Nick Diaz has a lot of fight fans concerned for his well-being.
The former Strikeforce titleholder out of Stockton, California is expected to return to the Octagon on December 7 when the UFC rolls out its final pay-per-view of the year in Las Vegas. Diaz is scheduled to square off with No. 14 ranked welterweight contender Vicente Luque.
However, many are beginning to question whether or not Diaz is mentally or physically fit to compete after a video online appeared to show him attempting to randomly light things on fire.
In the chip, which you can see below, Diaz is seen attempting to set a plant on fire outside of a building. The woman recording the video asks him, “Nick what? Are you okay? Are you alright?” to which Diaz responds saying, “Yes.”
🚨NEW: A video of Nick Diaz, by himself, shirtless in public, trying to light a random piece of grass on fire has surfaced online ahead of his MMA return against Vicente Luque on Dec. 7. 👀
Thoughts on this video surfacing shortly after his fight with Luque got announced? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/lVZZuZoFb8
— Parry Punch (@ParryPunchNews) November 10, 2024
The video immediately caused speculation that Diaz may be suffering from a substance abuse problem—a belief his longtime girlfriend Kayla Ramos seemingly confirmed in a not-so-cryptic post on social media.
Nick Diaz’s girlfriend posted this on her Instagram story after Diaz was seen lighting grass on fire, while shirtless ❤️🙏 pic.twitter.com/PPqLyZ0Znv
— Combat Buzz (@CombatBuzzX) November 11, 2024
“@nickdiaz209 Drug addiction doesn’t last forever,” she wrote on her Instagram Stories. “You either find sobriety, or it takes your life.”
Nick Diaz Needs to Be Locked In If He Wants to Avoid Being Humialted Inside the Octagon Again
Nick Diaz’s return in 2021 against Robbie Lawler left a lot to be desired. The ‘Stockton Slapper’ looked wildly unprepared and ultimately gave up 44 seconds into the third round. If Diaz hopes to avoid being humiliated once again on MMA’s biggest stage, he’ll have to be fully prepared and locked in on the task at hand.
At least, that’s what UFC Hall of Famer and former two-division champion Daniel Cormier thinks.
“I still think that’s a lot for Nick Diaz [fight against Luque],” Cormier said on an episode of Good Guy/Bad Guy with Chael Sonnen. “Nick Diaz struggled with Robbie Lawler, and Robbie Lawler was only one fight away from retirement. Vicente Luque is not going anywhere. It’s a tough fight. I think for Nick, though, he has to be really locked in if he wants to go out there and not embarrass himself.”
With Diaz’s return to the Octagon a month away, there is little faith that we’ll see a more focused version of himself than the one who fought ‘Ruthless’ at UFC 266.
Rewatch Diaz’s post-fight interview following his TKO loss to Lawler below:
