The dust from the UFC on Fox 13 co-main event, which saw Rafael dos Anjos dominate the ever-interesting Nate Diaz, has settled.
The fight itself was surprisingly, almost disappointingly lopsided, as Dos Anjos dominated Diaz from pillar to post, beating him on the punch and on the ground. Diaz could do little but survive in the cage and found himself dropping all three rounds of the fight to the tune of a 30-26, 30-26, 30-27 decision loss.
Now, he goes back to the drawing board and restarts his climb to the top. So who could he face in the future? What might we see next from the Stockton bad boy? Find out here!
Tony Ferguson
The UFC has not always had an especially warm relationship with Nate Diaz. And by “not always,” I of course mean “never.” In that vein, a standard, wrestling-style “go out on your back” ending to Diaz‘s UFC career would likely be the promotion’s preferred finale for the tumultuous lightweight.
There are plenty of young, rising stars who would stand to benefit from a fight from Diaz. Michael Johnson, Rustam Khabilov and Al Iaquinta all come to mind. The best option from that lot, however, would be The Ultimate Fighter Season 13 winner Tony Ferguson.
Ferguson has proved himself to be an interesting, exciting lightweight who might just be on the cusp of an honest-to-goodness title run. The timing couldn’t be more perfect (Ferguson beat Abel Trujillo a week before Diaz lost to Dos Anjos), and this would likely be a treat for fans.
KJ Noons
Former EliteXC champion KJ Noons is on a bit of an upswing of late. The boxer and kickboxer is on a three-fight undefeated stretch. While his most recent outing, a fight with Daron Cruickshank at the TUF Season 20 finale, was ended abruptly due to an eye poke, he remains an interesting veteran who could be slotted into a fight with almost anybody in the division.
Noons owns one of the most underrated striking games in MMA today. His ability to duck in and deliver savage punches is reminiscent of Mark Hunt, and he has used that technique to absolutely demolish many a fighter over his 12-year career.
It also doesn’t hurt that Noons and Diaz‘s brother, Nick Diaz, own a classic rivalry out of EliteXC which gave fans one of the first high-profile in-cage brawls, and one of the most beloved catchphrases in the sport: “Don’t be scared, homie.”
Sam Stout
While Diaz lost in emphatic fashion, he is still one of the most popular fighters in the UFC today. That’s undeniable. So even though his antics and attitude may prompt the UFC executives to throw their hands up with him, the dollars he brings in may be worth the hair-pulling and teeth-grinding.
If that is the case, something of a tuneup or bounce-back fight may be in order. Because of the depth of the lightweight division, there are many veterans on a downswing right now who could be put in the cage with Diaz and enter as big underdogs. One of those fighters is Sam Stout.
The ironically named “Hands of Stone” has alternated wins and losses since 2011 and has failed to beat any particularly formidable fighters, with his last win over a currently active UFC fighter coming over Joe Lauzon in 2010. With his striking style and less-than-impressive wrestling, he would be easy pickings for a focused Diaz.
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