Even though Nick Diaz is allegedly retired -- unless he can get a rematch with Georges St. Pierre or a direct title shot against Anderson Silva -- top-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight contender Demian Maia wouldn't mind a crack at the Stockton, Calif., bad boy.

According to a report from Ariel Helwani on Tuesday's (April 16, 2013) edition of "UFC Tonight" on FUEL TV, the Brazilian submission wizard believes a showdown against the division's most recent No. 1 title challenger would be the best move for his mixed martial arts (MMA) career going forward given the current landscape of the 170-pound weight class.

Maia (18-4) is the world's No. 5-ranked welterweight and has been on a roll since dropping down from Middleweight in mid-2012. The 35-year-old was battling inconsistency at 185 pounds, but appears to have a renewed spirit 15 pounds lighter, having won three-straight fights in dominant fashion.

Diaz (26-9, 1 NC), meanwhile -- the world's No. 6-ranked welterweight -- has not had his recent fortunes go as well as the man who is calling him out. The 29-year-old has gone 1-2 since returning to the Octagon in 2011 and is coming off a five-round shellacking at the hands of Georges St. Pierre at UFC 158.

The former Strikeforce champion has been relatively quiet since the night of the fight (his legal counsel cannot say the same), and it's unknown at this time if he would be willing to entertain the idea of taking a fight.

If Maia and his team had their way, the fight would go down at the UFC's untitled pay-per-view (PPV) event (rumored to be UFC 163) that is scheduled to take on Aug. 3, 2013, which is set to be headlined by a Featherweight title showdown between Jose Aldo and Anthony Pettis in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more on this story and a potential response from the Diaz camp.