UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman might be paired with Nick Diaz in his next welterweight title defense according to Usman’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz.
At UFC 268, Kamaru Usman will revisit the toughest challenge he’s faced to date when he battles Colby Covington in the main event. Should he get past Covington for the second time, there is no shortage of welterweights calling for Usman’s attention: Leon Edwards, ex-teammate Vicente Luque, and even Nate Diaz being among them.
The Usman camp hasn’t acknowledged Edwards as a potential next opponent recently, but the champion did respond to Luque’s UFC 265 callout, expressing that he and Luque “might be dancing soon.” Usman also responded to Nate Diaz earlier this year after being referenced by the Stockton bad boy on social media. At the time, Usman seemed willing if not eager to fight Diaz, even inviting him to phone UFC Executive Vice President Hunter Campbell to get the ball rolling.
With nothing materializing on the Nate Diaz front, Usman’s management is now moving on to the elder Diaz brother, with Ali Abdelaziz stating that a win for Nick Diaz in his upcoming UFC 266 bout against Robbie Lawler next month would make him the #1 contender for the title, despite the 38-year-old not competing since 2015.
“If Nick Diaz beat Robbie Lawler, he become the number-one contender automatically. (He) bring too much to the table,” wrote Abdelaziz.
What Diaz brings to the table is clearly his name value and drawing power, much like his younger brother Nate. Nick Diaz has well one million followers on Instagram and a cult following that cannot be fully counted.
That said, he has not won a fight since a full decade ago, defeating fellow legend B.J. Penn via unanimous decision at UFC 137 in 2011. Therefore, even with his drawing power, it might take some extra convincing from Abdelaziz if he is to convince Dana White to pull the trigger on this battle of the generations.
Would you be interested in seeing Kamaru Usman fight Nick Diaz?
