UFC 141 Results: What's Next for Nate Diaz?

Nate Diaz should no longer be considered "the other" Diaz.

While brother Nick has done his own thing in the world of MMA leading up to his interim championship showdown with welterweight Carlos Condit at UFC 143, Nate has officially escaped his brother's shadow.

The 26-year-old proved Saturday that he's more than ready to etch his name into UFC gold.  His three-round dismantling of top contender Donald Cerrone has opened any eyes that were currently sleeping on one of the most promising young talents in the world.

For a world-class kickboxer like Cerrone to look dumbfounded on his feet, Diaz must of been serving him something not on the menu. 

Straight jabs, consistent body shots and just an overall impeccable arsenal of timely and concise attacks culminated into a depleted "Cowboy" after just one round.

As if the beating weren't already barbaric, Diaz continued the barrage of strikes for 10 more minutes, resulting in 238 strikes landed to Cerrone's 96.  Hardly the kind of fight that Cerrone was looking for. 

Diaz is the very last person you want to stand and bang with, and unfortunately he found that out the hard way.

I mean what fighter in the lightweight division can withstand 238 strikes to the face and body, and sit there and proclaim their efforts successful?  Not many. 

That's exactly what Diaz strives for.  Beating fighters at their own game and making them look silly on their feet.  It's his forte. 

But after his bout, if you want to call it a bout, with a top-five talent in the division, what's next for Nate Diaz?

Well, there are a few possibilities.

The first is an immediate rematch with Clay Guida.  Guida beat Diaz the first time around via split-decision at UFC 94, but is currently coming off a devastating loss to Benson Henderson at UFC on FOX 1 that would have pitted the veteran against lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. 

A fight with Guida could signify that Diaz has improved on whatever caused him to lose in the first place and that he's ready to compete against elite competition at 155 lbs.

If the Stockton product proves victorious, it could launch him into No. 1 contender discussions.  Not to say he isn't already there, but one win over Cerrone isn't going to grant him a title shot.

The second option, if the UFC is so kind to offer, is a match against the loser of Edgar vs. Henderson at UFC 144, sometime in July.  That would completely eliminate Diaz needing to win another fight before competing for championship opportunities. 

At this point, with Guida being a main player in the division and a suitable fighter as far as promotions and PPV sales are concerned, I highly doubt the UFC would leave him in the dark and let Diaz roll on through.  Same thing goes for Gray Maynard.

But hey, crazier things have happened.

The last option for Diaz heading into 2012 would be to hone his skills over the span of one or two more fights before making a run at the title.  However, that seems like something the cocky Californian would never settle for. 

Sure he's arrogant, hard-nosed and thinks he can beat everyone up (probably including Brock Lesnar), but the fact of the matter is, trash-talking aside, the dude can flat out fight.

With that said, Diaz should seriously consider taking a half-step back and not taking on someone of Guida, Edgar, Henderson or Maynard's skill set.  He's only 26.  Time is on his side. 

The UFC and Dana White should be more than willing to feed him one more Donald Cerrone before he takes a leap into championship contention.

That means a fight with Melvin Guillard, Joe Lauzon or Anthony Pettis could be in the books.  Now while none of these guys are going to lay down for Diaz, it seems like the gritty striker would have an immediate advantage (unless Pettis is the Pettis of old).

Thanks for the read.

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