Nate Diaz

Nate Diaz wants a shot at Dustin Poirier after UFC 257

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This past weekend at UFC 257, Dustin Poirier (27-6, 1 NC) had the performance of his career against Conor McGregor (22-5). Poirier was looking to get his revenge after McGregor had knocked him out six years ago.

The Diamond had some success in the first round, however, McGregor was getting the better of the exchanges. Poirier admitted after the fight that he was hurt in the first round, but McGregor failed to pounce on him.

In the second round, Poirier started butchering the lead leg of the former two-division UFC champion. About two minutes into the round, Poirier landed a leg kick and McGregor’s leg was completely shot.

Poirier pressed McGregor up against the fence and attacked him viciously. After initially defending well, McGregor was caught with a couple of clean rights that put him down and Poirier got the massive knockout win at UFC 257.

In the post-fight press conference, Poirier said only a couple of opponents are interesting to him at this point. He mentioned the trilogy with McGregor, but he also said he wants a fight with Nate Diaz (20-12). Diaz made it clear that he wants that fight too.

Will the UFC book Poirier – Diaz?

Originally, Poirier and Diaz were supposed to fight at UFC 230. However, Poirier had to pull out of the fight with an injury. Diaz has maintained for years that Poirier had been ducking him which is why he pulled out of the fight.

Recently, it was announced that Diaz would be returning to the UFC’s lightweight division. However, at this time we don’t know who the opponent would be for Diaz. Dana White has said that the promotion did have an opponent in mind.

In reality, Diaz and Poirier don’t make sense from a UFC rankings perspective. Diaz hasn’t fought at lightweight in years and Poirier should be fighting for the title in his next fight. However, we know that the promotion sometimes overlooks the rankings.

If Poirier is adamant about fighting Diaz next, the UFC could make it happen. I think a more likely fight with Diaz would be the trilogy with McGregor, however, Stockton’s own has made it clear that he wants The Diamond next.

After knocking out Conor McGregor at UFC 257, what’s next for Dustin Poirier?

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For six years Dustin Poirier (27-6, 1 NC) has wanted to get back his loss to Conor McGregor (22-5). He finally got his chance at UFC 257. McGregor and Poirier headlined last night’s PPV in an event that was pivotal for the lightweight division.

There is no doubting the fact that Dustin Poirier is way better than he was at UFC 178. The questions were whether or not he’s been able to catch up to Conor McGregor or surpass him during that time. Last night, we emphatically got our answer.

Poirier is known for being a slow starter and he did lose the first round at UFC 257. He did have his moments, but McGregor seemed to get the better of the striking exchanges and even landed some of his shoulder strikes.

However, Poirier was still there after the thirst. In the post-fight press conference, Poirier admitted that McGregor really stunned him with a shot in the first. He said that if McGregor would have pushed forward, he thinks he’d have been in a lot of trouble.

However, McGregor didn’t push forward. During these exchanges, Poirier was racking up the leg kicks. By the second round at UFC 257, they had really done a lot of damage. One really wobbled McGregor and Poirier pounced. He transitioned to power shots from that and put McGregor to sleep.

What’s next after UFC 257?

I was truly blown away by the performance of Dustin Poirier last night at UFC 257. He took some really good shots, but he stayed composed and did what was needed to get the job done against Conor McGregor.

There is no questioning the fact that Dustin Poirier should be fighting for the UFC lightweight title next. The question is more around who he will fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0) retiring.

Dana White said that the UFC wants to book Poirier against Michael Chandler (22-5) for the lightweight title. However, Poirier said in the post-fight press conference that he doesn’t have any interest in fighting Chandler.

Poirier said that the only UFC fights he’s interested in is the trilogy fight with McGregor or fighting Nate Diaz (20-12). Diaz and Poirier were supposed to fight a couple of years ago before Poirier got injured.

Time will tell what will happen, but The Diamond should be getting a title shot no matter who he fights. One thing for sure is that Poirier made it clear that he’s the UFC’s best lightweight not named Khabib last night.

After getting stopped at UFC 257, what’s next for Conor McGregor?

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Conor McGregor, UFC

Last night at UFC 257, the fight world was turned upside down. Dustin Poirier (27-6, 1 NC) utilized a beautiful game plan and stopped Conor McGregor (22-5) in the second round of their rematch.

McGregor had a lot of success in the first round at UFC 257. Upon rewatching the fight, I noticed that McGregor appeared to briefly wobble Poirier a couple of times in the first round. However, he never pushed the action afterwards.

It appeared that McGregor was a little too patient in there. Meanwhile, Poirier took McGregor’s shots and he wouldn’t go away in the first. In the second round, Poirier really started to connect with devastating leg kicks.

