Nick Diaz likely to have title shot against Bisping at UFC 2016 – report

UFC News – MMA veteran Nick Diaz is no stranger to big fights inside the cage. In just his second pro fight, Diaz won the IFC United States welterweight championship by defeating Chris Lytle. Over the course of the neck 15 years, Diaz went on to win the WEC championship, as well as the Strikeforce welterweight championship. With that being said, the UFC championship belt has proved elusive for Diaz.

In 2012, Diaz was given an interim welterweight title shot against Carlos Condit in the main event of UFC 143. Ultimately, Diaz lost the fight via controversial decision, with Carlos Condit being awarded the win, as well as the welterweight championship. In his next Octagon outing nearly a year later, Diaz faced welterweight kingpin Georges St-Pierre for the undisputed welterweight championship, losing the fight via unanimous decision.

Now, following reports that Georges St-Pierre will not be returning to face Michael Bisping in the main event of UFC 206 in Toronto for the middleweight championship, SmackHisFace.com is reporting that they have received word that Nick Diaz has been offered the fight with Bisping. According to the report, the only hold-up for the bout is that Diaz has yet to pay his $70,000 fine from the NSAC following his failed drug test for marijuana back in January of 2015.

This report comes on the heels of UFC President Dana White recently stating that Diaz is ready to make his return to the Octagon. In the days following White’s announcement, Georges St-Pierre took to social media, where he revealed that negotiations with the UFC didn’t go well, and he will not be fighting Michael Bisping in Toronto at UFC 206.

This isn’t the first time that Diaz and Bisping have been linked to a fight, recently Michael Bisping revealed that during a coincidental run-in, Diaz brought up a potential fight between the two. Bisping went on record as saying that at the time of the run-in, Diaz stated that the pair should fight at catchweight, however the newly released report indicates that the fight would be for Bisping’s middleweight championship.

Diaz has only gone up to 185 once over the course of his 37-fight professional career, however he has fought at catchweight of 179, and 180, in the past.

Category: Mixed Martial Arts