One of the most popular and polarizing figures in the UFC is gearing up for his return. Dana White said tonight that he is planning on meeting with Nick Diaz (26-9, 2 NC) tonight about his return to the octagon. Diaz posted a cryptic message on Twitter earlier today hinting at a return.
We have not seen Nick Diaz inside the UFC since 2015. In that fight, Diaz lost a decision to Anderson Silva. However, the fight was later turned to a No Contest after Silva failed his drug test. Nick Diaz has only fought twice since 2013.
Even with the inactivity from competition, Diaz has never stopped training. He is extremely active on social media and is always posting training footage. Even with that, we haven’t seen him back in the UFC since the Silva fight. Diaz’s management said that he wanted to return this year.
However, we haven’t seen any serious momentum until now. White said at the UFC 261 post-fight press conference that Diaz wants to fight and he’s asking for a fight. When someone like Nick Diaz says he wants to fight, he’s likely going to get a fight.
Who will the UFC pair him with?
It will be extremely interesting to see how the UFC decides to play this. If they are wanting to ease Diaz back into competition, I think a great fight would be with Robbie Lawler (28-15, 1 NC). Lawler is just 1-5 in his last six, but he’s still extremely popular.
These two fought way back at UFC 47 and Diaz won by knockout. The rematch of these two legends would be a ton of fun for fans. Another possibility could be against Jorge Masvidal (35-15). Masvidal just suffered a brutal knockout loss at UFC 261 at the hands of Kamaru Usman.Â
Gamebred has history with the Diaz brothers and he was actually close to fighting Nick Diaz at one point. However, the fight fell through and Masvidal went on to fight Nate Diaz later on. After Masvidal’s loss, perhaps the UFC decides to have the two men fight. Would be a great opportunity for both.
There are a number of other fun options out there for Nick Diaz and the UFC. I’m just excited to hear that he’s going to be returning. This will definitely be a story to follow over the coming weeks.