Nate Diaz Still Possesses Value–Where Will He Fight Next?

Diaz defeated Jorge Masvidal in an entertaining boxing bout on Saturday night

Extra Mustard is a weekly column looking at the highs and lows–and everything in between–in combat sports and beyond.

This past weekend, Nate Diaz reminded the fight world of his value.

In a competitive boxing match, Diaz defeated Jorge Masvidal by majority decision. After losing to Jake Paul last summer, it marks the first win of Diaz’s boxing career. The scoring was suspect–Masvidal landed less shots overall but he connected on the ones that were the most significant–but it didn’t detract from the highly entertaining fight.

Nate Diaz connects on Jorge Masvidal / DAZN

The performance from Diaz also served as a reminder. Even at 39, staving off Father Time for as long as possible, Diaz is still a draw. Now comes the fun part–figuring out who and where he will fight next.

Nate Diaz Calls Out Jake Paul and Leon Edwards in Post Fight Interview #DiazMasvidal pic.twitter.com/J8xJ9TENqN

— MMA SWiZZ (@themmawizz) July 7, 2024

In signature form, Diaz called out two different opponents during his post-fight interview in the ring. Diaz wants Leon Edwards, who is the reigning UFC welterweight champion, or a chance to step inside the cage with Jake Paul. He also mentioned another boxing match; despite the success of Saturday, that is the least popular choice moving forward.

The fight against Paul makes the most sense, but it would require Diaz to leave the UFC and enter into an agreement with the PFL. Diaz already rejected a lucrative offer once from the PFL, which is where the MMA bout against Paul would have to take place. Perhaps there is an exorbitant price that makes Diaz change his mind, but there are plenty of reasons to believe he will be back in the UFC.

A rematch against Edwards, however, seems entirely unlikely.

Edwards defeated Diaz in June of 2021 by unanimous decision. It was a bout that came alive late once Diaz started landing on Edwards. But as compelling as it was, it does not merit a title shot. Diaz returned to the cage in September of 2022, choking out Tony Ferguson, but that is hardly the type of win necessary to vault him toward the top of the title picture.

Diaz doesn’t need to fight for the belt. His fights are must-see viewing, and his next one will be especially important as he hits 40 next spring. A shortage of opponents for Paul adds even more value for Diaz in the PFL, but he still appears more interested in a UFC return.

A name Diaz failed to mention on Saturday during his call-out was Conor McGregor. They split their two fights, and a trilogy would still be major box office, even at an advanced age. Perhaps Diaz is considering that he’d lose the McGregor bout if he leaves the UFC, which is a valid concern.

But the fight on Saturday confirmed what we have known for years–and continues to be true. Diaz remains a valuable fighting entity, and his next bout is extremely important. We don’t know who it will take place against, but smart money is on a UFC return.