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In an event that contains two world title fights, it would be expected that the majority of the promotion for UFC 263 would be centered around the champions and challengers. However, there is a certain native of Stockton who is stealing the limelight.
The UFC's Embedded series is a primary tool of the organization's pre-fight promotion, showing behind-the-scenes footage of the fighters as they prepare for their upcoming bouts. These episodes usually heavily feature the event's main and co-main event athletes, in an effort to drum up PPV interest.
However, in four of the six Embedded episodes, Nate Diaz takes center stage, appearing on the thumbnails over the likes of Deivesion Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno. This detail was noticed by Reddit user metanoia09, who posted the following image.
Israel Adesanya can be seen in the other two images, one of which also includes his upcoming opponent Marvin Vettori. The remaining four thumbnails are all centered around Nate Diaz, with the latest episode showing an image of him facing off against Leon Edwards.
There is no sign of UFC flyweight champion Deivesion Figueiredo or the man who will be fighting for the 125lb belt, Brandon Moreno. The two men previously put on a fight of the year contender in the fall of 2020, making it all the more surprising that the UFC aren't promoting their rematch as much as they could be.
UFC 263 pits Nate Diaz against Leon Edwards
Regardless of who Nate Diaz fights, his established star power will always see him as a major draw. Even though he is lower on the card than Figueiredo and Moreno, the fan appeal of a Diaz brother out weighs that of a flyweight championship fight.
This is further accentuated by the fact that UFC president Dana White has heavily implied that the bout against Edwards is essentially a number one contender fight. The winner has a strong chance of being next to face off against the welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman.
Usman is in need of new opponents, having cleared out much of the 170lb division's top fighters, including the likes of Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington. Edwards previously fought Usman, back when both men were in the early days of their MMA careers and whilst he came up short the first time, he is now a considerably more experienced and improved athlete.
Nate Diaz would be an entirely new opponent for Usman. However, Diaz's previous susceptibility to wrestling heavy attacks could see him struggle against the dominant champion.
