UFC 230: Who Could Nate Diaz Fight After Dustin Poirier's Injury?

Nate Diaz is currently without an opponent for his co-main event at UFC 230 next month at Madison Square Garden after his opponent Dustin Poirier pulled out with an undisclosed injury.

The injury was first reported by ESPN's Brett Okamoto and later backed by others such as Ariel Helwani as the news comes just a couple of hours after the UFC confirmed reports that Daniel Cormier would defend his heavyweight title against Derrick Lewis in the main event of UFC 230 which takes place Nov. 3.

Helwani later contacted Diaz who declined to comment on the development, while it is also unclear if he will remain on the card.

Diaz, now ranked No. 10, was returning to action after over two years of inactivity following his majority decision loss to Conor McGregor at UFC 202 in August 2016. Both he and Poirier were previously campaigning for a 165-pound title fight to be the main event of UFC 230.

However, UFC president Dana White denied the calls as he wanted a title fight as the main event, notably without the introduction of a weight class in between the lightweight and welterweight divisions.

The question now is whether the Stockton native would be open to fighting another opponent on less than a month's notice. While it is unclear how much of a draw Diaz can be without McGregor as his opponent, he certainly is a draw nonetheless that would boost pay-per-view sales for an event now headlined by Cormier.

White later reportedly claimed Diaz would be off the card but things could change in an instant. There are certainly options for a backup opponent as well. Here are some of them:

Kevin Lee

Kevin Lee is currently ranked No. 5 in the lightweight rankings and was looking to headline the UFC Milwaukee card that takes place in December.

However, he will likely be eager to step in against Diaz not only because it's a bigger payday and would potentially boost him up in the rankings, but also because of the stylistic match-up given Lee's wrestling credentials.

Al Iaquinta

Al Iaquinta is another option, even though he seemed likely to be Lee's opponent at UFC Milwaukee. But given his ranking of No. 9 and the fact that he's coming off a loss, it may not be a fight that entices Diaz.

Justin Gaethje

Justin Gaethje is one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC and a fight with Diaz would certainly thrill fans and casuals, especially if they just resort to striking.

Gaethje, currently ranked No. 7, is also coming off an impressive knockout win over James Vick in August, but after four fights in just over a year, he might be looking to take some time off rather than return to the octagon.

He would later tweet he wanted to be at 100 percent if he was to step in for Diaz.

Tony Ferguson

Tony Ferguson seems primed for a shot at Khabib Nurmagomedov's title following both their impressive wins at UFC 229 over the weekend. But with the UFC likely to consider things from a business standpoint, a lucrative McGregor rematch may be preferred instead.

Ferguson has called out Diaz in the past before and a win over him could boost his profile even further to casual fans. He also didn't take much damage against Anthony Pettis so he would also be medically cleared.

Jorge Masvidal

Jorge Masvidal recently announced he wanted to return to the lightweight division and was the first to offer to step in for Poirier. However, he wants to do it in a welterweight bout with Diaz.

Diaz has struggled to make the weight at lightweight before and so, this may be favorable to him. The stylistic match-up is also one that would excite fans.