Dominance MMA leader, Ali Abdelaziz, who also manages UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, revealed that former undisputed title contender Nick Diaz can become the number 1 contender for Usman’s title if he beats Robbie Lawler at UFC 266.

Diaz, who last fought in 2015, will make his long-awaited return against the man who he has already beaten once at UFC 47 almost 17 years ago.

Meanwhile, Usman is gearing up for a clash against Colby Covington at UFC 268. The Nigerian will look to defend his title successfully in a rematch from UFC 245. Even if he successfully defeats ‘Chaos’, Usman is not short of challenges.

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His next potential opponents could be Leon Edwards or Gilbert Burns. Both these fighters have already lost to the champ but have made the progression to stake a claim towards the gold. There is also a strong case of Vicente Luque challenging for the gold, as he has also been impressive in his last few fights.

Keeping aside all these fighters, Abdelaziz has thrown Diaz’s name out of nowhere. In a retweet, the veteran manager replied to MMA Junkie’s John Morgan and wrote, “If nick Diaz beat Robbie Lawler he become the number one contender automatically. Hey bring too much to the table.”

In an additional tweet from John Morgan, the reporter mentioned Abdelaziz is content with Nick facing Usman if he wins and others can wait. Abdelaziz said, “Then everyone else can keep waiting.”

How did Nick Diaz fare in his last few matches?

Nick (26-9), the elder brother of Nate Diaz, will make an appearance inside the octagon after 6 long years. The Stockton native last featured in a match against former UFC middleweight champion, Anderson Silva. The fight ended in a loss for Nick as Silva picked up a unanimous decision.

However, the bout was overturned later as a No Contest after both fighters were charged with using unwanted substances. Thus, both were fined and subsequently banned after that. Prior to this, he fought Georges St-Pierre for the welterweight gold at UFC 158. He lost that bout via unanimous decision.

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It will be interesting to see how he fares in his matchup against Lawler. But he will be able happy to hear the words from Abdelaziz about a challenge for the gold next.

What did you make of Abdelaziz’s words on Nick?