Nate Diaz’s win over Conor McGregor could have earned him a UFC title shot.
Nate Diaz scored a highly impressive upset over Conor McGregor at UFC 196, in a bout that he took on extremely short notice. He made the most of his opportunity, and not only did he bag the biggest payday of his career, he could’ve also earned another UFC title shot.
And no, it’s not a rematch against Rafael dos Anjos, who thoroughly beat Diaz in 2014. According to Dana White, his impressive win over the featherweight champion could net him a title shot in the division they competed at.
“You know what would make a lot of sense? This isn’t the fight I’m making (now), I’m just saying, him and Robbie Lawler make a lot of sense,” White told ESPN following the event. “His brother beat Robbie, who is now the world champion, and Nate became very very popular tonight.”
“We’ll see what happens, but for me to predict what one of the Diaz brothers are going to do, who knows?” White said with a laugh.
Related: UFC 196: Dana White says Miesha Tate will defend title against Ronda Rousey
Nate’s older brother, Nick Diaz knocked out Lawler back in 2004. Since then, Lawler bounced around promotions and camps, and eventually made an incredible career resurgence that led to him winning and defending the UFC title.
While some may argue that Nate doesn’t deserve a welterweight title shot from a sporting angle, Diaz vs Lawler is a truly fun match up with an already built in story line. If the only other option is Diaz vs Dos Anjos 2, I’d personally pick the entertainment side of MMA and watch Diaz throw down with the Ruthless one.