Dana White is not excited about the prospect of Nick Diaz competing in the Octagon again.
It is approaching six full years since Nick Diaz has had a mixed martial arts fight. Part of the reason for the layoff is the fact that Diaz has been dealing with suspensions, first from the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) for a failed drug test for marijuana metabolites in 2015, and later he was issued a one-year USADA sanction for a whereabouts violation in 2017.
Nick Diaz has been eligible to return since 2018, though, and he and his team have been teasing an imminent return to competition. When UFC president Dana White was asked if there is any update on if or when that return could happen, White issued an unenthusiastic response.
“Everything that I see from Nick Diaz doesn’t look like he wants to or is ready to compete in this sport,” White told “The Schmo.” “Even Jon Jones, as good as Jon Jones is, you have to be 100 percent mentally, physically and emotionally ready to train, be ready for this, and fight. I don’t think anyone should wanna see Nick Diaz fight.
“Nick Diaz has been in a lot of wars, he’s accomplished a lot of great things in his career, he’s made a lot of money, he’s obviously super-famous. He’s gotten everything you could hope to get out of fighting. I just don’t know why, when I see his Instagram, why he would come back.”
Diaz has not competed since UFC 185 in 2015 in a unanimous decision loss to Anderson Silva that was later overturned to a no-contest after Silva failed a drug test. If Diaz does make his return, you can expect there to be no shortage of fighters who would love to welcome him back, provided, of course, that Dana White would be interested in letting it happen.
Would you be excited to see Nick Diaz compete in the UFC again?