Nate's return - It's gotta be Oliveira
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Nate fighting anyone in the Lightweight Top 5 except Tony would be a travesty IMO. He's done nothing to earn it. Tony would at least be a fun scrap and excusable on the grounds that Ferguson is on the decline and a loss streak.
Somebody else in the Top 15 makes more sense. He could be Kevin Lee's comeback fight to see if FKL has improved any during his layoff. Iaquinta hasn't been active for a while and would be a good welcome back to the division. If they're looking for bigger names willing to scrap and make a bloodbath of a Fight Night headliner, then Felder's the man and I bet he'd accept. Then there's always an RDA rematch.
All of these are better options to me than denying Oliveira his well-deserved title run or forcing JG to play "welcome back" committee to a guy who hasn't won a fight at 155 since December of 2015 (against someone who is currently 11-12 in the UFC on a 3-fight loss streak), missed weight in the fight before that, and has a 10-6 record in the division. Hell, Nate didn't fight at all in 2020, either. His last bout was in November of 2019 against Jorge -- a TKO loss at Welterweight. Why on Earth he'd get to skip the line a weight class down is beyond me.
But judging by Dana's rhetoric surrounding the fight, I'm sure it's going to be Gaethje or something. You know, "for the fans".
Somebody else in the Top 15 makes more sense. He could be Kevin Lee's comeback fight to see if FKL has improved any during his layoff. Iaquinta hasn't been active for a while and would be a good welcome back to the division. If they're looking for bigger names willing to scrap and make a bloodbath of a Fight Night headliner, then Felder's the man and I bet he'd accept. Then there's always an RDA rematch.
All of these are better options to me than denying Oliveira his well-deserved title run or forcing JG to play "welcome back" committee to a guy who hasn't won a fight at 155 since December of 2015 (against someone who is currently 11-12 in the UFC on a 3-fight loss streak), missed weight in the fight before that, and has a 10-6 record in the division. Hell, Nate didn't fight at all in 2020, either. His last bout was in November of 2019 against Jorge -- a TKO loss at Welterweight. Why on Earth he'd get to skip the line a weight class down is beyond me.
But judging by Dana's rhetoric surrounding the fight, I'm sure it's going to be Gaethje or something. You know, "for the fans".
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True, but I'd say a former LW gatekeeper who's now a very inactive WW. I don't see any reason for him to fight a Top 5 LW right now. Felder or Ferguson would make sense. Sadly, I think Tony is more shopworn than Nate and would probably lose.
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I agree except there's no way Tony is Top 5 after losing his last two fights and 8 straight rounds. He's almost 37 and his best days are clearly behind him.
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I think both are unfair. He may be a gatekeeper these days, but several years back he had a good run and earned a TS against Benson. He lost the fight, but he was definitely a legit contender/title challenger at that time.
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There have been plenty of eventual gatekeepers that have gotten failed bids at title shots.
I look at Nates career and outside of Conor fight , his win as an underdog to a then decent cerrone........ hes been mollywhopped by every top lightweight and his personal self reflection of himself is quite amusing. I bring up a quote by Nate on 2 different occasions this past year( same quote ) " I've been winning forever " ( this being part of an answer given by a question).
You gotta be kidding me.
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I think it's Gaethje. Justin is ranked #1 and that fight will be a stand and bang fight between 2 crazy strikers (Justin is a wrestler that doesn't do takedowns, so 2 strikers). If Nate wins, he's the #1 contender. If Gaethje wins, that sets him up for a great fight against Conor.
Poirier, McGregor, Hooker and Chandler are booked. Dana said it's not Ferguson. Felder said himself in a recent interview that it's not him.
They are not going to put him against Oliveira. Oliveira is on a crazy winning streak, but he doesn't talk and have much of a following. Doesn't make sense to put him against Nate financially. RDA is also a possibility, former champ, but again not a big talker/seller for Diaz, who is now one of the biggest PPV sellers (top 10) now.
Poirier, McGregor, Hooker and Chandler are booked. Dana said it's not Ferguson. Felder said himself in a recent interview that it's not him.
They are not going to put him against Oliveira. Oliveira is on a crazy winning streak, but he doesn't talk and have much of a following. Doesn't make sense to put him against Nate financially. RDA is also a possibility, former champ, but again not a big talker/seller for Diaz, who is now one of the biggest PPV sellers (top 10) now.
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It's so annoying that Khabib doesn't want to fight anymore (except maybe 1 fight). He could be truly one of the best if he tries to get to 35-0. Let's say he fights: McGregor, GSP, Nate Diaz, Charles Oliveira, Tony Ferguson and whoever is WW champ as a last fight, that would be legendary.
Now, he's the best LW ever. If he beats that list of guys, he could be the greatest MMA fighter ever (or 2nd greatest if Jones continues to win).
Now, he's the best LW ever. If he beats that list of guys, he could be the greatest MMA fighter ever (or 2nd greatest if Jones continues to win).
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why would nate get a top 10??? he wouldnt
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nate gets beat by everybody in the top 20 and if he gets a top 10 its iaquinta
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I think Nate is only coming back for Conor trilogy at this point. He is not going to fight a contender without a big name like Charles.
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My thoughts as well, but Nate could also be looking at Oliveira as a tune up fight to get back into the mix. I think Tony had the same thought and underestimated Oliveira, then got RUN OVER.
Oliveira is hot right now and the UFC is going to give him a big fight. Nate, Gaethje, or the belt.
I win over Nate, Tony and Kevin would set him up for a blockbuster fight with the winner of Poirier or Connor. Which I think he wins.
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Thats the only thing you remember him for. He had a very entertaining career before Mcgregor. He won one of the toughest seasons of TUF and fought his way to a LW title shot. He busted out an 8 fight win streak when he joined the UFC.
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Except for GSP, none of those fights makes sense for Khabib, nor does it do much for his legacy tbh.
McGregor = already beaten, dominant win for Khabib
Olivera = amazing fantasy fight for hardcore fans but no name value.
Nate = beside the fact that Khabib mops the floor with Nate, that fight makes no sense whatsoever, come on now.
Ferguson = 37 yo and on a 2-fight losing streak, that ship has sailed - unfortunately.
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Answers like that are just Nate working his gimmick I think.
I dunno...maybe gatekeeper is fair. I definitely wouldn’t say he’s elite. But he’s also no journeyman; Gomi was a good win at that time. So was Jim Miller, and Cowboy. Certainly Conor is a decent win. Michael Johnson is ok. Not a bad win, not special.
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Beating the WW champ does do a lot for his legacy. Oliveira would the best BJJ guy he has ever faced, would be a great fight.
Ferguson fight is just sad if it never happens. I know he's lost his last 2, but he's still one of the best guys and could be a fun matchup. If not Ferguson, maybe someone else who rises to the challenge. There are some up and comers like Ferreira, Dariush and Gillespie and of course the Hooker/Chandler winner. One of these guys might end up looking like a good challenger, the same way Oliveira is now.
McGregor and Nate Diaz fights give him more notoriety and even more eyeballs. You could throw in a Nick Diaz or Jorge Masvidal instead as well. These fights matter for casuals.
