Ought to Nate Diaz struggle Jorge Masvidal or Conor McGregor subsequent?

After defeating Anthony Pettis by unanimous resolution at UFC 241, Nate Diaz stood contained in the Octagon for his postfight interview with a reputation able to name out for his subsequent struggle. However that title wasn’t the one most MMA followers anticipated — Conor McGregor. As an alternative, it was the person simply months faraway from recording the quickest knockout in UFC historical past — Jorge Masvidal.

Diaz has two distinctive alternatives to select from. A trilogy bout with McGregor — a fighter who has been a part of 4 of the 5 highest-selling PPVs in UFC historical past — or a matchup with ‘Avenue Jesus’ for what Diaz known as “‘the baddest m—– f—– within the recreation belt.”

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Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi and Jeff Wagenheim provide their tackle what struggle they’d most wish to see for Diaz and the way it will impression the opposite within the dialogue.

Which struggle would you somewhat see: Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor or Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal? And what would you do with the odd man out?

Raimondi: It is humorous, as a result of I wasn’t pondering a lot about Diaz vs. Masvidal till Diaz introduced him up after his spectacular win over Pettis. After which I had that eureka second — sure, after all, that is what we have all wished all alongside. What a struggle that might be. Do not get me fallacious. I nonetheless need McGregor vs. Diaz III and I imagine that may nonetheless occur down the road, however proper now nothing makes extra sense than Diaz vs. Masvidal.

Think about this: UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will nearly actually be defending his title subsequent in opposition to Colby Covington. That would depart a really attention-grabbing title contender between Masvidal and Leon Edwards. However Masvidal was by no means actually into that concept. So why not Diaz vs. Masvidal? The good factor about that potential struggle is that each have been at this for therefore lengthy, but they’ve simply reached the height of their respective popularities now, greater than a decade after they turned skilled fighters. It is an excellent story.

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As for Conor McGregor’s subsequent opponent, Justin Gaethje and Donald Cerrone are dealing with off subsequent month in Vancouver in what must be an absolute barnburner. The winner will get the golden ticket of preventing McGregor in his return bout.

Neither Gaethje nor Cerrone is in title competition proper now. Tony Ferguson must be subsequent for the winner of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Dustin Poirier for the title on Sept. 7. The winner of McGregor in opposition to the Gaethje-Cerrone victor might get the following title shot. If it is McGregor, he can struggle for the title or struggle the Diaz-Masvidal winner.

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A part of me wonders, although, how the Nurmagomedov-Poirier end result will have an effect on how this all performs out. If Poirier is light-weight champion, will McGregor attempt to soar again into the fray and be his first challenger? We additionally know he needs that Nurmagomedov rematch. Might the UFC do Ferguson soiled once more? I assume we can’t know till we see how UFC 242 on Sept. 7 performs out.

Okamoto: Nate vs. Jorge … and it isn’t as shut as I assumed it might be. For me, it is about two issues. First off, these are simply two OGs of the game. Diaz has been preventing within the Octagon since 2007, Masvidal since 2013 (and he was a fixture in Strikeforce previous to that). They had been late bloomers within the sense of turning into stars, however they’re stars now.

And as a lot as I might like to see McGregor return to the game, and return to the champion he as soon as was — proper now, it looks like something he touches turns into an immediate circus. So, I want the OG matchup for Diaz. The cult of Diaz vs. the cult of Masvidal, in prime-time.

What would that imply for McGregor, then? How concerning the winner of ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone vs. Justin Gaethje on Sept. 14? Carried out.

Wagenheim: Give me Diaz vs. Masvidal, and provides it to me not contained in the Octagon however someplace deep within the 209 in a sun-baked (or in any other case baked) yard. Why not? These two guys are the No. 1 and No. 2 contenders within the “Enjoyable Combat Division,” so let’s have us some enjoyable.

McGregor is at all times Mr. Leisure, too, however he is an ex-champ-champ who belongs within the “Vying For A Title Combat Division.” Certain, a Nate vs. Jorge winner might find yourself getting a shot on the welterweight belt — you understand how the UFC operates — however a showdown between these two unhealthy boys would most pointedly add to each of their trophy cabinets the belt that issues most, the cash belt, whereas making the winner the world champion of avenue cred.

McGregor has made a profession out of chasing the following problem. That is how he rocketed to the highest of the game. And after he hit a pace bump within the type of a Diaz choke, the one struggle he would settle for was one other shot at Nate. Conor’s self-belief is so indomitable that he could have been the one individual on earth who thought he might outbox Floyd Mayweather. That carnival act made him a wealthy man, although, and now we get to see if he is nonetheless the identical man as he was when he was a paycheck-to-paycheck plumber’s apprentice. If he’s, what he now needs greater than the rest is one other shot at Khabib Nurmagomedov.

