There have been rumors and innuendos for months that UFC welterweight Nick Diaz might come out of retirement for another fight.
Diaz stated back in March following a loss to welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre at UFC 158 that he was leaving the sport unless he got an immediate rematch, per MMAFighting.com
Considering how one-sided the fight went down, Diaz‘s chance at a rematch were slim to none. So without the prospect of a second bout against St-Pierre, Diaz followed through with his retirement from MMA.
Just because he was retired, however, didn’t mean Diaz wouldn’t be lured back with the right kind of offer or opportunity.
There were hints about Diaz coming back at middleweight, and a potential fight was even floated that would have pitted the former Strikeforce champion against Lyoto Machida in his debut at 185 pounds.
None of that ever came together, and according to UFC president Dana White, when he spoke to UFC Tonight on Wednesday, Diaz seems comfortable in his decision and there’s no fight on the horizon for the former welterweight contender.
“He said that he retired, and he really has sat out,” White said. “He doesn’t seem like he’s interested in fighting any time soon.”
Since exiting the UFC in March, Diaz managed to star his own promotion called WAR MMA, which proceeded to have one show and hasn’t scheduled a second since that time.
Diaz continues to be a training partner and teacher at his home gym where he works with several notable UFC fighters such as Jake Shields, Gilbert Melendez and his brother, Nate Diaz, as well.
Prior to his announcement in March, Diaz has flirted with retirement before, as recently as 2012 when he lost a close decision to Carlos Condit in a battle for the UFC interim welterweight title. Following the loss, Diaz hinted that he could be done with the sport, but then had to sit out for a year after testing positive for marijuana in the fight with Condit.
When he was eligible to return after the suspension, the UFC booked Diaz vs. St-Pierre and his unofficial retirement ended. This time, however, the retirement talk is sticking, at least for now.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report
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