No matter how frequently or infrequently fights – one question at UFC press conferences has stood the test of time: “When will Nick Diaz fight again?”
As of late, UFC president Dana White has addressed this question with doubt it will happen at all. White said in August he doesn’t think Diaz is serious about a return – despite videos surfacing in September of Diaz (26-9 MMA, 7-6 UFC) hitting the gym for a mock training camp.
Diaz hasn’t fought in more than five years – but if his manager’s prediction is correct, that will change in 2021. In a recent interview with Fanatics View, Diaz’s manager Kevin Mubenga provided insight into Diaz’s return.
“That’s the millions and millions of dollars question,” Mubenga said. “Yeah, the guy has been training. He’s been training for at least four months now straight. … Now, we’re in December – we’re what? Four months (or) five months in now?”
According to Mubenga, Diaz began intense training around August or September. In November, he took a break to avoid overtraining but is getting back to the grind this month.
“He took a little break last month and now we’re going to pick it back up in December and go into the new year hopefully with a new deal done,” Mubenga said. “(We’ll) make sure the money is right and the opponent is right and we’ll be able to move forward with all of this.”
When pressed to put a specific number on the likelihood fans see Diaz back in the cage in 2021, Mubenga was extraordinarily precise.
“99.99999 (percent),” Mubenga said. “We just got to get everything else right with the organization and everything. We’ll be able to move forward. He’s been training. People want to see (that). We’ll he’s been training as you can see for the last few several months. He took a little break now. Now, it’s time to get back on there and just go through it. You don’t want to overtrain and over-exhaust yourself, especially when you don’t have a date yet. But it was good to be able to go through the regiment and go through that small camp there to kind of feel everything out (and) get back with everyone (like trainer) Cesar Gracie.”
Diaz’s most recent fight occurred at UFC 183 in January 2015 when he lost to Anderson Silva – in a fight that was later overturned to a no contest when Silva tested positive for drostanolone and androsterone. Diaz, for his part positive test for marijuana after the bout.
Prior to the Silva fight, Diaz lost back-to-back fights to Carlos Condit and then-UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. The former defeat snapped an 11-fight winning streak for the former Strikeforce welterweight champion.
Nick Diaz’s 2021 UFC return ‘99.99999’ likely, according to manager
