Nick Diaz returns! Here are the top 5 possible opponents

The NSAC suspension of Stockton’s own Nick Diaz has now expired giving the California native free reign to fight again for the UFC. This now opens up the discussion for exactly who will be chosen for the big money fight with the elder Diaz brother. I’ve put together a list of the Top 5 possible opponents to welcome back the polarizing figure to UFC competition:

5. Takanori Gomi

Okay so Gomi is now a lightweight. Okay so Gomi has lost four of his last five… Come on now, was Nick Diaz robbed when he strangled ‘The Fireball Kid’ with a Gogoplata back at Pride 33 in 2007 or what? Diaz failed a drug test for, you guessed it, marijuana resulting in one of the most epic battles in history being ruled a No Contest. If you have not seen this particular matchup then you should immediately pause life and go watch it, twice. The rematch would be nothing like the first, and pure fantasy, but a Diaz fresh off of a Sativa suspension would be ironic.

4. Tyron Woodley

The recently crowned UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley is the current king of the hill at 170. The new champion denied the request of a pleading Stephen Thompson in order to call out the currently suspended Nick Diaz. Woodley wants the big money fight and why wouldn’t Diaz want the added leverage of a championship belt. Plus who doesn’t want to continue the whole cardio vs. power debate.

3. Michael Bisping

The current UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping is a solid candidate to match not only the trash talking abilities of Nick Diaz but the insane cardio as well. Nick Diaz definitely did not lose to Anderson Silva. In fact, Nick Diaz laying down in front of Anderson may have been the most effective strike of that bout. Bisping beat Silva then received a title shot so why not give Diaz a title shot off of the strength of NC’ing Silva? #middleweight… Unless a catchweight is agreed upon.

2. Georges St. Pierre

Everybody wants to see Nick Diaz back inside of the UFC octagon. Everybody wants to see GSP back inside of the UFC octagon. The math here is simple. Two guys returning to face a previous opponent. This return bout could omit the ring rust rhetoric for both fighters and present the elder Diaz brother an opportunity to avenge his most recent loss. This could potentially be the largest payday out of all of the possible opponents for Nick Diaz.

1. Robbie Lawler

On the heels of losing his UFC welterweight title, Robbie Lawler will be looking to bounce back and what better opponent than a guy that knocked him out back at UFC 47 in 2004. Diaz has not finished an opponent since 2011 so a guy coming off of a knockout loss, and who Nick has already KO’d, is a rather appealing affair. Not to mention that the knuckle up style of each competitor violently clashing into a collage of chaos is exactly what the fans want to see. Please and thank you.

The actual opponent awaiting Nick Diaz has yet to be released so stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for all of your updates and other MMA related news.