Nate Diaz was recently in talks to box another one of his former UFC foes.
There aren’t many fighters more iconic than Nate Diaz, the former UFC title challenger out of Stockton. Diaz fought a murderer’s row in the UFC’s lightweight and welterweight divisions where he became a massive pay-per-view draw with a 2016 submission win over Conor McGregor.
Diaz went on to sell over 2 million pay-per-views in his series with McGregor and years later, he headlined Madison Square Garden where he battled Jorge Masvidal for the inaugural BMF title in 2019.
Diaz ultimately lost by doctor’s stoppage TKO due to a cut over his eye. Diaz, now a free agent, later got revenge on Masvidal in a boxing match last summer.
As it turns out, Masvidal wasn’t the only rival Diaz wanted to redeem himself against…
Photo by Ezra Shaw/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesJosh Thomson says he was in talks to box Nate Diaz next
In 34 fights, Diaz has only been stopped by punches once in his career and that was to Josh Thomson in 2013.
The Strikeforce star made his UFC debut against Diaz at UFC on FOX 7 on Apr. 20, 2013. Thomson bloodied Diaz in the second round of their lightweight bout and finished him off with a flush head kick and ground and pound.
Thomson, 46, has been retired from MMA since 2017. Being asked about a potential comeback, Thomson revealed he was recently offered a rematch with Diaz in the boxing ring.
“I got a little bit of an itch [to fight again] about six months ago,” Thomson said on the Weighing In Podcast.
“Because there was some talk that there was a potential boxing match that I could have had with Nate.
“It just kinda dissipated,” Thomson said of boxing talks with Diaz.
“There was some talk and conversation about possibly doing that and us being the co-main [event] on another boxing match. I would love to have had that happen.”
Josh Thomson open to boxing after ruling out MMA return
Thomson was one of the most well-rounded lightweights on the planet in his heyday. The American fought the likes of Gilbert Melendez (three times), Benson Henderson and Tony Ferguson.
Retired for eight years now, Thomson says he still trains at Roger Gracie’s gym in Frisco, TX.
At 46 years old, ‘The Punk’ isn’t planning on an MMA comeback but he is leaving the door open for a boxing match.
“Boxing training, just boxing is one thing,” Thomson explained.
“If I had to get back in and train like jiu jitsu, wrestling, MMA, I’m like nah. No real desire.
“But if it was just a straight boxing match, yeah. I just gotta focus on making sure that my shoulders get built back up, a lot of jumping rope, a lot of footwork and movement. I could for sure do that.
“It has nothing to do with age,” Thomson said of potentially fighting again.
“In terms of performance-wise, it does have to do with age. I feel like I have, obviously, slowed down a lot.”