Nate Diaz

UFC Match Maker: Nate Diaz – Tony Ferguson

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Former interim UFC lightweight champion, Tony Ferguson, spent time on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show recently. Ferguson talked about his desire to fight lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov who’s currently scheduled to fight at UFC 254.

Ferguson was also scheduled to fight that night against Dustin Poirier. However, that fight fell apart leaving Ferguson without a dance partner. Ferguson wasn’t interested in fighting Michael Chandler who has not fought inside the UFC yet.

During his interview with Helwani, Ferguson said something interesting. He mentioned the fact that he feels like he’s a natural welterweight. He also said he would be interested in a fight with Nick Diaz who recently announced he’s returning to the UFC.

That got me thinking about something for Ferguson. Nick Diaz’s younger brother, Nate Diaz, has become a UFC star. Nate was scheduled to rematch Jorge Masvidal, but the UFC is pivoting towards booking Masvidal against Colby Covington.

The UFC also appears to be trying to work out a deal to make Conor McGregor – Dustin Poirier. That leaves both men without a fight. Well, I think you can see where I’m going with this. Both of these men would make for the perfect fight.

UFC should make Diaz – Ferguson

El Cucuy made it clear that he wants a big name fight for his next contest. He talked about the fact that he sells PPV’s when he fights. Well, for Ferguson it wouldn’t get much bigger than a fight with Nate Diaz in the UFC.

Diaz has blossomed into a star over the past few years. All starting with his giant win over Conor McGregor that occurred at UFC 196. Diaz’s stardom took off after that. Since then Diaz has participated in two additional events which generated over 900,000 PPV buys.

When Ferguson fought Justin Gaethje back at UFC 249, that card did about 750,000 PPV buys. Now granted, it was the first live sports event since the pandemic hit. Nevertheless, a fight with Diaz and Ferguson makes all the sense in the world.

Neither guy is going to accept a fight against just anyone. The name and the financial figures have to be right for both men to step into the cage. To me, the two men fighting each other solves problems they are both currently facing. If I’m running the show, I would see if I could make this fight happen.

UFC working on Jorge Masvidal – Colby Covington per Dana White

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Following UFC 253, Dana White was asked about a variety of topics at his post-fight press conference. One of the questions he was asked was about Nate Diaz. Diaz had posted a trailer earlier in the day essentially trying to pump up fans for a rematch with Jorge Masvidal.

However, the UFC seems to be switching up their plans after last weekend. The UFC was close to finalizing the rematch between Masvidal and Diaz, but after Colby Covington‘s victory at UFC Vegas 11, the promotion has other plans.

When asked about what’s next for Masvidal, White said that a fight with Colby Covington makes sense. When asked if the UFC was looking to book that fight, White responded saying, “It’s very possible,” with a smile.

Ultimate UFC Theatre

White is right about one thing, and that is that Masvidal – Covington is the fight to make. Both of these UFC welterweights rank inside the top four in the division. Both have lost to the current champion Kamaru Usman, but are primed for rematches.

In addition to their UFC rankings, there is a ton of personal beef between the two men. Masvidal and Covington were former training partners and roommates. At one point, the two fighters labeled each other as brothers.

However, when Covington changed up his style to benefit his career, it created a riff between the two UFC welterweights. Masvidal and Covington have grown to have a strong hatred for the other, and they’ve been jawing at each other for a while.

A fight between the two of them makes perfect sense for the promotion, and it’s a much better fight for the UFC than the Diaz rematch. White made another point at the press conference saying the rematch with Diaz will, “Always be there.”

Covington said after his victory at UFC Vegas 11 that Masvidal needed to answer for all the things he said. This would be the perfect title eliminator for the promotion. The winner should be next in line to face the winner of Kamaru Usman – Gilbert Burns which takes place in December.

Could Colby Covington welcome Nick Diaz back to the UFC?

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UFC, Colby Covington

Last Saturday night at UFC Vegas 11, Colby Covington (16-2) put on a clinic. He completely dominated Tyron Woodley for four rounds before an injury TKO called a stop to the action in the fifth and final round.

After the fight was over, Covington called out Jorge Masvidal and the UFC‘s welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman. Both of those guys have history with Covington. However, Covington did mention another name he’d be interested in on Saturday night.

Covington said that he would be interested in fighting Nick Diaz (26-9, 2 NC) in his next fight. There have been plenty of guys who have called out Nick Diaz since it was announced that he was planning his return to the UFC.

At first the callout caught me off guard, however, after thinking about it, the fight could make sense. Kamaru Usman is fighting Gilbert Burns. Jorge Masvidal is supposedly close to finalizing a fight with Nate Diaz. What other options are there in the UFC for Covington?

