Nate Diaz set for Octagon return and to co-headline UFC 230

Bengaluru, August 3: After more than a two-year absence, Nate Diaz is set to return to the UFC on November 3 for UFC 230 co-main event bout against Dustin Poirier, according to reports.

The lightweight bout will be Diaz's first since losing his rematch against Conor McGregor in August 2016. He was slated to make his return with the triology of bouts against McGregor, but that was not to be.

There are reports that the 33-year-old Diaz also rejected the chance to be involved in this weekend's UFC 227 at Staples Center against former two-division champion Georges St-Pierre, as he felt that St-Pierre was his brother's rival, and then eventually St-Pierre also fell ill.

Nate Diaz vs. Dustin Poirier is set for UFC 230 at Madison Square Garden, multiple sources say. The fight is expected to be officially announced at tomorrow’s press conference. First reported by @latimespugmire.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) August 3, 2018

Stockton's Diaz now returns to action at Madison Square Garden to meet Louisiana's Poirier, who has won eight of his last 10 bouts. One was a no-contest last year that Poirier responded last week by knocking out Alvarez in the second round of the UFC Calgary main event.

Poirier has won three fight-of-the-night bonuses and a performance-of-the-night bonus in his last four fights, which have included knockouts of prospect Justin Gaethje and former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis.

How #UFC230 could possibly look.

Nate Diaz vs. Dustin Poirier
Luke Rockhold vs. Chris Weidman
Yoel Romero vs. Paulo Borrachinha
Jacare Souza vs. David Branch
Derek Brunson vs. Israel Adesanya

And the main event: TBD..... 😳 pic.twitter.com/8dUzeuajCk

— Wesley Riddle (@AllThatMMA) August 3, 2018

Also in the card is a rematch between former middleweight champions Chris Weidman and Luke Rockhold. The last time the pair met, Rockhold defeated New York's Weidman by fourth-round technical knockout to capture the middleweight belt at Las Vegas in December 2015.

The card will also include couple of bouts that feature top middleweight contenders in Yoel Romero, David Branch, Ronaldo Souza and Paulo Costa.

The fights will be officially announced on Friday (August 3) during a UFC seasonal news conference at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, there is also talk that Khabib Nurmagomedov will headline the card in the most anticipated bout against McGregor. Everything will be disclosed during tonight's press conference and the card is turning out to be very juicy.

This is how the card stands for now,

Lightweight bout: Dustin Poirier vs. Nate Diaz

Middleweight bout: Luke Rockhold vs. Chris Weidman

Middleweight bout: Ronaldo Souza vs. David Branch

Middleweight bout: Yoel Romero vs. Paulo Costa