Nick Diaz Is ‘99.99999’ Percent Likely To Return In 2021
Former Strikeforce welterweight champ and MMA legend Nick Diaz excited fight fans with a potential comeback earlier this year.
Diaz hasn’t fought in more than five years when he was outpointed by Anderson Silva over five rounds – the result was later overturned to a no-contest. Prior to that he also dropped to decision defeats against Carlos Condit and Georges St-Pierre. Diaz hasn’t picked up a win in MMA since beating BJ Penn in 2011.
In the summer of 2020, Diaz completed a 14-week training regime and a test weight cut ahead of a potential return to fighting in 2021. This news prompted almost half the UFC roster to call for a fight with Diaz but Dana White wasn’t convinced that the former UFC welterweight title challenger was serious about fighting.
A few months on and his manager Kevin Mubenga has revealed Diaz is still training consistently for several months now and he is hopeful of striking a deal with the UFC for his fighter to make an eagerly anticipated comeback in 2021.
“Yeah, the guy has been training, Mubenga told Fanatics View. “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?”
“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 added. “(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.”
Mubenga went on to almost guarantee Diaz will make a comeback in 2021.
“99.99999 (percent),” Mubenga said when pushed on how likely a Diaz return is. “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). Well, 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 regimen and go through that small camp there to kind of feel everything out (and) get back with everyone (like trainer) Cesar Gracie.” (Transcribed by MMA Junkie)
Who do you want to see Nick Diaz fight in his return to MMA?
