UFC President Dana White Says That Nate Diaz Will Not Face Conor McGregor or Tyron Woodley in his UFC Return…

Nate Diaz dramatically announced his intention to return to Octagon action, with a profanity-laden Instagram post yesterday. Calling himself “The Real Champ,” he suggested that he was planning on calling out either Conor McGregor or Tyron Woodley.

The Stockton native might find that while his return is welcome, he may not get his first choice of opponents. UFC President Dana White has suggested that because he has been out of action for so long, he will have to get in line and work his way back up the ladder again.

Diaz signaled that he wants to return in May or June this year. With Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagamedov fighting for the lightweight title in May, he may have to face another contender. Either that or take on the welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. However, White has stated outright that Diaz will not be getting a title shot straight away.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BeUKqYtH-uL/?hl=en&taken-by=natediaz209

Get In Line

Speaking to TMZ, Dana White made it clear that he was cautiously optimistic for a Diaz return. He told the media outlet that he had compiled a list of names for the Californian. However, neither McGregor nor Woodley are on that list.

White suggested that there was more desire for McGregor to fight the new lightweight champion – either Ferguson or Nurmagamedov. He said:

“I think people would rather see Conor come back and either fight Tony or Khabib. Whoever wins, the Nate Diaz fight isn’t going anywhere. We can do that thing anytime.”

Mandatory Credit: Joshua Dahl – USA TODAY Sports

Empty Words

Can we though Dana? It’s always best to keep an open mind when the UFC President makes a promise because his track record of late is dubious. The fact is that we still don’t know if McGregor is going to return, although it does seem like he is targeting November. Most importantly, you get the feeling that McGregor will be the one to decide who he fights next.

White also explained why Diaz won’t be facing Woodley either:

“The reality is there’s real guys like Rafael dos Anjos, guys in line waiting for that fight,” said White. “There’s so many guys that deserve that fight before Nate does and they’re gonna get it.”

It’s nice to see that all of a sudden, the UFC cares about the rankings again. To be fair, Dos Anjos was effectively promised a title fight after beating Robbie Lawlor in a war, back in December last year. There is a glut of other fighters rising in the division as well, including Colby Covington and Darren Till.

March 5, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Nate Diaz moves in for a punch against Conor McGregor during UFC 196 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Wait and See

Don’t forget that the UFC will want to protect Diaz’s drawing power. If he does fight McGregor in a trilogy fight at some point this year, he won’t be as big of a draw if he is coming off a loss.

It’s difficult to predict who will be next, however, Eddie Alvarez and Kevin Lee have both already called him out on Twitter. The potential for a big trash talk spectacle between Diaz and Lee might just be just the sort of matchup that the UFC is looking for.

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