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Nick Diaz (L) and Anderson Silva fight in a middleweight bout during UFC 183 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on January 31, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
During the UFC 261 pay-per-view broadcast on Saturday night, MMA superstar Nick Diaz was shown in the audience. And according to UFC President Dana White, he is ready to fight.
Diaz (26-9, 2 no-contest) has not competed since 2015 when he fought former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Diaz teased his return to the Octagon in late 2020, but fans of the fight haven’t heard much since then.
White was asked about Diaz’s appearance on UFC 261 by the media during the press press after the fight, and the UFC president confirmed that Diaz wasn’t just there to watch.
White was then asked if he would give Diaz a fight, and the UFC president replied, « Sure. »
« He’s just waiting for me in the back , I’ll go talk to him. «
Diaz is the former Strikeforce welterweight champion and has a professional MMA career that dates back to 2001. He’s been caged with some of the greatest fighters of all time, including former UFC welterweight king Georges St-Pierre and former UFC welterweight and lightweight BJ Penn.
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In September, ESPN’s Ariel Helwani shared a video from Diaz reporting that Diaz had successfully completed a diet and exercise program. Helwani said Diaz plans to fight the UFC welterweight in hopes of returning « early 2021. » « This is Nick Diaz today, » Helwani tweeted. “According to his manager Kevin Mubenga, he weighs between 175 and 165 pounds. He has just completed a 14 week diet and exercise program. This is the first time he has lost weight in about four years, Mubenga said. Diaz wanted to do a test cut because he’s keeping an eye on the big welterweight fights. According to Mubenga, he plans to fight 100% again and is aiming for a return in early 2021. “
… He’s keeping an eye on the big welterweight fights. He plans « 100% » to fight again, according to Mubenga, and aims to return in early 2021. (📽 @elfrogito)
Diaz last fought at 170 pounds when he challenged Georges St-Pierre for the welterweight title in 2013. He lost the competition by unanimous decision.
Main card
Kamaru Usman def. Jorge Masvidal on knockout in the second round
Rose Namajunas def. Weili Zhang over KO in the first round
Valentina Shevchenko def. Jessica Andrade on TKO in the second round
Uriah hall def. Chris Weidman on TKO in the first round
Anthony Smith def. Jimmy Crute on TKO in the first round
Provisional card
Randy Brown def. Alex Oliveira on filing in the first round
Dwight Grant def. Stefan Sekulic on separate decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Brendan Allen def. Karl Roberson on filing in the first round
Patrick Sabatini def. Tristan Connelly on unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Early tentative card
Danaa Batgerel def. Kevin Natividad on TKO in the first round
Kazula Vargas def. Rong Zhu on unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 29-28)
Jeffrey Molina def. Aoriqileng by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
Ariane Carnelossi def. Na Liang about the second round of TKO
Ref: https://heavy.com
