Fans have been told that Nick Diaz would be returning to the UFC soon about 209 times by now. However his manager seems to be adamant that next year will see the long awaited return of the fan favorite.
It is pretty difficult for newer fans of MMA to fully comprehend the desire for Nick Diaz to return to MMA. Before Conor McGregor was taking everything that Nate worked for, his older brother Nick was allegedly getting poisoned by Georges St-Pierre’s team, getting in brawls, and fighting in hospitals. When he was Strikeforce champion, he was one of the biggest stars to not be competing in the UFC, and he carried that over to his run in the promotion.
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Nick Diaz Might Be Definitely Returning (We Think)
Unfortunately Nick Diaz has not stepped foot in the Octagon since fighting Anderson Silva in 2015. Initially this was due to an outrageous suspension for marijuana, but as the years tick by there has been only rumors and failed talks of a comeback. However Nick’s manager, Kevin Mubenga recently spoke in an interview and revealed that they have been genuinely working on a return to action for Nick next year, and that things seem close to official.
“99.99999 (percent),” Mubenga said when asked to put an exact number on Diaz returning next year. (h/t MMAJunkie) “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.”
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Time will tell if Nick Diaz actually does end up fighting in 2021, but there is quite honestly a bit of fatigue in the air about this hot-and-cold flirtation with competing. Dana White himself has said that he does not trust that Nick wants to fight again. That being said, if he does come back it will be an exciting affair that will surely draw some attention.
