Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards, he somehow gets bigger and bigger. Simply put, Diaz has become a superstar for the UFC.

One UFC Fight Left

Currently the UFC is working on a fight for Diaz. That fight will be the final one on Diaz’s current deal and then the star will get to explore free agency for the first time in his career. The question now becomes, will he resign or walk away?

There are a lot of people who believe Diaz would walk away from the UFC. Perhaps he would walk away to chase a massive payday to box Jake Paul. That boxing match has been rumored for a while and if Diaz leaves the UFC after his next fight, I could definitely see it happening.

I don’t see any scenario where Diaz would leave for either Bellator or PFL or any other MMA promotion. It’s either the UFC or boxing for Diaz. The UFC could be holding a few aces in their pocket that could convince Diaz to stay for at least one or two more fights.

The Conor McGregor trilogy fight makes a ton of sense for next summer. McGregor will be returning from injury and it would line up perfectly after Diaz completes his contract in early 2022. The McGregor trilogy could be his first fight back.

Should he win that fight, the UFC could go then potentially pair him with a Dustin Poirier who might very well be the lightweight champion. These two have wanted to fight for years and Diaz could be an attractive opponent for Poirier.

Then there’s the BMF rematch which almost happened last year. These three fights would all be massive for Diaz and would net him a pretty penny. Would any pay more than a boxing match with Jake Paul? That remains to be seen, but it will be interesting to watch how this story plays out in the coming months.

Is the UFC targeting Nate Diaz – Tony Ferguson?

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Today we might’ve seen a hint that the UFC is targeting a lightweight matchup that fans have wanted to see for years. One of the biggest stars in the sport, Nate Diaz (20-13) took to Twitter today and posted a very cryptic tweet.

The tweet was just a picture of former interim UFC lightweight champion, Tony Ferguson (25-6). El Cucuy and Nate Diaz have long been linked to each other but a fight between the two men never materialized.

Now, with Diaz seemingly targeting Ferguson, perhaps the UFC is going to move in that direction. Over the past few years, Diaz has really been directing his own career. Usually, if he wants to fight someone, the promotion makes it happen.

Diaz got two fights with Conor McGregor, a fight with Jorge Masvidal, a fight with Anthony Pettis, then he recently fought Leon Edwards at UFC 263. The fight with Edwards made no sense for Diaz from a rankings perspective, but it’s the fight Diaz wanted so he got it.

Last UFC stand for El Cucuy?

Stockton’s Own appears to be targeting El Cucuy. Ferguson appears to be nearing the end of his run in the UFC. For years, Tony Ferguson was looked at as one of the very best lightweights in the world. In fact, for a while, many considered him to be the very best.

In the deepest division in the UFC, Ferguson went on a 12-fight win streak from 2013 to 2019. During that time he defeated the likes of Rafael Dos Anjos, Josh Thomson, Anthony Pettis, and Donald Cerrone. The highlight was his interim title victory over Kevin Lee.

During this stretch, the UFC tried to book Ferguson against Khabib Nurmagomedov for the undisputed lightweight title. In the six year stretch, Ferguson and Khabib were supposed to fight five times but it always fell through. Most recently at UFC 249 last April.

Ferguson ended up fighting Justin Gaethje for an interim title and lost. That loss started a streak that has now seen Ferguson lose three fights in a row. El Cucuy still has his following but it’s harder to book him a fight nowadays. A fight with Nate Diaz would satisfy the masses and makes sense for both men.

Is the UFC going to book Nate Diaz – Vicente Luque?

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One of the UFC‘s biggest stars has selected the guy that he wants to face next. That star is Stockton’s Nate Diaz (20-13) and the opponent that he’s zeroing in on is one of the best welterweights in the world, Vicente Luque (21-7-1).

Vicente Luque is currently the fourth ranked welterweight in the UFC. Luque made his debut with the promotion back in 2015 coming off of a stint on The Ultimate Fighter. He didn’t win the show and he lost his first UFC fight on the finale.

However, since that loss, you cannot deny that Luque hasn’t been one of the best in the world. Since losing his debut with the promotion, Luque has gone an astonishing 14-2 since 2015.

During that time, the only two men to have defeated him inside the octagon is Wonderboy Thompson and Leon Edwards. Personally, I would love to see Luque and Edwards fight again to determine a true number one contender.

However, Luque has wanted a fight with Nate Diaz for a while. After his last two UFC victories, Luque has told the media that he wants to fight Nate Diaz. He respects Diaz, but he also knows the rub that you can get from fighting a star like that.

Diaz’s UFC Selections

Make no mistake about it, Nate Diaz is one of the UFC’s superstars. With that, he has earned himself a few privileges that a lot of other fighters really don’t have. One of those is having the ability to have a great say in who he fights next.

On paper, Diaz has not really been close to a title contender in years for the promotion. However, that hasn’t stopped him from wanting to fight the best of the best the UFC has to offer. Simply put, if you look tough and you’re perceived as the best, Diaz wants to fight you.

When Conor McGregor was on the rise, Diaz called him out and got the fight. The win over McGregor in their first fight is what made him an even bigger star. Then, their second fight was one of the best fights you’ll ever see.

