According to welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, the UFC are attempting to put together a fight that would see him welcome Nate Diaz back to the Octagon this summer.
“I think that fight will happen,” Woodley told ESPN of a potential title fight with Diaz. “I think it will happen this year. I think it’s way more likely than people realize. There are conversations about Nate and I fighting in July. The UFC has offered Nate that fight. They just have to make it worth his while.
“I think I’ll fight Nate this year, and I think it will be my return to the Octagon. If I had to bet the house on it, that’s my next opponent.”
Diaz had indicated in recent days that he was willing to step up and fight at UFC 222 next month after it’s headliner fell through, but while Woodley is eager to face him, he’s not willing to take that fight on such short notice as he’s still recouperating from surgery late last year.
As for Diaz, he believes that he will get on-board with the match-up – but only if the UFC makes it worth his while.
“Do I think Nate will fight me? Yes, for the right amount of money and the right time in history, I do. Is it a good fight for him? No. I’m a lot faster. I punch a lot harder. I can take him down. He’s not going to submit me. That said, it’s not a good fight for him. So, they have to make it up to him in dollars and cents.”
“I just want to do something that’s going to push me forward career-wise or push my legacy. I need both. I need super fights and I need to continue to knock off these rising contenders. I’ve been fighting the best of the best since Strikeforce. It’s not like I’m asking for anything that I haven’t paid my dues for. I had to earn this position the hard way.”
