Getty Nate Diaz fights against Jorge Masvidal in the "BMF" championship bout during UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden on November 02, 2019.
The UFC is prepared to offer fighting superstar Nate Diaz an opponent in the lightweight division, according to president Dana White, and one fighter who seemingly wants to fight is former champ Rafael dos Anjos.
“We’re working on a Nate Diaz fight right now,” White said in a recent interview with The Mac Life.
“It would put him in a really good position if he won the fight,” White continued. “And the guy who he could potentially be fighting, I think it’s a great fight for him, too.”
The UFC president never confirmed which lightweight fighter he is considering as an opponent for Diaz.
“RDA,” who is ranked No. 7 at lightweight, fought Diaz in December 2014. It was a rough fight for the American as he entered the bout nearly five pounds overweight and was brutalized by dos Anjos’ leg kicks en route to a unanimous decision loss.
But according to dos Anjos, he will lay off the leg kicks should he fight Diaz again.
“I promise if I ever fight Diaz again I won’t kick his leg,” dos Anjos recently tweeted. See below:
I promise if I ever fight Diaz again I won’t kick his leg 😜
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White Said dos Anjos Should Have Been ‘Arrested for Attempted Murder’ After Fight With Diaz
GettyRafael dos Anjos (L) punches Nate Diaz in their bout during the UFC Fight Night event at the at U.S. Airways Center on December 13, 2014 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Before the bout with dos Anjos, Diaz also missed an open workout he was supposed to attend, and along with the botched weight cut, White had choice words about Diaz after the dos Anjos fight in 2014.
“I’ll give him this, [Diaz is] tough as hell, man, (with) those leg kicks he ate,” White said to Ariel Helwani via Bleacher Report. “Dos Anjos should’ve come back here and got arrested for attempted murder with that fight. He absolutely destroyed him. It was a one-sided beating. Nate Diaz either needs to get serious about this sport and get his head together, or retire.”
Diaz obviously never retired and he went on to become one of the biggest names in mixed martial arts.
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Diaz Hasn’t Competed at Lightweight Since 2015, RDA Made His Divisional Return in 2020
Both RDA and Diaz have done a lot of work in the welterweight division in the last few years. In 2016, Diaz made his return to 170 pounds and fought Conor McGregor. He has competed in the weight class ever since the match. His last fight was in November 2019 when he took on Jorge Masvidal for the UFC’s “Baddest Motherf*****” title and lost via doctor’s stoppage.
After losing his lightweight title to Eddie Alvarez, RDA fought one more time in the division before moving up to welterweight in 2017. After an eight-fight stretch going 4-4, dos Anjos dropped back down to 155 pounds in November 2020 and defeated Paul Felder by split decision.
Both Diaz and dos Anjos are poised for a big fight and the stars may align for a rematch that is years in the making.
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Ex-Champ’s Wild ‘Promise’ for Nate Diaz: ‘I Won’t Kick His Leg’