Nick Diaz vs Mayorga or Vargas = possible in 2011

Soon after the Evangelista fight, Diaz will turn his thoughts to Miller, a boxer or the next welterweight contender. Of the possibilities, facing a boxer is likely to appeal to him most.

Due to financial demands, Diaz-Miller is a long shot. The champion is willing to face Miller at 185 pounds, but only if the money is to his liking.

"I wouldn't mind moving up," Diaz said. "I'd just like to get paid for it.

"I just want to get paid. [Boxing champion Manny] Pacquiao's making $40 million. ... I'm over here driving a Honda because my [car] is breaking down."

Strikeforce officials haven't indicated a willingness to give Diaz any extra compensation to move up in weight. The champ, therefore, will likely turn his attention to boxing.

Diaz is itching to box, and although he recently re-signed with Strikeforce, according to his trainer, Cesar Gracie, the deal includes a clause that allows Diaz to compete in a boxing match this year.

Diaz is expected to exercise that clause. Facing a recognizable boxer could potentially land Diaz the largest paycheck of his career.

"In boxing, when you're a superstar, you get millions of dollars," Gracie told ESPN.com. "In MMA, you're not making that kind of money.

"We're in negotiations right now with [boxing promoter] Don Chargin. We would very much like to take a boxing match. It would probably be at super middleweight [168 pounds].

"There have been a few names kicked around. One of them is Fernando Vargas; another is Ricardo Mayorga."

Vargas, the former IBF junior middleweight titleholder, is 33. He hasn't fought since November 2007, when Mayorga defeated him by majority decision.

Word has been spreading in boxing circles recently that Vargas is considering a comeback. Attempts by ESPN.com to get confirmation from Vargas have thus far been unsuccessful.

Diaz, however, might not have to wait for Vargas to determine his next move. A fight with Mayorga, whose MMA debut bout with Din Thomas in May 2010 was quashed by boxing promoter Don King, is a distinct possibility.

Mayorga has a March 12 date with WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto in Las Vegas. But Alan Hopper, director of public relations for Don King Productions, isn't ruling out a fight with Diaz later this year.

"It's all about the rules," Hopper told ESPN.com. "As long as the combatants can adhere to the particular rules of the game they are participating in -- in this case a boxing match -- we'd be perfectly OK with that.

"Now, obviously, we hope [Mayorga] beats Cotto and will have bigger fish to fry in the boxing world. But you never know, you never know."