In stunning news, Nate Diaz vs Leon Edwards will be the new co-main event fight for UFC 262. It is also could be a 5 round co-main event. Yes, you read that right.
Nate Diaz vs Leon Edwards Fight To Make History
The Saint of Stockton, Nate Diaz, finally graces the UFC with his return at UFC 262 when he faces the Bad Boy of Birmingham, Leon Edwards. This historic co-main event will be the first five-round, non-title co-main event in UFC history. And it’s all going down at the Toyota Center in Houston on May 15th. The Nate Diaz vs Leon Edwards co-main will be setting up the Vacant Lightweight Title fight between Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira to give UFC 262 a much-needed boost.
Shocking to see Edwards gets such a hefty reward after a no-contest result against a lower-ranked Belal Muhammad at UFC Vegas 21. However, it’s a win-win for the UFC. If Diaz beats Edwards and Masvidal beats Usman, they can set up the BMF rematch after the UFC 262 bout!
For Edwards, a win at UFC 262 would boost his rankings, stock, and name-value by beating a guy the UFC always had a tough time negotiating altogether. Also, Edwards will get his money’s worth facing Diaz and thoroughly shake the rust off from over a year off the sport with sidetracking issues.
As shocking as it is, this fight could lead to one of the biggest men’s MMA trilogy fights in UFC history, Conor McGregor vs Diaz for the welterweight strap. Diaz also gets the best opportunity to enter top-contender status in the murky 170-pound division. His most recent outing showed Diaz losing via doctor’s stoppage at UFC 244 in NYC in November 2019 for the BMF title.
Leon looked to face surging prospect Khamzat Chimaev in late 2020/early 2021 but kept getting scratched due to health concerns of Khamzat recovering from COVID-19. Edwards finally got Muhammad to step in as a late-notice replacement on March 13th. However, an eye poke prematurely ended Muhammad’s night in the second round, forcing the bout to a stop. The resulting no-contest had been contemplated for a rematch.
However, Edwards will pack his bag and his winning streak of eight and move to the next stop, which is Nate Diaz at UFC 262 in the Toyota Center. He sees Diaz as his shot at a title, just like how Masvidal used Diaz to propel him into a title fight with Usman.
With the Nate Diaz vs Leon Edwards fight being added, the UFC 262 card now has the following fights:
- Lightweight: Michael Chandler vs Charles Oliveira
- Welterweight: Nate Diaz vs Leon Edwards
- Lightweight: Beneil Dariush vs Tony Ferguson
- Middleweight: Jamie Pickett vs Jordan Wright
- Women’s Flyweight: Priscila Cachoeira vs Gina Mazany
- Women’s Flyweight: Viviane Araujo vs Katlyn Chookagian
- Flyweight: Alex Perez vs Matt Schnell
- Women’s Flyweight: Andrea Lee vs Antonina Shevchenko
- Featherweight: Edson Barboza vs Shane Burgos
- Middleweight: Jack Hermansson vs Edmen Shahbazyan
- Lightweight: Joel Alvarez vs Christos Giagos
- Middleweight: Andre Muniz vs Ronaldo Souza
- Lightweight: Rafael Alves vs Damir Ismagulov
Who do you see winning this Nate Diaz vs Leon Edwards fight? Let us know your prediction in the comments below!
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