On Friday during a media day at Super Bowl LI, UFC president Dana White told USA Today Sports in a Facebook Live stated they had offered a fight to Nate Diaz for UFC 211.
However, it didn’t take long for the former lightweight title challenger to respond to the interview White gave.
Lol at your fight…
— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) February 4, 2017
At the time, White didn’t reveal who the opponent was, but MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani revealed who the opponent was, former lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez.
The one they want is Alvarez, but it's not close to done. https://t.co/3MMl78NFHJ
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 5, 2017
Alvarez took to his Instagram to hint the fight could be happening.
Alvarez and Diaz’s last fights were against lightweight champion Conor McGregor.
Diaz beat McGregor by second-round submission at UFC 196 in March and lost the subsequent rematch at UFC 202 by majority decision in what many people feel was the best fight in 2016. Alvarez lost the 155-pound title to McGregor at UFC 205 in November by second-round knockout.
The Stockton, CA native said after the second McGregor fight, he wouldn’t fight for less than $20 million and the only fight that Diaz could make close to that amount would a trilogy fight against the Irishman.
The fight makes sense for an entertainment and rankings standpoint. Two fighters who will stand in the middle of the octagon and let it go. And the winner of the fight could go on to face the winner of the UFC 209 interim lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson since it looks like McGregor will be out for a good chunk of 2017.
