UFC
Nate Diaz gets title shot following UFC on Fox 3 win over Jim Miller, will wait for Henderson-Edgar winner
May 6, 2012 - 10:00:57 AM Nate Diaz gets title shot following UFC on Fox 3 win over Jim Miller, will wait for Henderson-Edgar winner

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

It didn't take long for the UFC to decide what to do with Nate Diaz after his UFC on Fox 3 win over Jim Miller. UFC President Dana White revealed at the post-fight press conference that Diaz will fight for the UFC Lightweight Title in his next bout, and he'll stay on the sidelines in order to do so.

The belt will not be on the line until later this year, when Ben Henderson and Frankie Edgar square off for a second time. Instead of taking another fight, Diaz will wait for that bout to come, and will take on the winner either by the end of the year or early in 2013.

White said Diaz had an option to take a fight against Anthony Pettis, but that it wasn't a necessity, and he can wait out the shot. For Diaz, he said the wait was fine by him, and so he'll get the shot that has thus far eluded him in his UFC career.

Penick's Analysis: The worst part of this move is the delay to a potential rematch between Anthony Pettis and Ben Henderson, and the fact that it means Diaz is on the sidelines for anywhere from seven to ten months depending on the timing of the bouts. That said, it does preserve Pettis as another challenger after Diaz, provided Pettis wins a fight or two in the interim himself. Having them face off would have eliminated one or the other from a title fight, and instead they may both now be challengers in the next year and a half.