Two months have passed and the status of Nick Diaz remains as much a question mark as it was on the night of UFC 143, when Diaz stunned spectators by retiring from mixed martial arts after expressing disgust at the judging for his interim title loss to Carlos Condit.
With Diaz still in his prime at 28 years old, many, including UFC President Dana White, believe the impulsive retirement to only be temporary. However, the man closest to Diaz, his younger brother UFC lightweight contender Nate Diaz, has rebuffed those sentiments in the past, stating that he believes the former Strikeforce champion is unlikely to change his mind.
On Thursday afternoon, Nate reiterated those feelings, explaining that his brother has other priorities besides a return to MMA.
“He’s busy right now. He’s got triathlon season,” Diaz revealed to MMAFighting.com. “I don’t think he’s really that interested in fighting. So as of right now, no.”
Further complicating matters, Nick remains caught in a tenuous battle with the Nevada State Athletic Commission stemming from a positive test for marijuana metabolites following UFC 143.
Diaz’ lawyer Ross Goodman contends that the presence of marijuana metabolites do not qualify as a prohibited substance as Diaz possesses a legal medical marijuana card, and that Diaz’ usage was stopped eight days before for the fight, and thus should be considered out of competition.
Diaz is currently scheduled to meet Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion Braulio Estima in a 180-pound BJJ superfight at the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo on May 12 in Long Beach, CA.