Nick Diaz (26-10, 2 NC) isn’t ready to hang up his gloves and retire from the UFC just yet. Diaz is targeting a return to the octagon at the end of the year and he wants to face the very best in the world. He wants to challenge welterweight champion Kamaru Usman (20-1).
Diaz made his highly anticipated return to the octagon at UFC 266 last September. He took on former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler in a rematch that was seventeen years after their first encounter.
Diaz looked okay in spots and his striking didn’t look terrible. However, he just didn’t appear to be anywhere close to the fighter that he was when he left the octagon back in 2015. Diaz seemed a little uninterested in the fight.
He was recently interviewed by TMZ where they asked him about his future in the UFC. Personally, I figured Nick Diaz was retired for good after his last performance. However, Stockton’s own isn’t ready to hang it up. In fact, he wants to fight for the title and he wants it to happen this year.
Could Diaz get a UFC title shot?
Diaz told TMZ, “We’re working on the end of the year (to return). I don’t need to go in there and get my ass whooped by one of them young guys anyway, and it’s not that I won’t win, I’m just not motivated. I wanna fight for the title.”
Diaz pointed to the fact that he’s 38 years old and he doesn’t need to come in and fight the young contenders in the UFC. Instead, he’d rather go right to the top and get a title shot to cap off his career, and he’s confident that he can dethrone Kamaru Usman.
In speaking on Usman, Diaz said, “I think I’ll beat him.” Currently, Kamaru Usman is nursing a hand injury which has delayed his next title defense which is supposed to come against top contender Leon Edwards.
While far from a done deal, the UFC is hoping to have the pound for pound king back for their August PPV. If that is the case, Usman’s timeline might line up perfectly with Diaz’s timeline. Diaz wants a shot at the end of the year, and if Usman wins in August and comes out healthy, he’ll likely fight again before the end of the year.
Now, is this realistic. I mean, I don’t see any scenario where this actually happens. However, this is the UFC and odd things have happened when you mix in dollars. Diaz isn’t as big of a star as he used to be, but he’s still one of the most beloved fighters in MMA history. If Usman wants it and the UFC is okay with it, it might just happen.