Nate Diaz offered new opponent for final UFC bout before Jake Paul fight

Kevin Holland has confirmed he is willing to fight Nate Diaz in his final UFC outing before his potential pursuit of a boxing match against YouTube star Jake Paul

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Nate Diaz has been offered a fight by UFC welterweight Kevin Holland in his final outing before pursuing a meeting with Jake Paul.

The American icon is expected to leave the promotion after requesting his release following his final contracted fight. Diaz, 37, has struggled to find an opponent and has frequently made public call-outs demanding that the UFC find him a concluding rival.

He recently asked to be released from his UFC contract again before hinting at a fight with Paul by posting a picture of the YouTube star’s highlight-reel knockout of Tyron Woodley. Holland has since confirmed his intentions to share the Octagon with Diaz, tweeting: “I’ll take anyone. He’ll take anyone. @NateDiaz209 let’s do this for everyone! @danawhite I think this moves the needle! I want all the smoke both inside and outside the cage.”

Holland is undefeated since making the switch from middleweight back to 170lbs, beating Alex Oliveira in March and Tim Means last weekend. His popularity is continuing to grow with fans, especially as he chased down a perfume thief in an act of crime-stopping heroism.

UFC president Dana White recently gave the all-clear for Diaz to pursue a boxing clash with Paul, providing he is found an opponent for his final contracted appearance in his promotion. The YouTube star quickly hit back at White’s approval by aiming a call-out at Diaz, tweeting: “Dana – I’m happy to be Nate’s last fight in UFC. You know the terms: pay fighters more and give them healthcare. Sweetener: I will fight for free.”

The Stockton native has just one win to his name since defeating Conor McGregor in 2016 but remains a huge pay-per-view draw with the promotion. He hasn’t fought since being defeated by Leon Edwards last June and has come close to agreeing fights with multiple opponents since.

Diaz verbally agreed to face Dustin Poirier following his victory over McGregor but a fight failed to materialise, frustrating the veteran further. A trilogy with McGregor also looked on the cards but Diaz claimed he would sooner be released than entertain a third instalment of their famous rivalry.

Leaked pictures of match-ups from White’s UFC ‘war room’ even suggested that Diaz could return to face rising star Khamzat Chimaev this summer. However, this now also looks unlikely, with Chimaev instead focused on a potential title shot against the winner of Kamaru Usman’s title defence against Leon Edwards.

Meanwhile, Paul has announced he will return to the boxing ring on August 6 for his sixth professional fight, with Tommy Fury all but certain to be his opponent. Diaz could put himself in pole position to face Paul next, as long as he is able to identify an adversary for his final bow in the UFC.

However, the YouTube star could instead pursue alternative options if Diaz’s future remains unclear, including a fight with UFC legend Anderson Silva or boxing legend Mike Tyson.