6 highly anticipated UFC fights that will happen soon

#3: Dustin Poirier vs. Nate Diaz – UFC 230 – 11/03/18

Nate Diaz makes his long-awaited UFC return in November

The UFC has yet to confirm a headliner for their third show at the famous Madison Square Garden – a Jon Jones return has been rumoured but nothing has been set in stone – and so without a main event, by far the most fascinating fight currently set for UFC 230 is the battle between Lightweight contenders Dustin Poirier and Nate Diaz.

Diaz of course shot to fame with his two fights against Conor McGregor in 2016 – both of which set a new pay-per-view buyrate record for the UFC as Diaz turned out to be the perfect foil for the Irishman. But despite winning the first fight between the two, the Stockton native was beaten in the rematch and hasn’t fought since. And without McGregor to oppose him, whether his star remains as bright is an unknown.

Poirier is a fascinating opponent for him, because while he doesn’t pique the interest of the casual fan like McGregor, he’s begun to garner a reputation as one of the most aggressive and exciting fighters to watch on the UFC’s roster. His past three wins in particular – over Anthony Pettis, Justin Gaethje and Eddie Alvarez – were fantastic to watch.

Whether Poirier’s all-out aggression meshes well with Diaz’s style should be interesting to see – historically, Diaz has always dealt well with brawlers, but Poirier is more than just that, as his calculated win over Gaethje showed – as will the question of whether Diaz will even make it to the fight in the first place given his personal issues.

A Diaz win could well land him a lucrative fight with the winner of McGregor vs. Nurmagomedov – literally an excuse to print money if it turns out to be McGregor – and while the stakes aren’t quite as high for Poirier, this would be his biggest career win to date.