Nate Diaz

UFC president Dana White wants to grant Nate Diaz's wish but isn't ready to talk specifics about the star fighter's next bout.

Diaz made his request clear Wednesday on social media when he tagged UFC's Twitter account and said he wanted to fight Dustin Poirier:

@ufc stop playing wit me consider this my signature to fight this fucker I been trying to fight for a minute quit slowing down the real fight game it’s time pic.twitter.com/6LTkbw9Fs0

— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) January 19, 2022

White responded to the post in an interview with ESPN's Brett Okamoto:

Of course we're interested [in that fight]. This is what we do. We make fights every weekend. What happens is guys just want to jump out of nowhere. 'I want to do this, I want to do that.' We have fights booked all the way to, I want to say May 2. Everything is in place. Everything is done. Obviously, Nate Diaz will get a fight.

Telling Okamoto that Diaz will get "a fight" isn't quite the same as White firmly committing to Diaz vs. Poirier. He went on to speculate that an encounter between Diaz and Conor McGregor could be the route UFC takes.

Okamoto noted Diaz only has one fight left on his current contract with UFC.

With that in mind, the promotion might prefer to pair the 36-year-old with McGregor because that has major commercial potential. Diaz and McGregor fought twice in 2016, splitting the two meetings.

According to Tapology, they combined for the second and sixth-biggest pay-per-view buy rates in UFC history.

At least for now, Diaz's focus is firmly on Poirier and vice versa.

pic.twitter.com/jdPWlDpPtQ

— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) January 20, 2022

Diaz his coming off a unanimous decision loss to Leon Edwards at UFC 263 in June, his first fight since 2019. Poirier opened 2021 with a pair of victories over McGregor before getting submitted in the third round by Charles Oliveira at UFC 269 in December.

The two were originally slated to cross paths at UFC 230 in 2018, but an injury to Poirier forced UFC to shelve those plans.

Come on in. Duck under the tent flap and grab a megaphone. The circus is in town, and the B/R MMA Mailbag is in the center ring.

In this new feature, every week we'll ask you, the reader, a pressing question on the sport. Then we'll choose the best responses and assign them a semi-arbitrary grade.

With it being the new year and everything, now is the right time to ponder what 2022 has in store. This week, that means examining some of the most explosive potential matchups in the game.

The UFC has already set the tone, as UFC 270 features not one but two title fights. Plenty of eyes will be on mountain-of-a-man Francis Ngannou and his first heavyweight title defense against interim belt-holder Ciryl Gane. In the co-main we have a tantalizing trilogy fight between flyweight champ Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo, the man he defeated to gain it. Their first bout in 2020 was a draw, so this is a battle for division dominance.

There are other compelling matchups on the card as well. And it's all available to anyone willing and able to pay $74.99, the UFC's new price for pay-per-views. It's all part of the UFC's ongoing you'll-pay-it-and-you'll-like-it philosophy.

In any event, there are many, many possibilities on the landscape, from the sublime to the ridiculous. And the readers came through, providing thoughts on fights across the spectrum. Ready to get to the grades? Here we go.

           

Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor III

@Realalexlarsen

@Gardner

I hope you're sitting down. This was the most popular submission. 

In the MMA world, it seems Conor McGregor's name is as magical as it's always been. The halcyon days of the former double-champ seem like decades ago, and of course the Irishman is currently hard at work reconstituting his disintegrated leg. As you may know, legs are an important part of the MMA equation.

When he comes back, it wouldn't make sense to throw McGregor into the deep end, where lightweight champ Charles Oliveira would likely make an easy meal of him. And that's before you get to Dustin Poirier and the raft of other killers in the UFC's toughest division. 

A rubber match with Diaz up at welterweight appears to offer the perfect sweet spot. It's an easy sell from a business standpoint, as these two are arguably the two biggest stars in the sport, with the possible exception of Israel Adesanya and a few others.

