After UFC 230 withdrawal, Nate Diaz says he’ll “just fight Khabib when he’s ready”

Last night, we were hit by the unfortunate news that Dustin Poirier has been forced out of his anticipated lightweight contender bout with Nate Diaz, which was scheduled for UFC 230 this November 3 in New York City.

From there, the MMA community quickly began brainstorming potential replacement opponents for Diaz. Apparently, however, we can call off the search.

Shortly after we learned of Poirier’s withdrawal, UFC President Dana White announced that Diaz is definitely off the UFC 230 card.

With his UFC 230 fight scrapped, it’s hard to say what the future holds for Nate Diaz, who has already gone since August of 2016 without a fight. That being said, he seems to have a plan.

He wants to wait for a fight with UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who retained his title with a fourth-round submission of Conor McGregor at UFC 229 last weekend.

Asked @NateDiaz209 what’s next now that Dustin Poirier is out of UFC 230. His response?

“I’ll just fight Khabib when he’s ready.”

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 10, 2018

“I’ll just fight Khabib when he’s ready,” Nate Diaz told Ariel Helwani.

Khabib Nurmagomedov, of course, could be out for awhile, depending on the suspension he’s handed for inciting a brawl with McGregor’s team post-fight. Furthermore, the next shot at the champion is more than likely to go to Tony Ferguson or Dustin Poirier, who are far and away the most deserving contenders in the division. There’s also the possibility of a Nurmagomedov-McGregor rematch — though that seems unlikely at this stage.

Whatever the case, Nate Diaz probably has some serious waiting to do if he plans to hold out for a fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Do you think the UFC can coax Nate Diaz back to the cage with another matchup, such as a rescheduled fight with Dustin Poirier or a trilogy fight with Conor McGregor?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 10/9/2018.