UFC President Dana White has responded to Nick Diaz’s recent comments with some brutal honesty.
Diaz is set to make his return to the Octagon this Saturday night (Sept. 25). He’ll go one-on-one with Robbie Lawler on the main card of UFC 266. This will be a rematch as Diaz scored a second-round knockout win over Lawler back in 2004. Diaz hasn’t been in action since Jan. 2015.
In a sitdown interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Diaz said he thinks whoever put together the rematch with Lawler is an “idiot.” The Stockton native also expressed his belief that he should be fighting UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman.
Speaking to Yahoo! Sports, White said Diaz needs to pump the brakes on that thought (via MMAJunkie.com).
“You think he should be fighting Kamaru Usman?” White told Yahoo Sports. “You know what I’ve been saying lately: Kamaru Usman is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, OK? (He beat Jorge) Masvidal twice, Gilbert Burns, Tyron Woodley, (Rafael dos Anjos), Demian Maia, Leon Edwards. I mean, the list of guys that this guy has beaten is unbelievable, and the way that he beat them.
“He’s the world champion in that division and he’s the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. Does anybody out there think that that’s who Nick Diaz should come back and fight after not fighting for seven years? That would be an idiot that would make that fight.”
Kamaru Usman’s Reign Of Terror
Usman has been running through the UFC welterweight division. He defeated Tyron Woodley for the 170-pound gold back in March 2019. He’s had successful title defenses against Colby Covington, Gilbert Burns, and Jorge Masvidal (twice). He’s about to meet Covington a second time in the main event of UFC 268 inside Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Diaz is likely far away from a title opportunity but money talks. Time will tell how successful Nick Diaz can be in this era and how much his star power can carry him.