An interesting route for the UFC

“I would love to fight Nick,” Covington said in the post-fight press conference. “He’s a high-pressure fighter. I’d love to fight him and it would be an easy fight. I’d definitely retire him just like I retired Tyron Woodley. Nick Diaz would never fight again, I promise you, after I got done with him.”

Fans would have to admit that it’s a very intriguing matchup. When Diaz does return to the UFC, we have no idea what Nick Diaz we will see. The man hasn’t fought in the UFC since 2015. In his last fight, he lost a decision to Anderson Silva. The fight was overturned to a no contest after Silva tested positive.

When he was in his prime, Diaz was one of the best welterweights in the UFC. He would break opponents with his incredible pace and pressure. In a lot of ways, he fights like Covington but with a different base.

Covington tries to suffocate opponents with pressure, but he leans heavy on his wrestling. However, Diaz would pressure his opponents and just keep touching them with light punches before he’d rip them with heavy shots as his opponents would start to fade.

With the lack of options, this could definitely be a fight the UFC could make. Leon Edwards is sitting there, but I don’t think Covington or Diaz have interest in fighting him. Edwards might be best suited to fight Wonderboy Thompson.

We don’t know if the UFC will actually entertain this idea, but it’s definitely something to watch. I know that I’d tune it for it.

What’s next for Colby Covington after UFC Vegas 11

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On Saturday evening at UFC Vegas 11, Colby Covington (16-2) arguably earned the most satisfying victory of his career. Covington dominated Tyron Woodley (19-6-1) over the course of five rounds before a rib injury stopped the action in the final round.

The former UFC interim champion used his high level pace and pressure to break Woodley. After years of build up, Covington did what he said he would do in dominating the former UFC champion. It was a big bounce back win for Covington.

Since 2016, Covington is 8-1 with his lone loss coming to Kamaru Usman back at UFC 245 for the undisputed title. This was Covington’s first fight since losing the fight to Usman back in December of last year. So after this victory, what’s next for Colby Covington?

What should the UFC do?

If you ask me, there are a few avenues that the UFC could pursue with Colby Covington. The first option is they could just have him wait for the winner of the Kamaru Usman – Gilbert Burns fight that is scheduled for UFC 256 in December.

Dana White has said how much he loved Usman and Covington’s fight from UFC 245, and he absolutely believes that Covington is in the mix for another title shot. With the current state of everything, Covington could be first in line for the winner.

Another option, and the one I personally think they should do, is pairing Covington with Jorge Masvidal. There is so much heat right now between Masvidal and Covington. Their fight is a fight that UFC fans are dying to see. The storyline is there for a massive event.

Now, the UFC has been working on a Masvidal – Nate Diaz rematch for January, but that fight is still not finalized. The UFC might pivot to make the Covington fight if Masvidal is willing to do it. That’s still up in the air at the moment.

The other option for Covington would be Leon Edwards. Edwards still doesn’t have an opponent despite calling out nearly everyone for a fight in the UFC. The third ranked contender has just been sitting on the sidelines.

The fight would make sense from a rankings perspective, but I’m not sure Covington wants that fight. I think Covington will hold out for either Masvidal or another shot at the welterweight title.

UFC: Could Masvidal and Diaz be the next coaches on The Ultimate Fighter?

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The UFC‘s reality show, The Ultimate Fighter, is coming back. Filming on the promotion’s show is set to begin in late October. Dana White said that the show starts filming as soon as he gets back from Fight Island.

That being said, there has been a lot wondering on who would be the next coaches. Since the show is making it’s ESPN debut, you would think that the UFC would want to put their best foot forward in terms of star power.

Earlier this year, it was rumored that Paulo Costa and Israel Adesanya were the front runners to coach. Of course, that would have been a very solid coaching tandem, but that never materialized. Recently Calvin Kattar said he wanted to coach opposite Max Holloway.

While those are solid options, I think I have an idea that’s just a little better. Why not have two of the biggest stars in the sport coach before their UFC rematch? One of them just happens to be a former winner of The Ultimate Fighter.

TUF and the UFC’s BMF

Recently, it was reported that the UFC is close to finalizing the BMF rematch with Jorge Masvidal (35-14) and Nate Diaz (20-12). The two fought back at UFC 244, but the end result left a lot to be desired in the eyes of the fans.

A doctor’s stoppage took away a definitive finish to the fight. Masvidal won the fight and the right to call himself the UFC‘s BMF. Masvidal has always wanted to give Diaz another shot because the fight didn’t end the way he wanted it to.

