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MMA

09th Mar 2016

Nate Diaz in line to get an even bigger fight than Robbie Lawler following UFC 196 triumph

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Ben Kiely

That phenomenal performance at UFC 196 might have secured the most sought after match-up in the welterweight division.

When Nate Diaz forced the tap from Conor McGregor in Sunday’s main event he secured the biggest win of his career. Suddenly, he went from not being a “needle-mover” who gets put on Fox Cards to being the prettiest girl at the UFC ball with a plethora of potential fights being queued up.

Some felt that Diaz had earned another shot at Rafael dos Anjos, but this time for the belt with the win, while Dana White told ESPN panel post-fight at UFC 196 that a welterweight title fight might be on the cards for Diaz.

“You know what would make a lot of sense? This isn’t the fight I’m making, I’m just saying, [Diaz] and Robbie Lawler would make a lot of sense. His brother beat [Lawler].

“Robbie’s now the world champion and Nate became very, very popular tonight. We’ll see what happens with Nate, but listen, for me to try to predict what one of the Diaz brothers is going to do? Who knows?”

However, there was one fight that Nate had been specifically calling for after the event. He wanted to be the one to welcome Georges St-Pierre, arguably the greatest fighter to ever grace an Octagon, back to the UFC. Diaz claims he was told by White that GSP was eyeing up a bout against Lawler, but that may have changed after Sunday.

Tristar head coach Firas Zahabi response to Diaz on Twitter suggests that a fight against GSP is definitely a possibility. If it does get booked, it will give Diaz the opportunity to seek revenge for his brother, who lost to GSP via unanimous decision at UFC 158 in 2013.

GSP hasn’t fought since vacating his belt in 2013, following his successful defence against Johny Hendricks.