Miesha Tate And Nate Diaz – Winning The Fights They Weren’t Even Supposed To Get

It’s funny just how perfectly the stars had to align in order for Miesha Tate and Nate Diaz to get the fights they wanted. For Tate, a second chance at UFC gold seemed to have slipped away just as quickly it was handed to her when Dana White announced that a title shot, which was already promised to Tate, would instead go to Holly Holm. And for Diaz, a fighter who has spent the last nine years collecting UFC Fight Night bonuses, it seemed that even with all of his success inside the Octagon he was continuing to miss out on big money fights. A call out of UFC superstar Conor McGregor last December seemed simultaneously intriguing and unlikely. In the end, both fighters got their wish and what the fans got in return were a pair of upsets by Nate and Tate. What’s next for Tate, Diaz, and their combatants is anyone’s guess, but I’ve got a few ideas.

Miesha Tate:

According to Dana White, Miesha Tate’s first title defense has already been decided. She will defend her title against a returning Ronda Rousey. Now I understand that fighting is a business and this matchup is a moneymaker, but aside from the dollars this fight makes little sense to me. It seems silly to have Rousey, a fighter coming off both a devastating loss and an extended layoff, fight for a title. Beyond that, it wasn’t even a month ago that reports surfaced saying Rousey’s publicist was informing people not to even mention fighting to her. Let’s be honest, she wants a crack at a fighter she has already beat twice (Tate). She didn’t even want to talk about fighting when Holm was champ. Ridiculous.

What needs to happen is a rematch between Tate and Holm. This fight was competitive; we saw Tate adjusting to the dominant striking of Holm, we saw Holm fighting off the multiple takedown attempts of Tate. If the back and forth nature of this fight wasn’t enough to pique your interest, it also had an exciting finish with the underdog coming out on top. This is a fight that we need to see again. The only other option in my opinion is to have Tate sit on the shelf for a while so Rousey and Holm can finally have their rematch; winner gets the next crack at the strap.

Diaz:

The options for Nate Diaz are vast. The question is, what weight class is he committed to, if any? Following Diaz’s win over McGregor at welterweight, Dana White said he believes a fight against welterweight champion Robbie Lawler would make a lot of sense for him. A title shot certainly brings with it a good bit of money but Diaz would be completely outsized in a matchup with Lawler. In my eyes, Diaz needs to head back down to lightweight. There is no shortage of exciting and winnable matchups for him at lightweight, and if he could pull off two or three wins to add to his current streak of two wins, he could be in title contention by the end of the year.

My top three matchups for Diaz are as follows:

1. Eddie Alvarez – Currently ranked number one in the UFC official rankings, a win over the top ranked lightweight could do a lot for the fifth ranked Diaz. Alvarez holds a win over Diaz’s long time friend and training partner, Gilbert Melendez, and I am sure Diaz would love to avenge that loss. Add to that the sometimes-wild nature of Alvarez’s fights and you’ve got a matchup to get excited for.

2. Anthony Pettis – Currently ranked number three in the UFC official rankings, this fight would simply be fun. Pettis likes to stand and trade, he’s fast, exciting, and is rarely in a boring fight. Any card that is in search of a dynamic main event would be hard pressed to find one more worthy than this. Pettis is slated to fight Edson Barboza next month at UFC 197; should he come out unscathed, a fight with Diaz would almost be too perfect.

3. Khabib Nurmagomedov – Currently ranked number two in the UFC official rankings. The Diaz brothers have clashed in the past with Nurmagomedov and his camp; it would be fun to let them handle their differences inside the Octagon. This fight would be a difficult test for Diaz. Nurmagomedov is one of the most dominant wrestlers in the sport and Diaz has traditionally struggled with elite wrestlers. A win over Nurmagomedov would certainly put him in title contention.

For Miesha Tate and Nate Diaz, as unlikely as it was they would win their respective matchups last weekend, it was equally as unlikely that they would get those fights in the first place. In the end, the harmonious glory of Nate and Tate felt as rare as picking a four-leaf clover. Unfortunately for Holm and McGregor, the luck of the Irish was on the side of the underdogs this night.