What's next for Nate Diaz after Jorge Masvidal boxing win

Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal competed in a 10-round boxing match that ended in a majority decision in favor of Diaz on July 6 in Anaheim. This was the second meeting between Diaz and Masvidal, but the first time under boxing rules.

The two originally fought in the Octagon for the inaugural BMF championship at UFC 244 in November 2019 in New York City at Madison Square Garden. Masvidal ended up winning the BMF belt by TKO due to a doctor stoppage due to the cut above Diaz's eye. That fight had seemingly just started to get going, and who knows where that fight could have gone if the doctor had allowed Diaz to continue. At least now with Diaz evening the score, we have the possibility of a trilogy in the future.

With Diaz and Masvidal all tied up at one apiece, where does Diaz go from here? Could we see another fight between Diaz and Masvidal? Possibly. The door was not shut on a potential trilogy between Diaz and Masvidal, but it did seem as if Diaz's interests were elsewhere for his next fight when answering questions at the post-fight press conference. With both fighters being nearly 40 years of age, and understanding being able to capitalize on their marketability and fighting ability, there are only so many fights left that remain for either fighter.

Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 3?

With that being said we all know there is a trilogy out there waiting to happen that most, if not all combat sports fans have been dying to see since 2016, and that is a fight between Diaz and Conor McGregor. There have been many fighters inside and outside of the UFC to throw their name in the McGregor hat, but only a select few have the right to ask for that fight. Diaz is atop of that list by a wide margin, but how soon does it happen? That is still the toughest question to answer. Diaz has been out of the UFC for a little under two years at this time. He last fought at UFC 279 against Tony Ferguson but was originally scheduled to fight Khamzat Chimaev.

McGregor on the other hand was supposed to fight at International Fight Week on June 29 against Michael Chandler for the first time since breaking his ankle at UFC 264 against Dustin Poirier. Unfortunately, the long-awaited McGregor return was postponed due to a broken left pinky toe that ultimately forced McGregor to withdraw. The UFC is adamant that McGregor's next fight will be against Chandler but has not given us an exact time, date, or location for the rescheduled bout.

With Diaz coming off a win over Masvidal in the ring, and if McGregor gets the job done against Chandler who would say no to this fight? This trilogy could be made at any time and the UFC would figure out a way to make it happen. Even if McGregor were to lose to Chandler the UFC can still make this trilogy happen without any hesitation. With the hopes to one day see this trilogy finally come to fruition we all have to agree that it is unlikely to happen before the end of 2024, but we it is also a likely candidate to be Diaz's potential next fight.

Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz?

But what if the McGregor fight is not available in the time frame that Diaz is looking to return? Diaz did mention names like Jake Paul and Leon Edwards during his post-fight press conference. He would like to avenge his losses to either opponent, but Paul is a more likely opponent to happen next than the champion Edwards who is scheduled to face Belal Muhammad at UFC 304 in Manchester, England at the end of July. Paul also has a fight scheduled against former UFC welterweight Mike Perry at the end of July as well. Paul is the more likely opponent than a rematch against Edwards for many reasons. One of them is that Paul and Diaz are competing in the same sport currently, whereas Edwards has a lineup of worthy competitors knocking at his doorstep in the 170-pound division in the UFC. What about the best of both worlds? Fighting Paul in an MMA match to even the score against the 27-year-old.

According to Paul, he offered Diaz a $15 million contract to fight him in the PFL, but that has yet to come to fruition due to many reasons. One reason could be Diaz's loyalty to the UFC, and only wanting to compete in the UFC if he were to fight in MMA. Diaz has continuously made it known that he would like to return to the UFC in the future. On that same note, the PFL founder Donn Davis has also mentioned that Paul's MMA debut has not been announced due to the focus on Paul's boxing career. Whether the fight was to happen in boxing again or in the Octagon, do you think it could surpass the $27 million the first fight generated?

Seemingly enough, the fight would have to take place under MMA rules to surpass the revenue generated in the first fight. The initial boxing match between the two generated a great amount of money, but it was not overly competitive with Paul winning by unanimous decision. To get the fan's involvement and backing to make this another great selling event it most likely would have to be an MMA match to compete with the first fights revenue numbers. It isn't to be taken lightly that Diaz called out Paul following his win this weekend over Masvidal. If Diaz is eager enough for the rematch there is a chance we can see that happen again, but in an MMA bout in 2025.

Dustin Poirier vs. Nate Diaz?

The only person who knows what will happen next is Diaz, and it's not clear who it will end up being at this time. Could it be Dustin Poirier? That is another intriguing fight that has massive marketability. The two were scheduled to fight each other at UFC 230, but Poirier had withdrawn due to a hip injury.

With Poirier considering retirement from combat sports, and Diaz competing in these one-off boxing matchups, who says no? This could be two legends of the sport competing in what could be the final fight of their career. These are the type of fights Diaz has to look forward to when coming back to the UFC. Could it be the most likely fight to happen next for Diaz? Maybe, maybe not, but it would sure get the fans excited. Whatever is to come for Diaz next is going to be massive, and all fans of combat sports will tune in.

Whether it be another one-off boxing match with the likes of Masvidal or Paul. We could also see him fight the exciting MMA fights with Masvidal, Poirier, or McGregor for his welcome back to the UFC. Whatever is to come next for Diaz we are all in for a treat.