Additionally, this is a winnable bout for McGregor. If he can regain his form, this is a great fight. Ring rust is also very real, as true red-line cardio is hard to approximate when the proverbial live bullets aren't flying.

But no one's watching this fight for the X's and O's. These are two megawatt personalities who are still, for now, at the height of their drawing power. It has fun written all over it. 

Final grade for Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor III: A

     

Nate Diaz vs. Anybody

@LT96

Wait, I'm picking up on something. My spidey sense is telling me that people really like Nate Diaz. 

Diaz is one of the few UFC fighters who's able—and willing—to demand more money than the UFC is comfortable giving. And anything with the Diaz imprimatur on it will garner intrigue, even when there's just a blank space next to his name.

A few non-Conor ideas have been bandied about. For example, there's been noise about Diaz facing YouTube luminary Jake Paul, presumably in a boxing-rules match since Paul knows full well that any decent MMA fighter would smash him into the canvas.

But this one's a non-starter now given that the UFC recently extended Diaz's contract, per MMA reporter Ariel Helwani. If you think UFC brass will let him out of that contract to face Paul or do anything else not under the UFC banner, go ahead and make your peace with the idea that they will not. 

Poirier at 170 pounds is interesting, but he doesn't need to leave lightweight to find compelling matchups or big paydays. Diaz was also briefly linked to a bout with terrifying super-prospect Khamzat Chimaev, but that was mercifully scuttled, according to Helwani. No one needs to see that.

Amid the speculation constantly swirling around the charismatic Stocktonian and his next move, it looks like the best option, like it or not, is McGregor. This pick gets creativity points for outside-the-box thinking and for reflecting the mood of the fanbase and its rabid appetite for all things Nate. But nothing outside McGregor makes a ton of sense at this juncture. 

Final grade for Nate Diaz vs. Anybody: C-

       

Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou

@Saul45

@tgoat27

In a frictionless universe, this could be the best fight the UFC could make, full stop.

But friction has a way of encroaching, especially when your name is Jon Jones.

For the sake of expedience, let's largely focus on Jones' life inside the cage. Since his latest arrest in September—when he was charged with battery domestic violence and injuring and tampering with a vehicle—Jones has been kicked out of his longtime home gym and taken up residence in a smaller venue. 

If Jones' Instagram account is to be believed, he's still hard at work making the move from light heavyweight up to heavyweight.

Still, based on inertia alone, Jones' successful return to competition will only happen when it happens, if that makes sense.

This bout could lose a bit of luster if Gane can defeat the Cameroonian-Frenchman later this month—an outcome that's entirely possible. Jones recently suggested to Albuquerque TV station WRQE News 13 (h/t All About Fighting) that Gane could be a tougher matchup for him than Ngannou. But there's no question Gane's stolid style lacks the wattage of the current champ.

Even without a belt, Jones-Ngannou is as good as it gets. It's just unclear whether Jones can keep his end of the bargain.

Final grade for Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou: B+

      

Valentina Shevchenko vs. Amanda Nunes III

@Gardner

Kudos to Gardner, our first two-time entrant. Even with Amanda Nunes off-track following her recent loss to Julianna Pena, a battle between the flyweight and featherweight champs, presumably on the middle ground of 135 pounds, is appointment viewing.

This would be a trilogy fight, with Nunes taking razor-close decisions in the previous two. As Nunes comes off a loss and Shevchenko looks to avenge those defeats to cement her legacy, both would have plenty to fight for, even if a title isn't on the line. (Admittedly, a title would have made this an even grander spectacle.)

Before Pena took her bantamweight belt, Nunes was considered not only the best women's fighter today but also the best of all time. Now she may have dipped behind Shevchenko, who has been busy reducing the flyweight division to rubble.

It's hard to know whether Shevchenko's level of opponent is low or whether she's simply making them look bad, but six straight title defenses don't lie. Three stoppages in her last four and a much-improved ground game also have quieted concerns that she's boring or one-dimensional.

