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.