KEY POINTS

  • Nate Diaz will be returning to action against Leon Edwards at UFC 262
  • Diaz has been out of action for more than a year, having last fought back in November 2019
  • Diaz and Edwards will face each other in a five-round bout 

Nate Diaz, one of the most popular fighters on the UFC roster, will be making his highly-anticipated return to the Octagon at UFC 262 on May 15 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

Diaz will be facing No. 3-ranked welterweight contender Leon Edwards in the first-ever five-round non-title co-main event in UFC history.

Diaz himself announced the news on his Twitter page.

Diaz, 35, is coming off a lengthy layoff, having last fought Jorge Masvidal at UFC 244 back in November 2019.

In early 2021, UFC president Dana White said that Diaz was set to return to action and was going to compete in the stacked lightweight division.

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Diaz debuted in the UFC in 2007, after winning the lightweight tournament of the fifth season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Since then, Diaz has been a staple in the lightweight and welterweight divisions for over a decade.

In his UFC career, Diaz has beaten the likes of Conor McGregor, Anthony Pettis, Donald Cerrone, Jim Miller and Takanori Gomi.

Edwards, meanwhile, is coming off the anticlimactic no-contest against Belal Muhammad following an accidental eye poke at UFC Fight Night 187 earlier this month.

Muhammad had stepped in on short notice for Khamzat Chimaev, who had to pull out of his fight against Edwards a second time due to lingering effects of COVID-19.

Prior to the no-contest against Muhammad, Edwards was on a tear, having won his last eight matches.

It was widely believed that a win over Muhammad would have propelled Edwards to the front of the line in terms of welterweight contenders.

It would be likely that the winner of the Diaz-Edwards showdown moves closer to a shot at the UFC welterweight championship, currently held by Kamaru Usman.

UFC 262 Starts Shaping Up

UFC 262 Charles Oliveria Michael Chandler
Charles Oliveira will face Michael Chandler for the UFC Lightweight Championship at UFC 262 UFC

Headlining the UFC’s return to the Lone Star State will be a UFC lightweight championship bout between No. 3-ranked contender Charles Oliveira and No. 4-seeded Michael Chandler.

UFC 262 is also expected to feature a lightweight contest between former interim UFC lightweight champion Tony Ferguson and No.9-ranked contender Beneil Dariush, while middleweights Jack Hermansson and Edmen Shahbazyan square off against each other.

Plus, Edson Barboza looks to make it two straight wins at featherweight when he faces Shane Burgos.

UFC 262 will be the promotion's second pay-per-view event for 2021 to feature a full crowd, following in the footsteps of UFC 261, which will take place on April 24th at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.

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