Nate Diaz is headed back to welterweight to face Matt Brown at UFC 189 in Las Vegas on July 11th.
Diaz experienced mixed results the last time he moved up to 170lbs in 2010, going 2-2 before dropping back down to lightweight in 2011.
Since then the 29 year-old has compiled a 4-3 record at 155lbs and has lost three of his last four fights, starting with an unsuccessful tile shot against Ben Henderson in December of 2012.
Diaz has become more volatile in recent times and spent a year on the sidelines in an attempt to get the UFC to give him a better contract which fell on deaf ears, and he missed weight on his return to action which likely prompted to move up a division for his next fight.
As for his opponent, not so long ago Brown was on one of the most impressive and unexpected winning streaks in recent UFC history, going from being on the verge of getting released from the promotion after a 1-4 run to producing a seven fight unbeaten stretch, with six of those wins ending via strikes.
That earned him a title elimination fight with Robbie Lawler last year which marked the end of his run, losing by unanimous decision and then following that up with another loss on the scorecards to former champion Johny Hendricks.
Those are the two top welterweights in the world at this moment in time though, so this isn’t necessarily a sign that Brown is fading and he’s currently still No.5 in the divisional rankings.
Diaz Vs Brown is a fun fight that adds to the quality of the UFC 189 event’s line-up which will be headlined by what Dana White himself has described as the biggest fight of the year as Jose Aldo defends his featherweight title against Conor McGregor.
A second belt will also be on the line at the show, which is the centerpiece of this years ‘International Fight Week’ festivities, as Lawler puts his welterweight title on the line in a rematch with Rory MacDonald.