Meanwhile, as impressive and fearless as Pena was in bullying the bully that is Nunes, she doesn't have the same status as these two. Nunes still has withering power and would use her aggression to upset the counter-minded Shevchenko, while Shevchenko would look to play matador to the Brazilian's bull rush. 

It may have to wait until later in the year, as it looks like a Nunes-Pena rematch will come next. Shevchenko, who has been busy plugging the movie she did with Halle Berry, doesn't have another fight on the books, but she'd be a moderate-to-heavy favorite over any other flyweight. 

Fans will surely be hoping things break their way in 2022 and the UFC puts this fight on the books, maybe over the summer.

Final grade for Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko III: A-

        

Sean O'Malley vs. Dominick Cruz

@Miles_beard08

Sean O'Malley continued his move up the bantamweight pecking order last month with a knockout of Raulian Paiva. The power contained in those whip-like limbs of his is not to be trifled with, nor is the sheer diversity of strikes and angles he can use to attack. He's 7-1 in the UFC with five knockouts, including in each of his last three.

But here's the rub: His competition to date has been lukewarm at best. He's only faced one opponent—Marlon Vera—currently in the top 15. His only loss? Also to Vera. Several of his victims are no longer on the UFC roster or have so little activity that they might as well be gone. 

Needless to say, Cruz and his wacky, evasive style would be a great foil to O'Malley's offense. He's lost years of his career to injuries, but Cruz's Fight of the Night-winning victory over the well-regarded Pedro Munhoz in December indicated he's back and ready to be a force again at bantamweight.

Because of his championship pedigree in the weight class, Cruz will likely look upward in the rankings for his next opponent. Cory Sandhagen and Jose Aldo both make sense as a next step. Meanwhile, it's best to let the Suga Train keep rolling on down below, as the UFC keeps the kid gloves on and slowly moves its young star up the rankings. 

Final grade for Sean O'Malley vs. Dominick Cruz: B-

      

Steve-O vs. Justin Bieber

@Zoll

What happens when the cage door closes on two of the biggest UFC celebrity fans on the planet? Magic, that's what.

I mean, have you seen Justin Bieber play basketball? He's poetry out there, man. Why he isn't in the NBA, I have no idea. But pro basketball's loss is MMA's gain, and it's time for these two to put up or shut up. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCt_Yq40G74

As suggested by his genius with scoring the basketball and his serious gym work with none other than Conor McGregor, Bieber would set the tone early with an offensive barrage. 

But you know what Steve-O will say? He'll say, Bring it on, brother.

This is the same guy who has made his living falling off roofs and what not. You think he's afraid of getting hit with one of those classic Bieber right hooks? Not a chance.

Irresistible force, meet immovable object. This is one for the ages. 

Final grade on Steve-O vs. Justin Bieber: A+

           

And on that note, that does it for us. See you next week.

While YouTube sensation Jake Paul is eyeing bouts with UFC welterweight stars Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz after a sixth-round knockout of Tyron Woodley earlier this month, UFC president Dana White said it's not going to happen. 

“No [that’s not happening],” White said on The Fight with Teddy Atlas, per MMAFighting.com. “You notice he wants to f--king fight everybody that’s not in his weight class, guys that are older and all of this other bulls--t. Go find a boxer. Go hump somebody else’s leg, you goofball.”

White also had a challenge for Paul: 

“So this guy keeps saying that I’m a cokehead,” White said. “He can randomly cocaine test me for the next 10 years if I can randomly steroid test him for the next two.”

In addition to White, Woodley and Tommy Fury have questioned whether Paul has used performance-enhancing drugs. Per MMA Junkie, Woodley was upset about the lack of PED testing surrounding both of his fights against Paul. 

After defeating Woodley for the second time on Dec. 18 in Tampa, Florida, Paul made it known that he wanted to fight Masvidal and/or Diaz, who were both in attendance for his rematch with Woodley at Amalie Arena. He even mentioned that he'd fight Conor McGregor or Kamaru Usman, promising to embarrass anyone who steps into the ring with him next. 

