Who Should be Next for Nate Diaz?

We all know Nate Diaz shocked fight fans at UFC 196, with his defeat of Conor McGregor.  Now, the question is, who should be next for Nate Diaz?

Overnight, the long time UFC veteran became famous. While I was still recovering from the heartbreak I experienced from UFC 196, I began to hear all sorts of rumors about who’s next for the Stockton native. Nate and older brother Nick Diaz, have both proclaimed recently, that “money” fights are all they want. With that gigantic win last week, Nate Diaz is in a very special position to get the “money” fights he desires. So when rumors began circulating of a possible comeback fight with Georges St. Pierre, I instantly cringed.

209 vs 514 @ 200 + (CM$ < GSP$)= #RealMoneyFight #NinjaGaidenvsKarateKid https://t.co/yobMEOknD6

— Firas Zahabi (@Firas_Zahabi) March 10, 2016

Now don’t get me wrong, as a fan of the UFC, I would love to see GSP walk down to the Octagon in his GI one more time. But for Diaz this is the wrong fight to choose. GSP was the welterweight king for a staggering seven years. but his last fight was in 2013. You may ask, “why would fighting a former champion and MMA legend ever be a bad thing?” To be frank, to the average UFC fan, GSP can be boring.

Now I think watching him fight, is like watching art being made. The way he changes it up, using different techniques to set up his takedowns is nothing short of pure mastery. For Diaz this is just a bad match-up. Diaz excels the best against athletes who want to test their boxing with him. Look at his last two fights, not so much at UFC 196 but the fight with Michael Johnson. Johnson was very vocal about being able to out strike Diaz. As history shows, Nate’s boxing is just on another level. It could  possibly be the best in all of the UFC. So an opponent such as GSP, whose style is based off of using every single one of his tools, won’t let Nate’s boxing shine.

As you can see, Nate’s hand speed and boxing is usually too much for his opponents. And he will let you know (stay on the lookout for a full article breaking down the Diaz brothers’ boxing).

Historically, it can be hard to hype up a fight with GSP. Then you add in the fact he has been out for so long. Nick Diaz probably did the best job getting under the legends skin, because he was a “bully”. But in this current era of the UFC, I just don’t think bully’s will do the trick. The only way they could successfully market this fight with his brother is to put all the focus on George, Though that may take the wind out of Nate’s sail and hurt his momentum. They should keep the focus on Nate.

Also you have to look at the two possible outcomes. If Nate wins, you’ll see a bunch of articles saying that he just fought someone who is washed up. And if he loses, well then you will see that  flame that started at UFC 196 die in a slow, boring, five round fight.

What Nate needs to do is stay at welterweight and fight Robbie Lawler. Does Nate really deserve a title shot right now? Probably not, but with the wave that he is riding he should take . That fight would be nothing short of a war, and is guaranteed to have the “HOLY SHIT” factor. Robbie Lawler’s last fight was possibly one of the most brutal fights in UFC history. Could you imagine the chaos that will come when Nate “Stockton Slaps” the champ?! I’m getting chills just thinking about it.

Nate if you’re reading this–taking a fight with a legend is cool, but why not cement your bad-ass legacy? Go to war with Lawler, buy a yacht, and float off into a sunset covered in haze.