Tyron Woodley: If I had to bet the house on it, Nate Diaz would be my next opponent

As he recovers from shoulder surgery, UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley is already thinking about his next fight. One opponent which he is certain he would be getting next is Nate Diaz, a matchup he has been pushing for a while now.

”I think it will happen this year. I think it’s way more likely than people realize,” Woodley said (via ESPN.com). “There are conversations about Nate and I fighting in July. The UFC has offered Nate that fight. They just have to make it worth his while.”

”I think I’ll fight Nate this year, and I think it will be my return to the Octagon. If I had to bet the house on it, that’s my next opponent.”

Woodley is looking at the possibility that the potential Diaz fight will be for his title, but at the same time, he is willing to take on other scenarios, as long as it gives him a career boost.

”If we’re fighting, I’m pretty sure it would have to be for my belt,” Woodley said. “Now, if they want me to fight him at a catch-weight, not a title fight, I’m gonna have to drop to my knees and make a prayer to the most high for something like that.”

”At this point in my career, if it’s a fight that’s not for my belt, I’m willing to step out of the box and do some different things.”

”I just want to do something that’s going to push me forward career-wise or push my legacy,” Woodley added. “I need both. I need super fights and I need to continue to knock off these rising contenders. I’ve been fighting the best of the best since Strikeforce. It’s not like I’m asking for anything that I haven’t paid my dues for. I had to earn this position the hard way.”

Meanwhile, top contender Colby Covington has also been campaigning for a title shot himself, and he had something to say about Woodley’s current plans.