Paul has offered Masvidal $5 million to fight him. Masvidal is 35-15 in his career as a professional MMA fighter. 

Jake Paul has publicly offered Jorge Masvidal $5million plus a percentage of PPV sales to fight him next: "Let's make it happen. That's the most you'll ever have gotten paid. Daddy Dana just has to let you out of your contract. You work for the UFC, you're a bitch." [IMPAULSIVE]

— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) December 21, 2021

Paul improved to 5-0 after his win over Woodley. He began his career by defeating YouTuber AnEsonGib via first-round TKO in January 2020, former NBA player Nate Robinson via second-round KO in November 2020 and former Bellator and ONE Welterweight Champion Ben Askren via first-round TKO in April 2021. 

The 24-year-old also beat Woodley via split decision in their first match in August 2021.  

Jorge Masvidal is not interested in a boxing match against Jake Paul despite being called out Saturday night (warning: explicit language):

https://twitter.com/GamebredFighter/status/1472466516356608004

Jorge Masvidal is inviting Jake Paul to step into the Octagon 👀

(via gamebredfighter/IG) https://t.co/RV3dR7yqoD

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 19, 2021

"You can't f--king afford me," Masvidal said.

Paul ripped UFC stars Masvidal and Nate Diaz during his postmatch interview after a sixth-round knockout win over Tyron Woodley:

"And @GamebredFighter & @NateDiaz209 y'all are some bitches for leaving this arena because I know you don't want that shit."@jakepaul calls out Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz 😳#PaulWoodley pic.twitter.com/XjlgV19loL

— All the Smoke Boxing (@atsboxing) December 19, 2021

"Just get out of your contract with Daddy Dana, and I'mma f--k them up too," Paul said of Masvidal and Diaz.

Masvidal remains under contract with the UFC and President Dana White, likely preventing him from competing in a boxing match.

The 37-year-old instead called on Paul to sign a one-fight deal in the UFC or else he wouldn't waste his time.

"I fight for money or to fight the best in the world," Masvidal said. "You're neither."

Masvidal is coming off back-to-back losses to Kamaru Usman, failing to capture the UFC welterweight championship in two chances. He is currently ranked sixth in his division.

He was scheduled to face Leon Edwards at UFC 269 but withdrew because of injury. 

Paul, meanwhile, will look for a high-profile next fight after improving to 5-0 in his professional career with four knockouts. The YouTube personality has faced MMA fighters in his last three matches—two against Woodley and one against Ben Askren—and it seems like he is sticking with this strategy going forward.

The 24-year-old has yet to face an experienced boxer in his short career.   

After knocking out Tyron Woodley in the sixth round of their boxing match on Saturday night, former YouTuber Jake Paul turned his attention to future opponents and called out two UFC fighters.

Paul name-dropped Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz in his post-fight interview, saying he'd fight either or both of them if their UFC contracts allows them to accept his challenge.

Jake Paul calls out Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal following his KO of Tyron Woodley: "Y'all are some bitches for leaving this arena. I know you don't want that s***. I'll take out both of y'all next. Get out of your contracts with daddy Dana. I'mma f*** them up too."

— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) December 19, 2021

Both Diaz and Masvidal were in attendance at Saturday's fight. In an interview, Diaz said he wasn't interested in the main event and instead was there to support a friend who fought on the undercard. 

Nice to see my ol pal Nathan Diaz here this evening 👀

🎥 @ShowtimeBoxing pic.twitter.com/Me4FUMgaum

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 19, 2021

In October, UFC president Dana White confirmed that Diaz has one fight left on his contract. The Stockton, California-native is 1-3 in his last four fights, most recently losing a unanimous decision to Leon Edwards at UFC 263 in June. It was Diaz's first appearance in the octagon since Nov. 2019 when he fought Masvidal for the "BMF" title at Madison Square Garden. Masvidal won the bout by doctor stoppage.

