Nate Diaz Looks in Absolutely Phenomenal Shape Right Now… Will it be Enough to Beat Anthony Pettis in His Eagerly Anticipated Comeback?
Nate Diaz hasn’t fought since 2016. By the time he steps back into the octagon against Anthony Pettis at UFC 241 it will be almost four years since his last fight. That came against Conor McGregor when he lost a unanimous decision to the Irishman at UFC 203. It was a very close fight with some believing the result should have gone the other way.
Diaz is one of the most popular fighters on the roster. He’s a straight-talker with no messing about. He says what he thinks and doesn’t have any time for people being fake. Where it comes from it’s all about family and loyalty. Those traits are also shared by his older brother and fellow fighter Nick.
Now a picture has emerged of the Stockton fighter training for his next fight and he looks absolutely shredded. This comes on the same day that John Kavanagh went on the Ariel Helwani show and called for a trilogy fight with Conor McGregor.
Nate Diaz is in shape for UFC 241. @NateDiaz209 pic.twitter.com/nwxajPBdm4
— Ross Edmonds (@RosssEdmonds) June 16, 2019
Beast Mode
As you can see from the image above, Diaz is looking like a beast. He’s spent most of his career as a lightweight where his body has looked a little soft. Conor McGregor famously questioned, “How can a skinny man be so fat?” We’re not shaming because Diaz, who has a vegan lifestyle, is a very effective and entertaining fighter.
Now as he solidifies his status as a welterweight fighter, he looks like he’s put on a bit more muscle mass. If he’s going to make a run in this division that could stand to him. Look at the monsters at 170lbs like Kamaru Usman, Tyron Woodley and Robbie Lawlor. A bit more muscle might not hurt.
Trilogy Fight
As a guest on the Ariel Helwani show, McGregor’s head coach John Kavanagh explained why he hoped his prize student would want to fight Nate Diaz next. For the SBG Ireland founder, this is the most exciting match-up possible – even more so than a rematch with Khabib Nurmagamedov. He also name-dropped Justin Gaethje, saying:
“I always loved the Diaz trilogy. I’ve kind of said that from the start. I’m really looking forward to seeing how Nate looks in the fight that’s coming up. That would be just, as a fan, very exciting. Justin Gaethje kind of reminds me of that similar style, you know he can take a tremendous amount of punishment and keep coming forward.”
Both fights would be very entertaining for the fans. That is certain.
Motivation
Kavanagh concluded though that it doesn’t really matter as long as McGregor is motivated. That’s the big question, what is his motivation? He’s a very rich man and a successful business owner with a young family and international fame. Should he really be fighting? Kavanagh said:
Honestly if it’s Conor excited, and motivated, and pushing himself hard, it doesn’t really matter all that much to me. Anybody in the UFC at the level that Conor McGregor would be fighting are good opponents, they have different challenges. If you’re going to put a gun to me, it would be the Diaz trilogy. That would be for me.”
If the fight is against Nate Diaz, you can bet that it will be a bloody war of attrition yet again. Their first produced one of the biggest shocks in recent MMA history when Diaz submitted the Irishman, who had previously been unbeaten in the UFC. Their second was voted by fans as the greatest UFC fight of all time.
