According to three-time UFC title challenger turned MMA analyst Chael Sonnen, Nick Diaz will be returning to the UFC’s Octagon to take on a fan favorite.
Sonnen shared a video on his YouTube channel on December 1, 2021. In the video, “The American Gangster” said a source told him Diaz will square up against Kevin Holland next. Holland, known as “Big Mouth” to many fans, is an exciting striker who rode the momentum of a five-fight win streak into 2021. The streak included a sensation KO of Jacare Souza from his back.
GettyKevin Holland punches Kyle Daukaus in their middleweight bout during the UFC event on October 2, 2021.
Sonnen said via Sportskeeda.com:
Tommy from the bronx just reached out to me. Told me something. I said, ‘Is this public?’ And he said you can share it. It had something to do with Nick Diaz vs. Kevin Holland. A little bit surprised by it, only because Nick Diaz is such a megastar. But what do you do with him? Nick Diaz ,at all times, is one win away from being in a main event. He was last time when he fought Robbie Lawler… Kevin is gonna change weight classes down to 170 pounds, so we’ve been told. Nick’s still under contract and he wants to do something and everyone wants to see him do it. So you start matching him up very cleverly… I get it. I’m in.
Holland is 0-2 with one no contest in his last three fights, losing unanimous decisions to Derek Brunson and Marvin Vettori. The losses came primarily because of his wrestling deficit, with Holland unable to stop the majority of the top middleweights’ takedowns. In his most recent bout, Holland’s fight was ruled a no contest after he suffered an accidental head clash with his opponent, Kyle Daukaus, which left Big Mouth severely compromised.
On the other end, Diaz returned to fighting after over six years away from the sport. He fought former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler at UFC 266 on September 25, 2021, and lost via third-round TKO.
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MMA Island Reached Out to Holland About the Diaz Fight, Responded With a Surprise Face Emoji
Combat sports outlet MMA Island reported on Sonnen’s video, and they also reached out to Big Mouth about it. The fighter simply responded with a surprise face emoji, according to the outlet.
Holland said on several occasions that he’s considering a move down to welterweight. On the other end, Diaz hasn’t fought at 170 pounds since his title loss to Georges St-Pierre back in 2013 at UFC 158.
He was orginally supposed to fight Lawler at welterweight, however he had the bout moved to middleweight.
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Diaz Hasn’t Won a Fight in Over a Decade
It’s been a long time since Diaz tasted victory inside the Octagon. The last MMA bout Diaz won was in 2011 when he bested BJ Penn via unanimous decision at UFC 137. He’s 0-3 with one no contest in his last four fights.
Besides Lawler and St-Pierre, Diaz also suffered losses to Anderson Silva and Carlos Condit.
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MMA Analyst Claims He Knows Nick Diaz’s Potential Opponent