Esther Lin
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 170-pound title contender Nick Diaz, who wore welterweight gold under the Strikeforce banner, could be making his return to mixed martial arts (MMA) in the very near future.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.
Diaz (26-9, 2 NC) has not competed since registering a “No Contest” opposite former middleweight champion Anderson Silva way back in January 2015, after both fighters were fined and suspended for flunking separate pre-fight drug tests.
I guess Bellator MMA wasn’t returning his calls.
“That’s really not my thing. I don’t want to hurt people,” Diaz said while turning down an offer to kick someone in the pills (via Bloody Elbow). “I could, but also, I don’t want to hurt myself. I’ve got big news coming up. I’m about to be fighting again soon.”
Someone should probably tell this guy.
Diaz, 36, re-entered the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) testing program earlier this year and was recently calling for a showdown against Jorge Masvidal. Hopefully those pesky drug testers don’t interfere with his recurring pot parties.
It’s hard to say what version of Diaz fans should expect if and when he makes his return to the Octagon. His fighting style, not unlike the one he passed down to his brother Nate, isn’t the sort of thing you drill at typical MMA schools, so anything is possible.
Diaz made $150, and gave the bouncer $100 to groin kick the guy instead. pic.twitter.com/f8BZpotUG2
— Anton Tabuena (@antontabuena) November 25, 2019