"Put me in" - Nick Diaz wants to replace Jorge Masvidal and fight Leon Edwards at UFC 269

Following the news that Jorge Masvidal is out of his fight with Leon Edwards at UFC 269, Nick Diaz has added his name to the pot of potential replacements. Diaz recently returned to the UFC after a six-year hiatus from the sport.

One of the names featured most prominently as a potential replacement for Masvidal is Khamzat Chimaev. ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto recently reported that 'Borz' is asking for the fight. Okamoto posted the following to his Instagram account:

"I know this may come as quite a shock, but Khamzat Chimaev would love to step up against Leon Edwards on Dec. 11. No word if that’s even a possibility, or if Leon would want it, but Chimaev is asking for it."

Nick Diaz commented on Okamoto's post, simply stating:

"Put me in."

[Image Courtesy: @bokamotoespn on instagram]

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Is Nick Diaz a realistic replacement for Jorge Masvidal?

Whilst Nick Diaz would no doubt love to fight Leon Edwards at UFC 269, it would make little sense rankings wise. Diaz recently made a return to the UFC after more than five years of inactivity.

He faced off against Robbie Lawler in what was initially intended to be a welterweight fight. However, in the midst of fight week, Nick Diaz announced he would not be making 170lbs, resulting in the bout being moved to middleweight.

UFC 266: Diaz v Lawler

Diaz put on a relatively impressive performance, considering the circumstances, but was ultimately TKO'd by Lawler in the third round. Diaz has now not won a fight since 2011.

In comparison, Leon Edwards is on a ten-fight unbeaten streak and is ranked third in the welterweight division. The Diaz name does hold a huge amount of value, but it still seems incredibly unlikely that the UFC will make the fight.

Khamzat Chimaev, Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad are all much more likely candidates, assuming the UFC wish to keep Edwards on the card at all. Edwards recently tweeted that he was aiming for a title shot next against Kamaru Usman.