The UFC’s fall 2021 slate becomes clearer and more exciting by the day. Up next is UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs Gastelum, followed by UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs Chikadze, which will also host The Ultimate Fighter: Team Volkanovski vs Team Ortega finals. The next pay-per-view offering features the return of wildly popular Stockton superstar Nick Diaz, whose younger brother Nate is once again making headlines with relation to a bout against the top contender among the lightweights, Dustin Poirier.

In 2018, the UFC had a lightweight fight between Diaz and Poirier on the docket for UFC 230 at Madison Square Garden. It ultimately fell through because of an injury to Poirier. Now, there is renewed speculation that the pairing wants to fight. Both men seem interested, and Diaz definitely wants it, but the clear next step for Poirier is a meeting with Charles Oliveira for the undisputed 155-pound crown. If this fight is seriously considered, it will bring questions. Will Poirier again push the belt back for a big money fight? He did it once, but how likely is it that it happens again?

According to Ariel Helwani, the UFC aims to make a rematch between Rose Namajunas and Zhang Weili for the strawweight championship around the end of the year. Namajunas’s show-stopping upset knockout of Weili remains one of 2021’s most shocking MMA moments, and a rematch is by no means a placeholder. Carla Esparza has a claim for her own rematch against Namajunas, but the immediate Weili rematch is a bigger fight for the fan-favorite ‘Thug Rose’, who seems to have made strawweight title upsets a habit.

The UFC 268 card, still slated for Madison Square Garden, will feature the return of one former champion. If the UFC gets its apparent wish, it could play host to another. Frankie Edgar, former lightweight champion and featherweight title challenger, is reportedly the desired next opponent for the best unranked bantamweight in the promotion, Sean O’Malley. This fight is massive, and although Edgar is coming off of a tough loss to Cory Sandhagen, the fight is proving ground for O’Malley as Edgar is in the 135-pound top 10. This intriguing bout would be a huge addition to a huge card.

Not to become a vocally idle fighter during his time off, Conor McGregor has been making waves on social media. His feud with fellow former simultaneous dual-champion Daniel Cormier made headlines. Now, The Notorious has explicitly confirmed via Twitter that his comeback will take place in 2022. He also raised the prospect that the fight will take place at welterweight. McGregor is 2-1 at 170 pounds in the UFC, and last fought there against Cowboy Cerrone in 2020.