5 potential opponents for Nate Diaz

#2 Conor McGregor

Could Conor McGregor return for a rubber match with Diaz?

The big one. Everyone’s been clamouring for a rubber match between Nate Diaz and Irish superstar Conor McGregor since they famously split two fights – and broke pay-per-view buyrates – back in 2016.

At one point the fight didn’t seem to make much sense given McGregor was holding the UFC Lightweight title and there were more deserving contenders than Diaz, but with ‘The Notorious One’ now belt-less – and winless since 2016 – it’d probably be a good idea for both men.

The fight makes even more sense when you consider that if Khabib Nurmagomedov defeats Dustin Poirier on September 7th, it’d be even trickier to justify a title fight for McGregor. Dana White even suggested recently that McGregor’s future could depend on the outcome of last weekend’s Diaz/Pettis fight, and now that Diaz has won, surely it makes sense to attempt to put together the third fight.

Would we see a re-run of the classic brawl the two men had at UFC 202? Could Diaz submit McGregor as he did at UFC 196, or even wilder, could ‘The Notorious One’ become the first man to outright knock Diaz unconscious?

There’s no denying that the intrigue would be there, and thankfully Diaz has already shown interest. The ball may now be in McGregor’s court.