Is Nate Diaz ready to make his return to action?

UFC Lightweight Nate Diaz, 33, has been on a long hiatus from MMA ever since losing a narrow split decision rematch to Conor McGregor in August 2016.

Now there are rumblings of a return. Multiple sources report that the UFC has offered Diaz multiple opponents at the top of Lightweight, and Diaz has expressed interest in returning at UFC 227 on Aug. 4 in Los Angeles.

However, the top two Lightweights, Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and former champion Conor McGregor – are not in discussion. Those two will likely fight towards the end of the year. Former Interim champion Tony Ferguson is also out recovering from a detached LCL. This leaves Eddie Alvarez, Dustin Poirier and Kevin Lee as candidates.

Nothing seems certain as of yet but a frontrunner could be Alvarez, who has a history with Diaz stemming from a fight with his teammate Gibert Melendez.

Another Diaz friend and training partner, Jake Shields, stopped by the MMA Hour Monday to discuss the return prospects.

“He’s not just looking for Conor. He’s looking for a fight that makes sense and that’s going to give him a big payday and a lot of hype.”

There have been on-and –off talks of Nate fighting Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, but those rumors were never really drew a positive response from the UFC or it’s fans, and the fight failed to materialize.

Nate is an excellent fighter and will surely bring some excitement in his return to the UFC. Although he has not yet proven to be championship caliber, his exciting style and powerful charisma (along with two exciting fights versus McGregor) have made him one of the biggest stars in the UFC.

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