“Where are all the superstars? It’s a big problem the UFC has right now.”
So Ariel Helwani lamented earlier this week, on John Pollock’s Fight Network podcast, and it has been a common complaint ever since Georges St-Pierre found his way back to the sport blocked and Ronda Rousey was dismantled at UFC 207.
Cody Garbrandt is well on his way to that star bracket but he’s not quite there yet. Jon Jones could be if he ever gets his act together and fights for the title(s) he had to give up.
One man who definitely broke into that star echelon last year was Nate Diaz. He went from fighting on FOX cards to sharing top billing with Conor McGregor at UFC 196 and getting $2m straight-up to face McGregor again at UFC 202.
Diaz is now claiming he wants either $20m or a big-name opponent before he returns to the Octagon. He is more likely to get the latter of those two demands.
He has been mentioned as a potential opponent for Khabib Nurmagomedov but the Dagestani is holding out for a bout with Tony Ferguson. That fight looks likely to happen at UFC 209 but it is impossible to think of such a card going by without either Nate or his older brother Nick being on the fight card.
The pair have made ‘209’ their credo since arriving in the fighting game. It is the area code of their Stockton hometown and a large chunk of Central California.
Diaz is ranked at No.6 in the UFC’s lightweight division but with Rafael Dos Anjos declaring a jump up to welterweight, Diaz should move up one when they are next updated. He is close to a legitimate title shot and one could put themselves right in the picture by taking him out.
A possible contender to face Diaz at UFC 209 is one endorsed by Brendan Schaub and Joe Rogan. On the latest Joe Rogan Experience podcast, the pair commented:
Rogan:Â “Nate is up there but he’s not at that top 10, pay-per-view echelon. He’s not a world title holder right now. If you wanted to have a really big fight for Nate…
Schaub: “I’d say Aldo. Have him fight Aldo.”
Rogan:Â “That would work. That would definitely work.”
Aldo, the current UFC featherweight champion, has declared his willingness to step up to lightweight in 2017. He is doing it so he can get a shot at McGregor, who bested him at UFC 194, but he may have to go through Diaz first.
It would certainly be an intriguing fight and one that’s we’d tune in for. The winner would surely be an undeniable foe for ‘The Notorious’ later this year.
https://youtu.be/kZpVvVlmbfw