A couple of minutes into the round and McGregor buckled after a brutal kick from Poirier. Sensing that McGregor was badly hurt, Poirier swarmed. McGregor dodged some big shots at first, but Poirier was able to land a brutal combination to end things.

The loss at UFC 257 was the first time that McGregor has been stopped by strikes in his career. In reality, it was the first time we’ve seen him really hurt badly on the feet. He’s been stunned a couple of times, but Poirier put him out.

What’s next after UFC 257?

I was very encouraged to hear McGregor at the UFC 257 post-fight press conference. McGregor made it clear that he doesn’t plan on walking away. He also said in his interview in the octagon that he believes inactivity really bit him in this fight.

After last night, it will be back to the drawing board for McGregor. Fortunately for the former UFC champion, the problems from last night are easy to identify. His inability to properly check Poirier’s leg kicks is what did him in.

If the main event was just a boxing match with MMA gloves, McGregor was getting the better of it. McGregor was even getting the better of some of the grappling exchanges that occurred in the fight.

However, a very poised Dustin Poirier found a weakness in the McGregor armor. When he found that weakness, he attacked it viscously. Unlike McGregor, Poirier fought with a killer instinct and he won because of it.

I think the UFC has a very clear next step for Conor McGregor. The next step is the trilogy fight with Nate Diaz (20-12). Diaz is returning to the lightweight division and both men are coming off losses. It’s a massive fight and really the only one that makes sense for Conor McGregor at this time.

Is the UFC targeting Nate Diaz – Justin Gaethje?

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Earlier this week, Dana White said that the UFC was working on the lightweight return of Nate Diaz (20-12). Diaz is one of the biggest stars in the sport and a return to lightweight would signal that he plans to be more active.

White wouldn’t give any significant clues on who his opponent would be. However, he did shut down the rumor of a potential fight with Tony Ferguson (25-5). That’s a fight that UFC fans really liked, but it’s not the fight the promotion is moving towards.

One intriguing things is that White said if Diaz wins, it’ll put him in a great position at lightweight. With that, you have to imagine that whoever he fights will be a top ranked UFC lightweight.

I started thinking through all of the guys in the top ten and I listed out some options in this article. However, while on Fight Island, White was interviewed by Farrah Hannoun and she threw out an option that made the boss smile. That option was Justin Gaethje (22-3)

Will the UFC book Diaz – Gaethje?

When Hannoun gave a guess of Diaz – Gaethje, White just smiled and said, “I don’t know, we’ll see.” Of course, that’s a classic response from the UFC president. If this is the direction the promotion goes, it would be a change from the original plan.

Recently, White said that the UFC was trying to make Justin Gaethje – Charles Oliveira. Charles Oliveira (30-8, 1 NC) is on an incredible streak and many believe that he could be the most dangerous contender in the lightweight division.

However, Oliveira’s manager came out and said that they didn’t want the Gaethje fight. With Oliveira seemingly not interested in fighting The Highlight, it is very possible that the UFC switches gears to make the Diaz fight which would be a huge winner with fans.

Today, Dana White is going to announce the future of Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0). White said in a video that he would announce Khabib’s future and what it means for the rest of the lightweight division. We should expect some clarity at 155 within the next week.

UFC: Conor McGregor wants to have a run at lightweight

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Conor McGregor, UFC

The biggest combat sports star in the world will make his return next Saturday. The UFC‘s first champ-champ, Conor McGregor (22-4), will be fighting for the first time since he knocked out Donald Cerrone in 40 seconds at UFC 246.

McGregor will be taking on Dustin Poirier (26-6, 1 NC) in a rematch from UFC 178. That night, McGregor stopped Poirier in the first few minutes in a fight that showed the world that Conor McGregor was the real deal.

Fast forward more than six years later and both men are in drastically different spots. McGregor became a two-division world champion and he’s even boxed Floyd Mayweather. Meanwhile Poirier rose to the top of lightweight and became the interim champion.

Going into UFC 257, it’s safe to say that both men are at their peaks. I think we are probably going to see the best versions of Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier when they fight next weekend.

The one thing that’s been pointed out about McGregor leading up to this fight is his mentality. When McGregor appears fully focused, he might be the best fighter in the world. However, outside distractions have sometimes hindered his performance in the cage.

There has been a lot of speculation about what will be next for McGregor should he win at UFC 257. Will he box Manny Pacquiao? Will he stay at lightweight? Or will he pursue welterweight superfights? McGregor told The Mac Life his plans earlier this morning.

McGregor wants a UFC title run at lightweight

“I never got a good stint at 155 pounds. A consecutive stint as I did in the featherweight division. I would like to do it the same in the lightweight division as I did in the featherweight division. Give it a good run and tear through the division,” McGregor said.