Masvidal is coming off back-to-back losses to UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. He was brutally knocked out in their second meeting this past April in the main event of UFC 261. Masvidal has not disclosed what's next for him, but a fight against former friend turned bitter rival Colby Covington makes sense. Covington is also coming off a second loss to Usman in November at UFC 268.

Paul improved to 5-0 with four knockout victories after his second win over Woodley. He was originally scheduled to face Tommy Fury on Saturday, but Fury dropped out of the fight due to an undisclosed injury and Woodley accepted the rematch on two weeks' notice.

While many think now is the right time for a trilogy bout between Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor, the former isn't interested in another bout with the Irishman until "his leg grows back," he tweeted Friday. 

I’m not fighting Conor until his leg grows back and he beats some people so we know he can even fight still till then
Can I get on January card @ufc
Thanks

— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) December 17, 2021

McGregor fractured his leg in a fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July. He hasn't fought since then, though he said last month that he could be cleared to spar by April.

Diaz and McGregor first met at UFC 196 in March 2016. Diaz upset McGregor by submission, though he lost the rematch at UFC 202 in August 2016, losing a majority decision.

Diaz has since been angling for a matchup against Poirier. However, according to Poirier, the two might not meet until UFC 271.

Maybe UFC 271 they couldn't make it happen on 270. I said yes

— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) December 17, 2021

UFC 271 is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 12 at the Toyota Center in Houston. Israel Adesanya will be looking to retain the middleweight title against Robert Whittaker in the main event.

Nate Diaz was not impressed by Dustin Poirier during UFC 269 on Saturday in Las Vegas.

After Charles Oliveira submitted Poirier in Round 3 to retain the UFC lightweight title, Diaz turned his attention to Conor McGregor:

How Conor let Dp fuck him up hella times he sucks 🤦‍♂️

— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) December 12, 2021

Poirier notably earned back-to-back TKO wins over McGregor earlier this year, leading to his title fight against Oliveira.

Diaz, meanwhile, split a pair of memorable bouts against the Irish superstar in 2016.

McGregor defended his losses to Poirier on Saturday, saying on Twitter that Poirier "got lumped around and got lucky twice. That's it. Is what it is."

The 33-year-old McGregor has just a single competitive win since 2016. Diaz, 36, has just one win since 2016 as well.

Nate Diaz apparently has no interest in fighting Khamzat Chimaev.

Despite being called out by Chimaev and UFC president Dana White trying to book the match, Diaz told TMZ Sports it's disrespectful to put him against such an inexperienced fighter.

"They're coming at me with [Khamzat], and I'm like, 'Hold on, don't disrespect me like that, trying to offer me a fight with a rookie.' I'm cool, you got four fights in the UFC. Don't even talk my name," Diaz said. 

Chimaev has won his first four fights since debuting in UFC last July. The Russian has ascended to No. 11 in the welterweight rankings, which puts him higher than the unranked Diaz, who has lost three of his last four bouts.

White recently said he feels like fighters are ducking Chimaev.

"Nobody wants to fight this guy," White said on the Jim Rome Podcast. "Everybody wants to get out on social media and say this or say that. But when it really comes down to it, nobody's trying to fight Khamzat Chimaev. I don't blame them. But at the end of the day when you're a professional fighter—this is what you do—you should look at a guy with as much hype and as much bravado as Chimaev has, as a huge opportunity."

Diaz has never been one to duck a fight, becoming one of the most popular fighters in UFC history because of his incredible toughness. The 36-year-old's last fight against Leon Edwards at UFC 263 saw him take four rounds worth of punishment before nearly knocking out Edwards with a flurry of punches in the fifth round.

Chimaev has been an unstoppable force since starting his MMA career. Seven of his 10 fights have ended in one round, and none have gone past the 1:15 mark in the second round.

It's hard to say Diaz is ducking any opponent, but it's far from a disrespectful idea to put the two in an Octagon and let the fists fly.