Nate Diaz went from lightweight contender to welterweight contender overnight.
Jumping up to 170 pounds for the first time since 2011, Diaz did the unthinkable when he submitted Conor McGregor with a rear-naked choke in the main event of UFC 196. The enormous win opened up several possibilities for Diaz, who fought for the lightweight title in 2012.
UFC president Dana White appeared on "SportsCenter" after the show and proposed another title shot for Diaz, this time against welterweight champion Robbie Lawler.
"You know what would make a lot of sense? This isn't the fight I'm making; I'm just saying him and Robbie would make a lot of sense," White said, according to Mike Bohn of MMAjunkie. "His brother (Nick) beat Robbie. Robbie is now the world champion, and Nate became very, very popular tonight. We'll see what happens with Nate."
White was referring to a 2004 contest that saw Nick Diaz put Lawler face down on the canvas in the second round at UFC 47. It remains the only knockout loss of Lawler's career.
Theoretically, Nate would provide a similar challenge and help drum up interest for Lawler, who's never been a major PPV draw despite his entertaining fighting style.
Nothing has been formally discussed yet in regard to Diaz's next fight, and White wondered if the 30-year-old might just retire after receiving a career-high disclosed payday of $500,000.
"We might never see Nate Diaz again after this," White joked. "He made a lot of money tonight. When we walked by, somebody said, 'What are you going to do with your money?' He said, 'I'm buying a yacht.' Nate is probably going to go out to sea, and we'll never see him again.
"For me to try to predict what one of the Diaz brothers is going to do, who knows, man?"
