UFC veteran Nick Diaz has revealed he’s planning on making his UFC comeback as soon as he possibly can.
Diaz and his brother Nate are legends of the octagon and some of the biggest stars in the sport. Despite not holding accolades like some of the other fighters on the roster, both Nick and Nate Diaz are amongst the fan favorites due to their devil-may-care fighting style.
The 39-year-old last fought at UFC 266 in 2021 when he faced former rival Robbie Lawler. The bout marked the end of a six-year hiatus away from the sport for Nick Diaz. The Stockon-native was denied a dream return, however, as he retired during the third-round against ‘Ruthless’ due to exhaustion.
In an interview with Inside Fighting, ‘Diablo’ stated that he’s feeling better than ever ahead of his UFC return. Diaz explained that he’s pushing for his comeback to be as soon as possible, as well as revealing that he’s down to face the best in the middleweight division:
“I’m asking to fight as soon as possible. Not Jon Jones though. Yeah, something like that [Israel Adesanya or Alex Pereira as potential opponents]. I always want to fight the best you know and they’re the best.”
Catch the interview here (0:20):
When Laura Sanko explained why she doesn’t want to see Nick Diaz versus Israel Adesanya
ESPN analyst and newly-fledged UFC commentator Laura Sanko stated back in December 2022 that she didn’t want to see Nick Diaz face fighters like Israel Adesanya.
Diaz, at his peak, was a former UFC title challenger as well as a former Strikeforce, IFC and WEC champion. His last chance at gold was back in 2013, when he lost to Georges St. Pierre via unanimous decision for the welterweight title.
In an interview with Submission Radio, Sanko explained that she’d rather see Diaz compete in a legend versus legend match-up, rather than face some of the younger killers in the division:
“For guys like Nick, I like legacy type fights. I like old school vs. old school type fights. I would not want to see him fight Izzy… When we saw him comeback last time, that would be the way I’d want to finish it. I don’t mean to be retiring the guy because he’s such a legend, but if I’m being honest, I want Nick to go on and have a great life and enjoy himself beyond MMA and beyond fighting.”
Catch Sanko’s comments here (27:00):
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