Nate Diaz Names Four Opponents For Potential UFC Return

The last time Nate Diaz fought under the UFC banner was in September 2022, when he scored a submission win over Tony Ferguson in a fight that came to be when his initial opponent, Khamzat Chimaev, came in overweight for their main event welterweight matchup. The matchup at UFC 279 was the final fight on Diaz’s UFC contract. The now 40-year-old Diaz seems interested in making a return to the UFC in 2025.

“I plan on going back to UFC,” Diaz said on “The HJR Podcast.” “If they’ll have me, I would like to go back and (expletive) whoop someone’s ass there. I’m not fighting at (155 pounds), though. Right now I’m not fighting in there because there’s nobody to fight really. It’s kind of slow rolling. I don’t really have a name in mind right now in the UFC. That’s why I’m not there right now.”

Diaz (21-13 MMA, 16-11 UFC) has not competed in MMA since his win over Ferguson. Instead, he picked up a 1-1 record in boxing during his time away from the Octagon, losing a decision to Jake Paul in 2023 and then beating former UFC opponent Jorge Masvidal by decision in 2024.

As for who Diaz could face if he makes a UFC return, the one-time UFC lightweight title challenger said that a trilogy fight against Conor McGregor would be on the table.

“Whenever he’s back, I’m sure we’re going to fight,” Diaz said of the man he went 1-1 against. “Me and him for sure got unfinished (business). Got to happen.”

In the first Diaz vs. McGregor matchup, the Stockton, California competitor scored a second-round submission upset over his Irish opponent at UFC 196 in March 2016. The two then met in a rematch at UFC 202 in August 2016, with McGregor picking up a majority decision win in that matchup. Both Diaz vs. McGregor meetings won “Fight of the Night” bonuses.

As for other potential opponents, Diaz expressed interest in facing former UFC featherweight champions Max Holloway and Ilia Topuria.

“Those are the guys right there who I would want to fight, like Max Holloway,” Diaz said. “I would like to fight the other guy who’s really good too, Topuria. He’s really good, but he’s smaller than me. I’m done with 155. I’m cool off that. It always was (a hard weight cut). When I was 18, it was hard. I’m staying at ’70. I’ll fight at 185, too.”

Not long after speaking about McGregor, Holloway, and Topuria, Diaz uploaded a video to his YouTube page where he said he would be willing to face former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad.

I’ll fight Belal’s ass,” Nate Diaz said while watching Muhammad lose his title to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315. “I think I’d beat the (expletive) out of Belal Muhammad.”

UFC CEO Dana White has not spoken about a potential Diaz return to the promotion, but Diaz seemed to fight out his contract on good terms with White and the promotion.

“I always joke around about dealing with the Diaz Brothers. These two, you see it now. They’re two iconic fighters that20 years from now everybody will remember and talk about. This will always be Nate’s house. Nate grew up here,” White said in 2023. “He came up on ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’ He fought some of the biggest fights ever here. We love the kid. I don’t know about fighting in the future, but this is always going to be his house. We’ll see.”