Nate Diaz, at only 30 years old, might as well be an elder-statesman in MMA terms. He’s never not been in a “big show.” He started his career in the WEC, took a fight in Strikeforce, and has been flipping birds and winning post-fight bonuses in the UFC for going on nine years. Not many fighters can show the longevity or needle-moving that Nate does. He’s a fan favorite, speaks his mind, yet simultaneously does his most important talking in the cage. That’s why Conor McGregor chose him as his opponent at UFC 196. But could Nate have (arguably) gotten an even bigger fight than the Notorious One?
According to the younger Diaz brother, he was trying his damnedest to land Georges St-Pierre’s comeback fight, or so he told BJPenn.com. He recollected a conversation he had with UFC head honcho Dana White:
“Because you know, Pettis, Alvarez and all those guys, all those scary-ass guys don’t want to fight me. So, what the hell am I going to do, sit around the division and wait for a fight? So, it’s all good, I’m going to go up to 170, then, start eating. I texted that to Dana. We were talking the day before they called me [to offer the McGregor fight].”
“I said, ‘I’m trying to get the GSP fight,’ because I heard he’s coming back. He said, ‘Oh, I think he wants to fight Lawler.'”
So there are two interesting takeaways here. One: Nate is having trouble getting any fights in the lightweight division, which is a shame. Two: Georges St-Pierre has been talking to Dana White about a comeback, and it’s against current welterweight champ Robbie Lawler.
It seems like GSP’s return actually is inevitable.
(Via FOX Sports)