Nick Diaz is ready for his octagon return.
Former Strikeforce and WEC champion Diaz (26-10 MMA, 7-7 UFC) was last seen in action in September 2021 when he rematched Robbie Lawler at UFC 266. The bout took place at middleweight and Diaz was stopped by Lawler in the opening minute of Round 3.
Diaz, 39, was in attendance for this past Saturday’s UFC 285 event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and says he’s eager to compete – and would even take on UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira or former champ Israel Adesanya if he could.
“I’m asking to fight as soon as possible,” Diaz told Inside Fighting. “Not Jon Jones though… yeah, something like that (Israel Adesanya or Alex Pereira). I always want to fight the best.”
Diaz’s fight against Lawler marked his first in over 7 years. Although he let loose with his combinations early, the 39-year-old was eventually overwhelmed and stopped. However, Diaz’s coach Cesar Gracie later revealed that the Stockton superstar entered the fight with two ruptured disks in his neck and was not 100 percent.
Nick Diaz says he’s asking the UFC ‘to fight as soon as possible’