Jorge Masvidal has one eye on a potential fight with Nick Diaz.
The former Strikeforce champion will return to the Octagon for the first time in more than five years when he takes on Robbie Lawler at UFC 266 on September 25.
For anyone who doesn’t remember, Diaz and Lawler first squared off at UFC 47 in April 2004. The Stockton, California native famously picked up a one-punch knockout win after two rounds of war.
The fight will be only the second non-title, non-main event fight in UFC history to be set for five rounds. Nate Diaz was involved in the first when he went toe-to-toe with Leon Edwards at UFC 263 earlier this year.
‘Gamebred’ has been keeping a relatively low profile since being spectacularly knocked out by Kamaru Usman at UFC 261. He has spoken about wanting to fight opponents that will propel him back into title contention.
The MMA icon now appears to be ready to begin official discussions for his next fight. While talks with the UFC are likely to take place before Diaz returns, ‘Street Jesus’ refused to rule out fighting the eldest Diaz brother next.
“If [Nick Diaz] looks good and does his job [at UFC 266], why not me and Nick? l’d love to fight Nick,” Masvidal told ESPN. “It’s a classic fight. It’s a fight that I always wanted to do since I was at Strikeforce at 155 (pounds], he was at 170. I was like, ‘Man, that’s a dude that I’d like to fight.’ Nothing personal, just because of his style, just the way that he leaves it all out there. So if I get a fight with Nick, it’d be a blessing.”
Do you want to see Jorge Masvidal vs. Nick Diaz? If this fight does happen who do you think will win?