Boxing icon Deontay Wilder has recently disclosed his ambition to step into the cage. After securing a knockout victory over Robert Helenius last Fall, Wilder has been noticeably absent from active competition for over a year.
Despite talks with Francis Ngannou for a potential matchup in the cage, it appears that a different contender might be in the cards for the heavyweight boxer.
Recent developments suggest that Wilder might be locking horns with MMA icon Nate Diaz.
The former UFC title challenger responded on social media to a recent interview featuring Wilder. In the video, Wilder expresses his willingness to face the Stockton native inside the cage.
He enthusiastically said: “Hell yeah. You better believe it. Nate… I’ll be down to get in there with Nate for sure. You think you can take him in the cage, man, we are going to see. There is only one way to find out.”
It seems that Deontay Wilder and Nate Diaz have a mutual interest in competing against each other. Diaz said on social media that they could begin drafting the bout’s contracts right now.
Diaz responded on social media to Wilder’s comments by posting:
As of now, Nate Diaz is awaiting his next challenge.
While Wilder’s heavyweight stature makes the Diaz clash unlikely to ever materialize, he might get a mixed match against former UFC champion Francis Ngannou.
PFL exec addressed the possible crossover during a recent appearance on the MMA hour saying:
 “I think it would be fantastic, because I think he already proved against Tyson Fury what he has to prove for now.”
“I think he’ll get back to that… But what would I think would be fascinating? Deontay Wilder in a mixed rules fight. I always say, what do I want to see? I know a lot about boxing and a lot about MMA, but I’m not a savant. I’m not a deep, deep, deep insider. So I like to test, what do I think millions of people would love to see? I think that’s the most interesting thing we could all see.”