Rankings be damned, Anthony Pettis wants a piece of Nate Diaz.
Recovering from ligament damage in his right elbow, the former UFC lightweight champion is scouting potential opponents for a return bout before the end of the year, and even with elite names like Khabib Nurmagomedov floating around, Pettis wouldn't mind tossing aside rank and taking on Stockton's (second) favorite son.
"I don't really care," Pettis told Talking Brawls, according to MMAFighting.com's David St. Martin. "As long as it gets me that next title shot. If Khabib's healthy and he's next in line, that's who I want. Or Nate Diaz. I've been calling him out, as well. Diaz has been talking a lot of shit."
Diaz has called out Pettis's fragility over social media, a tactic Pettis says the brash Californian deploys in a desperate attempt to stay relevant.
"He's not relevant at all but it's personal," Pettis said. "When someone talks crap to me in my face I need to address that. Where I grew up that doesn't happen. He just talks shit. When I walk past him he has something to say. In Mexico City he had a few words, but it was by the media event.
"He runs over, gets on the camera and stays relevant. I don't play into that. If he wants to fight, let's set it up. I'm not afraid to fight this dude. He's not even top ten."
