Home Sport Will Nate Diaz return to the UFC? Breaking down rumors of his comeback and a potential Conor McGregor trilogy

Will Nate Diaz return to the UFC? Breaking down rumors of his comeback and a potential Conor McGregor trilogy

Sport — 06/07/2024 · 0 Comment

Nate Diaz’s UFC return has been a hot topic of discussion among fans and analysts alike since his departure from the promotion in 2022. Since then, the Stockton superstar has done well financially, earning a significant purse in a losing effort against Jake Paul.

Now, he is set to box Jorge Masvidal this Saturday in a rematch of an encounter that took place five years ago in 2019, when both men crossed swords at UFC 244 for the inaugural ‘BMF’ championship. Masvidal emerged victorious and intends to do so again under boxing rules.

Where, though, does Diaz go after fighting Masvidal? Does he continue plying his trade in the boxing world, or will he make his long-anticipated return to the UFC, where many feel he belongs?

Nate Diaz will return to the UFC

While Nate Diaz’s relationship with the UFC brass soured greatly toward the end of his tenure with the promotion, he has expressed a desire to return. In fact, he has done so at various points. After submitting Tony Ferguson at UFC 279, the MMA superstar spoke about his goals beyond the promotion.

He claimed that he wanted to prove himself as a fighter elsewhere but asserted that he would one day return to the UFC. Then, following his unanimous decision loss to Jake Paul in a boxing match, there was talk of a rematch in MMA, with ‘The Problem Child’ proposing a bout in the PFL.

Diaz was quick to reject Paul’s proposal, describing the PFL as a minor league promotion that he had no interest in fighting in. Given his statements about Conor McGregor and Leon Edwards, this dismisses any possibility of him fighting in an MMA promotion besides the UFC, which he is aiming for.

While he acknowledged that he does want a rematch with Paul, Diaz also guaranteed that he and McGregor would have their much-talked about trilogy bout to close out their legendary rivalry. Furthermore, he also described Edwards, the UFC welterweight champion, in glowing terms.

He praised the Englishman for improving since their fight, which Diaz lost in decisive fashion despite rocking his foe late, and labeled him as one of the hottest acts in the UFC at present. He included both McGregor and Edwards on his ‘hit list’ of opponents to rematch, and that can only happen in the UFC.

Check out Nate Diaz’s hate list, two of whom would require a UFC return:

Lastly, his older brother Nick Diaz is set to make his octagon return at UFC on ABC 7 next month on Aug. 3. So, if one Diaz brother has already been brought back into the fold, why not the other?

The Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz trilogy will happen

Both Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz have expressed an interest in settling their rivalry with a trilogy bout. The two men have a victory each, with Diaz having submitted the Irishman in their first encounter, while McGregor defeated him via majority decision in their second one.

Whenever they’re asked about the trilogy, McGregor and Diaz always affirm that it will happen. There is reason to believe that this is indeed the case. A media member once suggested a possible McGregor vs. Diaz headliner for UFC 306, which has since been rebranded as Riyadh Season Noche UFC.

While Dana White shot down the suggestion, interest is there. Moreover, the Irishman’s bout with Michael Chandler no longer has an official date after the former pulled out of UFC 303 due to a broken toe. Prior to the UFC 303 booking, it was debatable whether McGregor even wanted to fight Chandler.

He issued challenges to KSI and flirted with the idea of a trilogy with Diaz. Although his interest in facing Chandler may no longer exist, his interest in facing Diaz remains constant, even though their last fight took place eight years ago in 2016.

Fans, analysts, and even the two fighters themselves are still interested in the bout. Even if McGregor fights Chandler, a matchup with Diaz is still on the horizon, as the Irishman’s championship prospects are nonexistent at this point. Fun fights and legacy fights are the way to go.