This has to be music to the ears to everyone at the UFC. There would be nothing better for their business than having McGregor go on a run in the lightweight division. McGregor appears to be fully committed to that or at least he’s appearing that way as of now.

Conor McGregor also discussed his fellow competitors at lightweight and said that there’s many great competitors that he wants to fight. He also mentioned being very interested in the trilogy with Nate Diaz (20-12) at some point in the lightweight division.

UFC currently working on Nate Diaz’s return to lightweight

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One of the most popular fighters in the UFC appears to be heading back to his natural weight class. Dana White revealed this morning to The Mac Life that the promotion is working on the return of Nate Diaz (20-12).

White said that the UFC was working on a Nate Diaz fight as we speak. He also said that the fight would take place at lightweight which is the natural weight class for Nate Diaz. Diaz hasn’t fought at 155 since 2015 when he defeated Michael Johnson.

When Diaz fought Conor McGregor and Anthony Pettis, those fights were at welterweight despite all being natural lightweights. White also said that the fight would get Diaz right back into the title picture should he win in his return to lightweight.

We didn’t see Nate Diaz in a UFC octagon in 2020. Late in the year, the promotion looked to be moving towards booking the rematch between him and Jorge Masvidal. However, the UFC has decided to shift gears towards Masvidal – Colby Covington.

That left Nate Diaz without a dance partner. There really didn’t appear to be a clear matchup for Diaz at welterweight or lightweight. However, using White’s clues about his return to 155, let’s try to figure it out.

The UFC’s plan for Diaz

A fight that makes total sense for all parties involved is Nate Diaz – Tony Ferguson (25-5). That would be the biggest fight in my opinion that the UFC could make, however, Dana White said that the fight for Diaz is not Ferguson.

It’s hard to imagine that the promotion would book him against either Justin Gaethje (22-3) or Charles Oliveira (30-8, 1 NC). The plan currently is for those two to fight assuming the promotion can get the fight done.

The next available contender would be Rafael Dos Anjos (30-13). This fight would actually be a rematch from several years ago when RDA completely dominated Nate Diaz over the course of three rounds.

I find it pretty hard to believe that this would be the potential fight that White is hyping up. At this point, the most logical option appears to be Paul Felder (17-6). Considering the spot in the top ten, that would be the only opponent I can think of for Diaz.

White said that the win for Diaz would get him right back in the mix. Felder makes the most sense unless the UFC believes that the RDA rematch is the fight to make. Time will tell what will happen with Nate Diaz.

Jake Paul pulls a water balloon drive-by on Bellator’s Dillon Danis (Video)

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Jake Paul certainly knows how to troll and he continued today. After he knocked out Nate Robinson a couple of week’s ago, Paul called out Bellator’s Dillon Danis and the UFC’s Conor McGregor.

Paul has been very vocal about calling out MMA fighters to box him. Just this morning, Nate Diaz issued a strong warning to Paul for his words. He’s starting to bark up the wrong trees with some of his comments.

Nevertheless, Paul is great about getting people to talk about him and here we are. Today, Paul decided to take the attack to Bellator‘s Danis. However, he did it in a very unique way.

Paul posted a video on his Twitter account of him driving by where Danis was doing either a signing or interviews. The Bellator fighter was caught off guard and was pelted with water balloons and toilet paper which prompted him to chase Paul’s vehicle.

Bellator is interested

Last week, Bellator‘s head man, Scott Coker, said that the promotion would be interested in potentially having Danis fight Jake Paul. Love or hate the Paul brothers, they certainly know how to draw attention.

We just found out recently that the elder Paul brother, Logan, would be boxing Floyd Mayweather. Jake Paul continues to be steady in his callouts of MMA fighters. He’s very focused on getting a matchup with Dillon Danis.

I really believe that Bellator is seriously going to consider putting this together somehow. With their standing in the world of MMA, they are constantly looking to get more eyeballs on their product.

They’ve done a great job of building up their light heavyweight roster recently, but honestly, having Danis box Jake Paul would bring even more casual attention. Yes, it would be a sideshow, but so many would tune in.

I’m expecting to see even more stuff like this from Jake Paul as he continues to look for a fight with guys in MMA circles. I would just caution the YouTube star on who exactly he messes with. He might just bark up the wrong tree.

UFC: Nate Diaz issues a warning to Jake Paul

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Jake Paul is not making any friends inside the UFC. After knocking out former NBA player Nate Robinson in a boxing match, Paul said that he wanted to beat up any MMA fighter in the boxing ring.

His primary targets were Dillon Danis and Conor McGregor. However, Paul has been very active on social media calling out a number of UFC fighters. He’s got the attention of one fighter who doesn’t really play around with this kind of stuff.

