Dana White says he’s targeting a Georges St-Pierre-Nate Diaz fight at Staples Center

UFC President Dana White has found an opponent for Nate Diaz who’s tempting enough for White to finally publicly acknowledge a Diaz return to the octagon is possible.

Former two-division champion Georges St-Pierre has emerged as that opponent on Aug. 4 at Staples Center.

“We are working right now to put together a Georges St-Pierre versus Nate Diaz fight,” White said on the UFC Unfiltered podcast Monday. “It is true. They would fight at 155 pounds.”

White added he is also “targeting L.A.” to make a non-title match between former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold and former light-heavyweight title challenger Alexander Gustafsson on the card, which is already headlined by the T.J. Dillashaw-Cody Garbrandt bantamweight title rematch.

“In my perfect world — nothing goes perfect in this world — Dillashaw vs. Garbrandt, GSP vs. Diaz would be the co-main, Gustafsson vs. Rockhold and Derek Brunson vs. Antonio Carlos Jr.,” White announced. “It’s very interesting.”

Stockton’s Diaz (20-11) hasn’t fought since his August 2016 rematch loss by decision to Conor McGregor, a second consecutive massive pay-per-view bout that allowed Diaz to remain on the sidelines until another significant bout surfaced.

While McGregor went on to box Floyd Mayweather Jr., and then get into legal trouble last month in New York by throwing a hand truck through the window of a bus occupied by lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and others, Diaz has spent time staying in shape and attending fights.

White revealed he’s been contractually obligated to offer Diaz three fights per year, which he said he has done, with none provoking Diaz to return to UFC action.

St-Pierre (26-2) is different, of course. The longtime welterweight champion from Canada closed a four-year-long hiatus in November by winning the middleweight championship from Michael Bisping. St-Pierre then relinquished the belt.

There was speculation he would return to fight McGregor, but the Irishman has a June 14 court date to deal with his two felony and 10 misdemeanor counts tied to the bus incident at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.

By going to the lightweight division, St-Pierre would be positioned for more high-dollar matches against the likes of McGregor or Nurmagomedov, depending on his success.

“I agree with you 100%, my friend,” White told hosts Jim Norton and Matt Serra on the podcast.