5 speculative 'win-win' MMA trades

UFC Fight Night: Johnson v Reis
UFC Fight Night: Johnson v Reis

#3 Nick Diaz and Nate Diaz (UFC) for Michael Chandler and Phil Davis (Bellator)

Mike Chandler
Mike Chandler

While the Diaz brothers have a strong following among UFC fans, unfortunately, neither of them seem particularly interested in fighting at the moment. Nick makes the right noises on social media but hasn't accepted a fight since returning from his heavy-handed, NAC suspension. Nate, on the other hand, did actually accept a fight against Dustin Poirier, only to see it fall apart due to Poirier sustaining an injury (although we're honest, Nate did nothing but complain from the moment the fight was announced).

A reunion with former Strikeforce boss Scott Coker over at Bellator might be just what the brothers need to entice them back into the cage. They certainly wouldn't be any worse off for the move and with plenty of options for both Nick and Nate, I'm confident that Coker can reinvigorate their careers.

Going the other way, we'd have former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler and former UFC light heavyweight Phil Davis. Chandler is the real prize as far as the trade is concerned and you could perhaps argue the case for a two for one trade with only Chandler heading to the UFC. The potential match ups for the former Bellator 155lb king are mind-blowing. Chandler vs Khabib, Ferguson, Poirier, Gaethje or even McGregor would all make for incredible scraps.

To balance the trade, I've added "Mr Wonderful" Phil Davis. It would be the 34-year-old's second stint in the UFC having left for Bellator following a loss to Ryan Bader back in January 2015. Since then, Davis has put together an impressive record of 6-1-0 with his sole loss coming via split decision to Bader once again. In a relatively thin UFC 205lb division, Davis has a few options for interesting fights and the UFC certainly wouldn't be worse off for having another talented fighter in the mix at light heavyweight.

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