If the smothering Dagestan will get previous Poirier in two weeks and hangs onto his belt, Conor ought to take a struggle that might qualify him for an opportunity at redemption. Yeah, the Irishman has the sway with the UFC to get his rematch straight away, contemplating that not way back the promotion was keen handy a ridiculously undeserved title shot to a different money cow, WWE famous person Brock Lesnar. However as a result of that is my matchmaking, I’m going to make McGregor earn it, like he used to take action eagerly. I will e-book him for a date within the cage with Tony Ferguson. You in?

Nate Diaz is again, and his postfight callout on Saturday evening acquired followers’ hearts racing. Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Getty Photos

If Diaz faces Masvidal, who has extra to achieve from the win?

Okamoto: Masvidal would have extra to achieve. As superb as 2019 has been to Masvidal — I might argue no fighter within the sport has improved his notoriety and attain greater than him — Diaz remains to be the A-side right here. Hanging a win over Diaz, one of many high stars within the UFC, could be a large enhance for Masvidal’s mainstream attraction. And he is already near title competition as is, so a win over Diaz might simply land him a title shot.

Raimondi: Diaz. Masvidal has been within the thick of the welterweight title hunt for a bit now. Take a look at his résumé over the previous couple of years. Whereas Diaz was out of the image following his loss to McGregor at UFC 202, Masvidal has crushed Cerrone, Darren Until and Ben Askren. All of them had been top-10-caliber welterweights on the time. So we all know how good Masvidal is true now.

Folks had been already speaking a couple of title shot for him subsequent. We did not know the way good Diaz was in 2019, after not having fought for 3 years, till he beat Pettis. Even then, Pettis is a profession light-weight (who fought as little as featherweight) in his second UFC bout at welterweight. It was a wonderful win for Diaz, to make certain. But when he beats Masvidal, too? Wow. Then we may be speaking about the very best model of Diaz we have ever witnessed.

Wagenheim: Diaz is already MMA’s largest star this aspect of the River Liffey. A win over Masvidal would solely add to a legend that did not lose any steam throughout his three-year absence. As for Masvidal, he is coming off a pair of high-profile KO victories plus a backstage supply of a three-piece and a soda, however though he is been on this recreation for practically 50 professional fights over 16 years, his reputation has extra of a flavor-of-the-week really feel to it. With a lackluster efficiency in opposition to Nate, Jorge might fall again into the pack. This struggle could possibly be a chance for “Gamebred” to indicate he is a thoroughbred.

Has Conor McGregor harm his inventory by not returning at this level?

Okamoto: McGregor has not harm his inventory by way of curiosity. The minute he returns, he’ll nonetheless be the game’s largest draw, by far. I do not suppose sitting out has had any destructive impression in anyway on that. The narrative round him, nevertheless, has modified fairly a bit within the final three years. His legacy is totally different from what it was once. How followers view him, I believe, is totally different. Even what now we have come to essentially count on from him is totally different.

Raimondi: For certain. By not returning and by all the difficulty he has gotten into outdoors the Octagon. MMA strikes extremely rapidly and McGregor has fought in MMA simply as soon as since 2016. Now, he’s nonetheless a large star by all accounts and he can rebuild himself together with his mouth somewhat simply — higher than anybody has been in a position to do earlier than him. Take a look at how standard Diaz was at UFC 241 regardless of his three years away. Diaz did not have the arrests, the alleged placing of an outdated man in a pub or the reported sexual assault investigation hanging over him, although.

Plus, final 12 months McGregor threw a dolly via a bus window, engaged in a rancid confrontation with Nurmagomedov, misplaced the bout through end and acquired right into a postfight melee at T-Cellular Enviornment. These are our final recollections of him. That’s appreciable baggage (with some tarnish as well) and he’ll be carrying it with him the following time he is making an attempt to advertise a UFC struggle to a large viewers.

Wagenheim: It isn’t a lot his absence from the Octagon that issues me as what he is executed together with his time. The satan is within the particulars. The 5 a.m. altercation outdoors a Miami Seashore membership was with a fan. Clip a pestering paparazzi, advantageous, however do not mess together with your followers. The reported sexual assault investigation is centered in Dublin. And so was the videotaped run-in at a pub, which seemed unhealthy for McGregor even earlier than he allegedly lifted a hand. Probably the most well-known athlete in all of Eire walks right into a pub in his hometown, buys a spherical of whiskey for the home and somebody shuns him like a turning tide? Would not occur to Shane MacGowan.