That fighter would be Stockton’s own, Nate Diaz. Diaz is not one who really jokes around with trolls and you can ask Renato Laranja. Diaz took to Twitter last night to issue a very firm warning to the youngest Paul brother.

As you can see, the UFC veteran is not a fan of Jake Paul or his attitude. Without joking, Nate Diaz is the kind of guy who would slap Jake Paul in person if he saw him. This tweet came in response to Paul’s profanity laced callout of Conor McGregor yesterday. 

UFC vs Jake Paul

Here’s the thing, Jake Paul doesn’t have bad boxing technique. He’s clearly taken his training seriously and he’s dedicated his life to getting better. However, he’s fought another YouTuber and a former NBA player half his size.

Paul has no experience against anyone with combat sports experience. If he boxed anyone in the UFC with good hands, he’d get demolished in my eyes. Jake Paul would not beat Nate Diaz or Conor McGregor in a boxing match.

If Jake Paul is going to be taking a boxing match against someone from MMA or in the UFC, he needs to box a grappler. A guy like Dillon Danis. Danis is fighting for Bellator and he’s jiu jitsu expert.

That’s the kind of opponent that Jake Paul could take on right now. Guys like Conor McGregor or Nate Diaz are on a completely different level. Diaz has been boxing for about the amount of time Paul’s been alive. It would be a very bad beating.

UFC: Nate Diaz tears into McGregor and Poirier on Twitter

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It’s looking more and more like Dustin Poirier vs Conor McGregor 2 might be one of the biggest UFC fights of the year – if it does end up happening in 2020. However, not all the fighters in the league are big fans of that idea. The Diaz brothers are pretty well known around the sport for their outspokenness and Nate Diaz took to Twitter to trash talk both fighters and give his take on the likely matchup.

A second bout between Poirier and McGregor is one that fans have wanted to see for a long time. After all, the two fought in the past but both have improved significantly since then. McGregor is a former champion in two divisions and Poirier was the interim champion at lightweight. There’s been a lot of calls for these two to fight again and see if the result is different this time.

But according to Nate Diaz, who has a 1-1 record against McGregor, this is just a case of two friends taking the easy route and fighting each other. He replied dismissively to Poirier claiming he could beat Diaz even in a new 165 lbs division.

With that being said, the fight between McGregor and Poirier looks like it’s going to happen, whether or not it draws criticism from the Diaz brothers. Both fighters are interested in making the fight happen and had previously agreed to a charity fight outside of the UFC. But with both of them under contract and the UFC being unwilling to release them from that for an outside fight, meeting in the Octagon is the next best thing.

The only thing left is for an official date to be decided on, but the UFC has an incentive to make it happen. After all, love him or hate him, a Conor McGregor fight always draws eyes. Especially against another elite opponent like Poirier rather than an aging boxing opponent.

UFC: Nate Diaz and Dan Hooker challenge each other

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One of the more popular fighters in the UFC over the last several years has been Nate Diaz (20-12). Diaz rose to stardom after he defeated Conor McGregor in a massive upset back at UFC 196. McGregor was the featherweight champion at the time.

Following that contest, the two would rematch in the second highest grossing PPV event in UFC history. Diaz has competed twice since that McGregor rematching winning a fight against Anthony Pettis before having the BMF title match against Jorge Masvidal.

Since the BMF loss, Diaz has been on the sidelines. Recently, it was reported that the UFC was close to finalizing the rematch between Diaz and Masvidal. However, the UFC appears to be heading in a different direction angling to book Masvidal against Colby Covington.

That leaves Diaz without a fight. However, thanks to the wonderful world of twitter, a new fight for Diaz could be materializing before our eyes. In the last few days an exchange between Diaz and Dan Hooker (20-9) has created headlines. Both men have challenged the other to a fight.

Would the UFC make it happen?

Hooker is currently the fourth ranked lightweight without a fight. He’s coming off of a close decision loss to Dustin Poirier back in June. He’s been wanting to get back into the octagon, but he has yet to find an opponent to throw down with. Diaz seems to be interested in taking the fight.

Judging by social media, it appears that Diaz is ready to return to the UFC. Considering the fact that the Masvidal fight was close to being done shows that he’s wanting back in. A fight with Hooker would be a fun change of pace for Diaz.

If Nate Diaz were to fight Dan Hooker, it wouldn’t be a giant money maker. However, it would be a fight that could reestablish Diaz near the top of the lightweight division. Granted, Diaz is currently calling for the fight to take place at 165 pound.

I think the UFC would be smart to capitalize on the social media talk between the two men. Nate Diaz needs to be more active in the octagon, and a fight with Dan Hooker would be extremely entertaining for the fans. Time will tell if the promotion moves to book the catchweight contest.