The rumored fight is supposed to take place in early 2021. With that timeline, it makes it very possible that the UFC makes Masvidal and Diaz the coaches if they are willing to do it. Diaz competed on season five of TUF and won the show.

Masvidal also has some reality TV experience himself. This might be a tough sell to Diaz, but if the UFC could make it happen, it would be the biggest coaching tandem they could put together for their ESPN debut. I don’t know if it will happen, but don’t be shocked to hear those names being discussed.

UFC: How about Conor McGregor and Nick Diaz?

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Conor McGregor, UFC

The UFC world has been buzzing since the news broke that Nick Diaz (26-9, 2 NC) would be making his return. There have already been several fighters who have volunteered to welcome Diaz back including Leon Edwards.

Diaz is said to have just completed a test camp to get his body back to the welterweight limit. He looked good and felt really good after the camp. Now, he’s preparing for a UFC return in early 2021. So who should he fight?

Outside of the all the hands that have gone up, there is one name that nobody has mentioned yet that could be very interesting. The biggest star in the UFC and rival to Diaz’s younger brother Nate. How about Nick Diaz taking on The Notorious Conor McGregor (22-4)?

A new UFC rivalry?

As you can see from the above tweet, McGregor seemingly called Diaz out. However, this is not something new from the UFC‘s former two division champion. He often calls out many people on Twitter with no real intention on fighting them.

However, maybe this one with Nick Diaz could be different. Both men are in a very interesting spot in their career. Back in January at UFC 246, McGregor starched Donald Cerrone in the first round, but due to the pandemic, he hasn’t fought since.

After the win, McGregor really wanted a UFC title fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, after Justin Gaethje became interim lightweight champion, Gaethje was given the shot. Despite retiring, McGregor has continued to tease that he’s wanted to fight.

We haven’t seen Nick Diaz inside the UFC in almost six years. The bad boy from Stockton has teased a comeback for many years, but nothing ever materialized with the UFC. He’s looking for a big fight in his return, and it doesn’t get much bigger.

The storyline is already there given McGregor’s rivalry with the Diaz camp. It would be an interesting matchup given the skillsets and there would be a ton of question marks around the way Diaz would look. I for one would be interested in tuning into that fight.

UFC: Nate Diaz fires back at Leon Edwards

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Poor Leon Edwards is just trying to get himself a fight in the UFC. The top welterweight contender has been out for a while and seemingly can’t find himself a dance partner. He’s even called out Nick Diaz in hopes that he can land that fight in Diaz’s return to the UFC.

The one fighter Edwards has the most heat with is Jorge Masvidal. Of course, this stems from the altercation that the two men had after UFC Fight Night 147. Edwards has been calling out Masvidal to have a fight inside the octagon.

Of course, those calls have fallen on deaf ears. It was announced recently that Masvidal would be rematching Nate Diaz in January.

This has not sat well with Edwards who recently said, “You can’t go out there and fight a guy (Diaz) who you just f–ckin’ battered for three rounds and say you’re the BMF. That’s not how it works.” This didn’t sit well with Nate Diaz.

The UFC’s Options

Nate Diaz saying what he does actually plays right into the idea of Edwards getting a UFC fight with Nick Diaz. Nate pointed out that Edwards got punked by Masvidal by trying to act tough during Masvidal’s post fight interview after he knocked out Darren Till.

Leon Edwards desperately needs to find himself a fight that is sexy to the fans. The problem for Edwards is that the fans really don’t seem to care, and when the fans don’t care, the UFC feels no urge to make a big fight.

Everyone wants to see Nick Diaz return to the UFC. Nate Diaz just poured a little gas on the fire with Leon Edwards. If I was Edwards, I would really start going in on both Diaz brothers.

Keep trying to poke the brothers in hopes that he can land that fight. Who knows, maybe Leon Edwards and Nick Diaz can be on the same card as the BMF rematch.

Nick Diaz planning UFC return

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One of the more popular MMA fighters over the last fifteen years is planning on making a comeback. The older brother of Nate Diaz, Nick Diaz (26-9, 2 NC), is planning on making his UFC return in early 2021. The story was first reported by ESPN’s Ariel Helwani.

Diaz hasn’t competed inside the UFC since 2015. The elder Diaz returned at UFC 183 to fight Anderson Silva. Diaz had moments in that fight, but was outpointed by The Spider. Per his manager, Diaz has just completed a test weight cut in preparations for a 2021 return.

