Getty Who will UFC star Nate Diaz fight next?
UFC superstar Nate Diaz returns to action on June 12 at UFC 263, and the 36-year-old MMA legend released a hype video on Tuesday featuring some sizzling behind-the-scenes training footage ahead of his much-anticipated welterweight showdown against Leon Edwards.
You can watch the video released by Diaz and his team below.
The video starts with a montage of highlights from Diaz’s excellent fighting career.
It includes scenes from his biggest wins over the likes of Conor McGregor and other stars. After about a minute and a half, the video turns toward behind-the-scenes footage of Diaz preparing for his next fight.
Diaz is one of the most popular fighters in the sport, and he hasn’t competed in 18 months. So UFC fans are starting to get hyped about his next fight.
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Diaz’s Comeback Recently Delayed
Diaz’s comeback fight was supposed to take place at UFC 262 in Houston last week, but the fight had to be moved to UFC 263 after a minor injury by Diaz pushed his UFC return date out about a month.
Diaz hasn’t competed inside the UFC’s Octagon since losing by controversial stoppage after three rounds against Jorge Masvidal for the UFC “BMF” championship back in November 2019.
That fight was stopped by the ringside physician in New York due to cuts around Diaz’s eye even though the fighter confirmed he was okay to continue.
Regardless, Diaz is getting back to UFC action now, and he’s heading back inside the cage on June 12 against another incredibly dangerous opponent in Edwards.
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Beating Edwards Will Be a Tough Task for Diaz
Edwards, 29, is one of the hottest welterweight contenders in the sport right now. Since losing to Kamaru Usman by decision in 2015 before “The Nigerian Nightmare” became the division’s champion, Edwards has gone unbeaten across nine total UFC fights.
He won eight straight and appeared to be on his way to defeating Belal Muhammad back in March before that fight was stopped and classified a no contest.
Edwards is a dangerous fighter, and he’s in his prime. He’s currently ranked No. 3 at 170 pounds behind Colby Covington and Gilbert Burns, and some believe he could be on his way to capturing gold in the division.
But choosing to face a fighter as dangerous as Edwards in an important welterweight battle is part of what makes Diaz so special in the eyes of MMA fans in the first place.
As one of the sport’s biggest stars, Diaz likely could have taken a much easier fight after being out of MMA for over a year.
Instead, Diaz shocked the world by taking the showdown against Edwards.
It’s a fight that should give the winner firm standing among the other top title contenders at 170 pounds, and the loser the benefit of the doubt because both fighters picked solid opposition in facing each other.
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WATCH: Behind-the-Scenes Training Footage of Nate Diaz