Pigs are flying. Hell has frozen over. Nate Diaz is scheduled for a fight. The elusive star is set to return to the cage at UFC 241 against former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis in a welterweight co-main event.
Dana White officially announced the new UFC 241 co-main event earlier tonight.
After a bout with Dustin Poirier fell apart prior to UFC 230, many wondered if Nate Diaz would ever fight again. He was seeking a big fight, and a co-main event of a pay-per-view headlined by a heavyweight title bout has satisfied that craving. This booking also confirms that Anthony Pettis has elected to stay at 170 pounds rather than knocking out a top contender and returning to lightweight.
Nate Diaz entered the UFC by winning The Ultimate Fighter’s fifth season. Since then, both his attitude and fighting style have made him a fan-favorite. The Stockton, California, native has 15 post-fight bonuses to his name, which is tied for the second most in the promotion’s history. He reached superstardom in 2016, when on short notice, Diaz submitted the sport’s biggest star in Conor McGregor. Five months later, they held their epic rematch which was the consensus fight of the year. We are approaching three year’s since that loss to McGregor, and Diaz has yet to step foot in the cage.
Anthony Pettis went on a tear after falling in his promotional debut, winning five straight fights including a title victory over Benson Henderson and a defense against Gilbert Melendez. He went on to lose six of his next eight fights, but has turned it around recently. After submitting Michael Chiesa, Pettis shared a fight of the year candidate with Tony Ferguson, then knocked out Stephen Thompson in his return to welterweight.
UFC 241 will take place in Anaheim, California, in the Honda Center on August 17. The main event will be a heavyweight title rematch between Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic. Yoel Romero and Paulo Costa will also go to battle (hopefully).
