Nick Diaz has not fought in the UFC since January 31, 2015 — a decision loss to Anderson Silva which was overturned to a no contest after Silva tested positive for steroids and Diaz tested positive for marijuana. However, he has remained a fan favorite.
And with the recent explosion in popularity for his younger brother Nate Diaz, fans have been wondering whether we will ever see the elder Diaz back in the cage.
Well, it looks like there is some interest.
In a lengthy interview with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, Diaz made it clear that he is interested in a potential return and his manager Kevin Mubenga noted that Nick is interested in a bout with Baddest Motherf*cker (BMF) titleholder Jorge Masvidal, who earned the special belt by beating Nate. Diaz even has a venue in mind: the ever-elusive AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.
“It’s not up to me (if I fight again),” Diaz said. “Do you want some? Generally I’ll go and I’ll (expletive) show somebody their life. It’s up to them whether they want to deal. That’s just what I (expletive) do. That’s my job. I was doing that to people when I was 15 years old to get them to go come with when I was going to deal with like – I was going to karate with little babies and little kids. Like karate chop. I was a real karate kid.
“I explained to you exactly what’s going on, so it’s on you folks. It’s on you Dana (White). It’s on you UFC. It’s on them. It’s in your hands now – Cowboy Stadium.”
So there you have it. It is one of the first times that Diaz publicly expressed interest in a return to fighting and the hour-long interview with ESPN was a rarity that appears to be a very calculated move. But would the UFC book a fight between Masvidal and Diaz?
If money is on the table, it’s hard to imagine Dana White would turn it down.