It’s funny how business works. Dana White has been quoted on many things. For example, he has said that Nick Diaz will never be back in the UFC.
It’s funny because, as years went by, Diaz improved and he was calling out top talent. Diaz defended his Strikeforce Welterweight title against a man who fought for a No. 1 contender championship in the UFC, Paul Daley.
Paul is a striker and one of the most powerful in the world at welterweight. In the fight, Paul catches Nick with two solid shots and drops Nick twice. As the round closes Nick catches him, Paul drops, Nick capitalizes and scores the TKO victory.
What does this all mean? Well, for one, Daley is a good striker and has never been out-struck in his career. He had never been KO/TKO’d due to strikes, and was a top-10 ranked fighter. After that fight, the Cesar Gracie camp had both defended their belts in dominating fashion and it showed that both Diaz and Gilbert Melendez needed a step up in competition.
At UFC 129, GSP fought Diaz’s teammate, Jake Shields. Shields had an impressive winning streak coming into the fight and hadn’t lost since 2006. He decided to stand, allowing GSP a unanimous decision victory. After this bout, a few big question marks arose: Who’s left for GSP? Should he move up to middleweight?
That’s when the talk of Diaz returning to the UFC started. Many thought it was just a rumor, then it was reported that Nick would box Jeff Lacy, an interesting move for Diaz, to say the least.
Nick later stated that he would not take the boxing match if he were granted a shot against GSP. Well, here we are today, May 19, and here is the latest report.
MMA writer Dave Simon is reporting that GSP is scheduled to return on Dec. 10 in Montreal at the Bell Centre. Most likely against Diaz. If this fight is signed, Diaz will not be fighting Jeff Lacy in a Pro Boxing match.
Last night on Facebook, Gracie stated that Diaz would be meeting with Dana White today.
There are many things that could come of this, but the matchup with GSP seems to be the most logical. When more information arrives, we will be sure to keep you updated.
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