St. Pierre is listed as a -200 favorite, while Diaz checks in as the underdog at +160 in the fight, which would be contested at 155 pounds. St. Pierre and Diaz must square off sometime in 2018 for the odds to be valid. Those odds are likely to fluctuate over time if they bout is formally announced.
Earlier this week, UFC President Dana White confirmed that the promotion is targeting St. Pierre vs. Diaz for UFC 227 in Los Angeles on Aug. 4. The lightweight matchup would serve as the co-main event, while a bantamweight championship clash pitting T.J. Dillashaw against Cody Garbrandt will be the evening’s headliner.
“We’ve been offering Nate Diaz fights for however long,” White said. “In his contract, and Nick Diaz, I have to give them three fights a year. Per the contract, I need to give them three fights a year. If I fail to give them three fights a year then I have to pay them. I have honored my contract with those guys. They turn down the fights, which extends their contracts. But we are working right now to try to put together a Georges St. Pierre versus Nate Diaz fight.”
St. Pierre returned from a four-year hiatus at UFC 217, where he captured the middleweight crown with a third-round submission of Michael Bisping in the card’s main event on Nov. 4. He would eventually vacate the belt, citing issues with colitis. St. Pierre, who has won his last 13 UFC contests, has never competed at 155 pounds in the Octagon. He notably owns a victory over Diaz’s brother, Nick Diaz, in a welterweight title bout at UFC 158.
Diaz last appeared at UFC 202, where he suffered a majority decision defeat against Conor McGregor in August 2016. The Stockton, Calif., native’s profile was raised considerable due to his two fights against McGregor, the first of which he won via second-round submission at UFC 196 in March 2016.