5 potential opponents for Nick Diaz to rebound against following his UFC 266 loss

At UFC 266, Nick Diaz made his first walk to the UFC octagon since 2015. He faced Robbie Lawler in a rematch 17 years in the making. Diaz ultimately came up short against, losing via TKO in the second round.

However, Diaz still held his own for much of the fight, showing flickers of the old Diaz when he let his hands go. It remains to be seen whether we will see him compete again, although in the pre-fight press conference, Diaz stated that if he lost, he was likely to come back for another fight.

If he does return, the question of who the UFC will pair him with will be raised. In the following list, we break down five potential opponents whom the UFC could match Nick Diaz with next.

An honorable mentions goes to Jorge Masvidal. A clash between Diaz and 'Gamebred' would really make no sense, but would likely be a big draw for the UFC.

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#5. Nick Diaz vs. Court McGee

Out of all the fights on this list, a matchup against Court McGee seems the least likely to be made. McGee is a fellow veteran of the sport. He is coming off a win over Claudio Silva earlier this year.

McGee has struggled for consistency over the past few years, but is still capable of putting on fun and exciting fights. His matchup with Carlos Condit is testimony to the fact that he is able to push fighters who are in the twilight of their career to their very limits.

McGee doesn't have particularly high output, but he hits hard and is notoriously durable. He would certainly bring out a very intriguing fight from Nick Diaz and the matchup would be a great collision for old school MMA fans.

#4. Nick Diaz vs. Tim Means

Similar to Court McGee, Tim Means promises to offer another classic veteran matchup for Nick Diaz. However, unlike McGee, 'The Dirty Bird' has been putting together consistent victories in the UFC.

Means is currently riding a three-fight win streak, having defeated Laureano Staropoli, Mike Perry and Nicolas Dalby all via unanimous decisions. Means has been competing in the UFC since 2012 and has been in fun fights ever since.

His boxing is a particularly notable aspect of his game, which could potentially coax out an intriguing fight from Nick Diaz should the two men be matched up against each other.

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#3. Nick Diaz vs. Mike Perry

Mike Perry was once a huge fan favorite who repeatedly put on highlight worthy performances that often went viral. However, as of late, 'Platinum' Perry has somewhat lost his shine.

Back-to-back losses against Tim Means and Daniel Rodriguez have Perry in a somewhat precarious position in terms of his UFC career. But UFC fans still know Mike Perry to be the complete wildman that brutally knocked ou the likes of Danny Roberts, Hyun Gyu Lim and Jake Ellenberger.

Against Nick Diaz's boxing-heavy approach, we could well see the best possible version of Mike Perry if the pair were to collide.

#2. Nick Diaz vs. Matt Brown

At the age of 40, Matt Brown is even older than Nick Diaz. Many began to call for Brown to hang up the gloves following his loss to Carlos Condit in early 2021. Then, Brown came out and knocked Dhiego Lima unconscious in only two rounds at UFC Vegas 29.

The KO highlight had great traction on social media, demonstrating the huge fan base 'The Immortal' still retains 13 years after his UFC debut.

Considering his age, 2022 might be Brown's last year competing in MMA and a retirement fight against Nick Diaz would be the perfect way to call it a day.

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#1. Nick Diaz vs. Donald Cerrone

Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone may be entering the twilight of his career, but he remains an iconic figure in the world of MMA. An impressive 36-16 record contains impressive wins over Eddie Alvarez, Alexander Hernandez and Al Iaquinta.

Cerrone's durability isn't what it once was, but his skill set remains just as sharp. Cerrone previously competed against Nate Diaz, drawing out a competitive third-round war from the younger Diaz brother.

Nick Diaz's slick boxing would clash against Donald Cerrone's clinical Muay Thai in what would be a true veteran fight. There is also the added caveat that Cerrone is not adverse to the odd takedown and has some solid Brazilian jiu-jitsu of his own.