UFC President Dana White says he’s currently working on a fight for fan favorite lightweight and welterweight star, Nate Diaz.
Diaz is one of the most popular fighters on the UFC roster, but has not fought since November, 2019, when he was stopped by Jorge Masvidal in the promotion’s first and only “BMF” title fight.
According to White, that could soon change.
Speaking to Oscar Willis of The Mac Life, White revealed that he’s working on a lightweight fight for Diaz, and that a victory in this planned matchup could propel the fan favorite to a very favorable position in the division.
Dana White to @oscarswillis: "We're working on a Nate Diaz fight right now (at) lightweight… It would put him in a really good position if he won the fight and the guy who he could potentially be fighting, I think it's a great fight for him too."
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) January 13, 2021
“We’re working on a Nate Diaz fight right now (at) lightweight,” White said of Diaz. “It would put him in a really good position if he won the fight and the guy who he could potentially be fighting, I think it’s a great fight for him too.”
While it’s currently unclear which lightweight contender White is hoping to match Diaz up with, we can, at the very least, rule out Paul Felder.
Responding to a fan on Twitter, Felder claimed that he has not been contacted about fighting Diaz.
No
— Paul Felder (@felderpaul) January 13, 2021
With Felder off the table, other possibilities for Diaz include top-flight lightweights like Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, Tony Ferguson, Rafael dos Anjos, and Kevin Lee, none of whom currently have fights booked.
Whomever he ends up fighting, Diaz will no doubt be keen to return to the win column.
The Stockton, California native has not tasted victory since August, 2019, when he picked up an impressive decision win over former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis. Prior to that, he had not fought since a pair of 2016 wars with Conor McGregor—the first being a submission win, the second being a majority decision loss.
Who do you think the UFC is hoping to match Nate Diaz up with?