UFC Matchups for Diaz

2021 could be a very busy couple of months inside the UFC for the Diaz brothers. It was reported last week that Nate Diaz would be rematching with Jorge Masvidal. The elder Diaz had expressed interest in fighting Masvidal himself.

If/when Nick Diaz returns to the UFC, I expect the promotion to give him a ranked opponent. Sure, Diaz wouldn’t have fought in six years when he returns, but he’s not going to fight some nobody. I think a perfect comeback fight could be Robbie Lawler.

Lawler is in a weird stage in his career. He’s nearing the end with no path towards a title shot. Still, he’s a top 15 fighter, and he has history with Diaz. Diaz knocked out Lawler when they first fought at UFC 47.

A fight between the two could serve as a good barometer on where Diaz is at. No matter who the UFC pairs him up with, expect there to be great interest. Both Diaz brothers know how to draw a crowd no matter who they’re fighting.

UFC: Jorge Masvidal – Nate Diaz 2 close to being finalized (Report)

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The UFC is targeting a massive fight for the either the end of the year or early 2021. Per ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, the promotion is working towards booking Jorge Masvidal (35-14) against Nate Diaz (20-12). The fight was first reported as close by TMZ Sports.

These two men first fought back at UFC 244 last November for the UFC‘s BMF title. The fight was entertaining from the jump, but a ringside doctor called a stop to the action after the third round. Diaz had picked up some momentum, but due to his cut, he wasn’t able to continue.

UFC BMF Title Rematch

The fans were robbed of a clean conclusion at UFC 244. Gamebred was winning the fight from the start to the end of the third round, but we all know how Diaz likes to turn it on later in the fight. In the final minutes of the third, Diaz did start to connect more.

These two men are two of the biggest stars in the UFC. They are massive draws and a rematch for the BMF title would do extremely well for the UFC. Masvidal is coming off of a decision loss to Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title at UFC 251.

Masvidal originally wanted the rematch with Usman, but it appears that Gilbert Burns will get the next shot at Usman. So the UFC decided to pivot to make the biggest fight possible with Masvidal.

Leon Edwards would have made the most sense from a rankings perspective, but it’s clear that the UFC is going for dollar signs with this one. The fight is not done yet, but all reports are indicating that it’s close to being a done deal. Who do you think takes the rematch?

UFC: What’s next for Dustin Poirier?

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Dustin Poirier, UFC

There is no doubt that Dustin Poirier (26-6, 1 NC) is one of the best lightweights in the UFC. In fact, you could definitely say he’s one of the best fighters in the promotion.

The Diamond is 6-1 with 1 NC in his last eight fights defeating some of the best names in the sport. His lone loss coming to the UFC‘s undisputed lightweight king, Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Last month, Poirier defeated Dan Hooker at UFC on ESPN 12 in an instant classic. Poirier has had some time to heal and was interviewed by Jim Rome about his future this week.

“I’ve been fighting for a while, I have 40 fights, and I want these last four or five years to really mean something every time I get into the octagon… I really want to leave a legacy” Poirier told Rome.

When asked about what he wants next, Poirier said, “It needs to be a really big name or a title fight. I’ve been doing this for 10 years in the UFC, and I still love fighting, but I want these fights to mean more than just a fight.”

What should the UFC do?

Given how brutal the last fight was with Hooker, I would still give Poirier a little time before offering him a fight if I was the UFC. If he’s not going to get a title shot next, ESM’s Olivier Dumont suggests he start with Tony Ferguson (25-4).

Like Poirier, Ferguson is also a former UFC interim lightweight champion. Ferguson just suffered his first loss in May after going on a winning streak that spanned seven years.

A fight between the two men would determine a clear number one contender in the lightweight division. The fight would be a fight that fans would love to see.

Another matchup that the fans would love to see is the rematch with the sports most famous fighter, Conor McGregor (22-4).

McGregor is retired for now, but he’s likely going to fight for the title upon his return to the octagon. However, if the UFC persuades him to take another fight, Poirier makes perfect sense.

The two men fought at featherweight years ago, and McGregor stopped Poirier in the first round at UFC 178. The two men are much better now and a rematch would be fascinating to watch.

One outside the box idea that I like would be a fight with Nate Diaz (20-12). Yes, Diaz has said that he doesn’t want to cut to 155 anymore, but this fight was already scheduled once. The fight was originally scheduled for UFC 230.

If Poirier wants a big name, he’s not going to get much better than Diaz. Who knows when we will see Diaz again, but a fight with Poirier would be one I’d be excited for.

There are several avenues the UFC can go with Poirier. I think Ferguson is the most likely if you ask me, but it will be interesting to see how the promotion moves forward with The Diamond.