After defeating Anthony Pettis, Diaz called out Jorge Masvidal who was becoming one of the biggest stars in the UFC. Earlier this year, Diaz fought Leon Edwards who was perceived as one of the best and a guy that nobody wanted to fight.

One could point out the fact that Diaz is just 1-3 in his last four so he shouldn’t be fighting a top contender. However, with Diaz it really doesn’t matter. He’s one of those guys where a record really doesn’t matter. While it doesn’t make sense on paper, I believe the UFC is moving towards booking Diaz against Vicente Luque.

UFC: Nate Diaz says he’s fighting in December

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It appears that one of the most popular fighters in the UFC has his next date. Nate Diaz (20-13) took to Instagram today and announced that he would be, “Defending in December” insinuating that he will be returning to the octagon at the end of the year.

The last time we saw Diaz was at UFC 263 when he took on Leon Edwards (19-3, 1 NC). While Diaz has spent the majority of his career at lightweight, he’s fought his last five fights at 170 pounds.

Diaz has been more interested in fighting who’s considered to be the best than anything else. The UFC was struggling to get Leon Edwards a fight earlier this year. Given his talent and his winning streak, Diaz told the UFC he wanted to fight him.

The two met back in June. While Edwards controlled virtually the entire fight, the world was buzzing over the final minute. Diaz landed a flush 1-2 to the chin of Edwards and rocked him badly. Had that moment happened earlier in the round, Diaz might’ve finished Edwards.

However, Edwards survived and got the decision win. While Diaz is just 1-3 in his last four fights, his star power continues to grow. With him returning in December, it’ll be interesting to see who the UFC pairs him with.

Who will the UFC have Diaz fight?

In recent weeks, Diaz has really targeted Dustin Poirier (28-6, 1 NC). Poirier and Diaz were supposed to fight a couple of years ago, but the fight fell apart before the UFC could get things finalized.

Pretty much since January, Diaz has been calling for a fight with Poirier. While it’s expected that Poirier will be fighting for the UFC lightweight title next, he said on Monday that he wasn’t ruling out a potential fight with Diaz. 

Another possiblity could be Jorge Masvidal (35-15). Gamebred and Diaz fought back at UFC 244 for the BMF title. Masvidal controlled the fight, but Diaz was coming on strong in the middle rounds. However, a doctor called a stop to the fight due to a cut over Diaz’s eye.

While Masvidal was clearly winning, it did leave a sour taste in everyone’s mouth. The UFC was originally looking to run that fight back last year, however, they ultimately scrapped that plan. With Masvidal coming off the loss to Kamaru Usman, perhaps the promotion is ready to have the BMF rematch.

Dustin Poirier not committed to any UFC offer; Open to either Charles Oliveira or Nate Diaz next

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dustin poirier, ufc

Arguably the best lightweight in the UFC gave one of his first interviews today since his big win last month. Dustin Poirier (28-6, 1 NC) was the first guest on the return of Ariel Helwani’s MMA Hour on MMA Fighting this afternoon.

The Diamond has been relatively quiet since his second win over Conor McGregor (22-6) back at UFC 264. After Poirier picked up the win, it was universally expected that Poirier would be next in line for the UFC lightweight title.

However, with everything having gone quiet, there’s been no word on that fight getting finalized. While a fight with Poirier is what Charles Oliveira (31-8, 1 NC) is mentally preparing for, it might not be next for Dustin Poirier.

Poirier has always been a lightweight that has gone on his own path. Outside of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Poirier has been the best lightweight in the UFC over the last few years. If you think of any top lightweight outside of Oliveira and Nurmagomedov, Poirier has defeated them.

Originally, the UFC wanted Poirier to fight Oliveira for the title at UFC 262. However, Poirier chased the money fight and cashed in with a second win over Conor McGregor. Now, Poirier is in a very similar position.

UFC Title or Money Fight?

Poirier has been the target of recent callouts from the one and only Nate Diaz (20-13). Diaz is one of the biggest stars in the UFC and he’s been calling for a fight with Dustin Poirier for a long time.

The fight with Nate Diaz is something that Poirier has also wanted for a long time as he told Helwani today. Diaz has lost two consecutive fights, but neither fight has done anything to diminish his star power. In fact, his star power has seemingly become even greater.

He last fought at UFC 263 when he fought Leon Edwards at 170 pounds. Edwards was considered one of the best in the welterweight division and Diaz wanted to fight him because of how good he was.

Edwards controlled most of the fight, but Nate Diaz came on strong and almost finished Edwards in the final minute. While Edwards got the win, all the talk was about Nate Diaz after UFC 263.

Diaz and Poirier were once scheduled to fight and the fight fell through. Since then, both have gone back-and-forth with each other over social media. A fight between the two men seems inevitable.

Helwani told Poirier today that he believes the money fight for Poirier would be Diaz. However, the legacy fight would be for the UFC title. In reality, the ball is in Poirier’s court just like it was earlier this year. What will he do: Fight Charles Oliveira or Fight Nate Diaz? Time will tell on this one.