“We Should Have Fought a Long Time Ago” – Nate Diaz Issues a Statement on His Next Opponent

Nate Diaz appeared alongside ESPN journalist Ariel Helwani after more than a year in his first interaction with the media to talk about his future in the UFC. Diaz has been on the sidelines ever since the stoppage loss against Jorge Masvidal back at UFC 244. Diaz hasn’t fought in more than a year, and will likely make his return to the Octagon in 2021.

Earlier, Diaz called out former interim champion Dustin Poirier after his emphatic win over former dual champion Conor McGregor at UFC 257. Initially, Poirier had mentioned Nate Diaz in the post-fight interview. Diaz spoke with Helwani and this is what he had to say about a potential match-up with Dustin Poirier.

“We should have fought a long time ago. Now the stars are aligned.” 

“Now is the time,” Diaz said and stated that there has never been a right time to fight Dustin Poirier. The Diamond and the Stockton Slugger were scheduled to take on each other back at UFC 230.

However, the bout fell apart, and couldn’t see the light of the day. Needless to say, with a historic win over Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier is at the top of the world right now and a potential match-up against Nate Diaz is bound to get the attention of fight fans around the world.

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Should Dustin Poirier fight Nate Diaz next?

Dustin Poirier has a lot of options ahead of him after his emphatic performance at UFC 257. He is the #1 contender in the UFC’s lightweight division and with Khabib Nurmagomedov confirming his retirement, there’s a reason to believe that he is well on his way to fight for the UFC lightweight championship next.

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In such a situation, Poirier vs Diaz doesn’t make sense considering Nate Diaz hasn’t fought in the UFC’s lightweight division for more than five years now. Additionally, Diaz has stated his interest in fighting Poirier in the welterweight division.

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He has also raised the stakes for a new division at 165 pounds and also expressed his interest in fighting Charles Oliveira. Dustin Poirier vs Nate Diaz is an exciting match-up and should Poirier decide to jump weight, it makes for one of the biggest fights of the year.