With UFC badly in need of marketable pay-per-view headliners, the long-awaited return Nate Diaz could be near.

Diaz (19-11), who spoke with ESPN on Wednesday, said he is serious about returning to the Octagon in 2018 and would be interested in facing welterweight champion Tyron Woodley (18-3-1). 

Although he hasn't fought since a disputed decision loss to Conor McGregor in their August 2016 rematch, and was willing to sit out all of 2017 until UFC made him a financial offer worth accepting, the 32-year-old said he is "ready to rock and roll" this calendar year. 

"I'm getting to the point where I'm sick of not fighting. I'm not getting any younger," Diaz said. "I put that tweet out saying I wanted to fight in May or June, but I didn't say who because I was weighing my options. And now, Woodley is my best option."

Although Diaz has maintained he would prefer a trilogy fight against McGregor, the UFC's lightweight champion, who has been idle since 2016, remains uncertain following his reported $100 million purse for boxing Floyd Mayweather last summer.

Diaz, who has had mild success as a welterweight, including a pair of fights against McGregor, has fought the majority of his career at 155 pounds. Yet the opportunity for his first UFC championship (he lost to Benson Henderson in a 2012 lightweight title fight) excites him. 

"I see [Woodley] on TMZ every week, talking about me," Diaz said. "I'm like, 'What the f---? If that's what you want to do.' It's not really my weight class, but I'm with it. I think it's my title we're fighting for. If he's the one calling me out, whose title are we fighting for? Who's the real champion here?"

Diaz told ESPN the fight could take place at UFC 226 on July 7 in Las Vegas. The fight card, held annually during International Fight Week, already features heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic in a super fight against 205-pound titleholder Daniel Cormier and has been linked to rumors of two other title bouts. 

"I'd like a good two or three-month camp," Diaz said. "We'll figure it out. There's definitely going to be something. I'm trying to fight."

Woodley, 35, who is currently recovering from shoulder surgery, told ESPN on Tuesday that if he had to "bet the house," he believed Diaz would be his next opponent. 

"I think that fight will happen," Woodley said. "I think it will happen this year. I think it's way more likely than people realize. 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."

The fight would create instant chaos to the division considering Diaz hasn't done much at welterweight to earn the fight. It's a trend that wouldn't be new for the promotion, which was heavily criticized in 2017 for disregarding its own rankings in order to routinely make the most marketable fight. 

The one welterweight with the biggest gripe to the idea of Woodley-Diaz is former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos (28-9), who has appeared reborn at 170 pounds. Dos Anjos, fresh off an impressive decision against former champion Robbie Lawler, shared his anger publicly about Woodley's comments. 

While Diaz has been idle, UFC president Dana White has routinely spoken out against the Stockton, California-native's stubbornness in turning down fights. The idea of Woodley-Diaz was first reported in December, although White angrily shot the rumors down. 

"They called me out of nowhere, when I wasn't trying to fight nobody," Diaz said. "They asked if I would fight Woodley and I said, 'Well, I'd like a three-month camp.'

"I told them I'd fight him on shorter notice, but would send them what I wanted in the contract. It was nothing out of the norm. My boxing coach said something about $15 million in an interview, but that was never the number. Then I saw in the media, the UFC said they never approached me about it. I was like, 'F--- it then. I wasn't the one asking for the fight.'"

Diaz's quotes did give the impression he has begun to move on from the idea of fighting McGregor or no one else. When asked about his biggest rival specifically, Diaz seemed to understand the emotional journey McGregor has been on since attaining crossover superstardom. 

"He's just living his life right now and he's got a magnifying glass on him, whatever he's doing," Diaz said. "I don't give a f--- what he does. I'm sure he's up and down. 'Do I want to be in these lights? Why am I not in these lights? I need to get in the lights. I need to get out of the lights.' It's a crazy roller coaster."

While Diaz, along with his older brother Nick, haven't been the most reliable soldiers or "company men" for UFC in recent years, the promotion needs him now more than ever. His pair of PPV headlining roles against McGregor made Diaz a household name in mainstream sports and there's little doubt regarding the marketability of his anti-hero mentality.

Not only would Woodley-Diaz serve as a very enticing PPV attraction should it happen, the fight also has just as much potential to produce McGregor's next opponent as the April 7 lightweight bout between interim champion Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov. In fact, when you consider the money involved, it likely has even more.