Getty Nick Diaz punches Robbie Lawler during their fight at UFC 266 in September 2021.
It looks like UFC superstar Nick Diaz is ready to step inside the Octagon sooner rather than later.
Diaz made his MMA return earlier this year when he competed against former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler at UFC 266 in September 2021. Diaz, who had been out of action since 2015, and Lawler competed in a hard-fought match until “Ruthless” floored Diaz. Diaz decided to not continue fighting and the referee called off the fight, granting Lawler a win over former Strikeforce welterweight champion via third-round TKO.
After the loss, it became unclear what Diaz would do next in terms of his fighting career. He’s 38 years old and has expressed on numerous occasions that he doesn’t love fighting. However, the fighter from Stockton, California, recently took to social media to throw his name in the hat of potential opponents for No. 3-ranked welterweight Leon Edwards.
Edwards was scheduled to fight Jorge Masvidal next month at UC 269, however the latter pulled out of the fight with an undisclosed injury. After ESPN’s Brett Okamoto broke the news, he reached out to Khamzat Chimaev’s team to see if the Russian would be interested in stepping in on short notice to fight Edwards.
After getting confirmation that Chimaev was down for a fight, Okamoto posted a report on his Instagram feed. Then, Diaz commented on the post, writing: “Put me in.”
See a screenshot of Okamoto’s post and Diaz’s comment below:
Getty Nick Diaz comments on Brett Okamoto’s Instagram post on November 11, 2021.
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Edwards Plans to Take ‘Family Time,’ Appears to Want a Fight With Kamaru Usman Next
GettyDonald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone (L) fights Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards (R) during a UFC event in June 2018.
At the moment, it appears Edwards isn’t going to take a fight and wait for a title match with 170-pound king Kamaru Usman. However, it Diaz and Edwards did meet, it would be fueled by a gripping storyline we don’t see often in combat sports. “Rocky” holds a win over Nick’s younger brother, Nate Diaz, defeating the fight by unanimous decision earlier this year at UFC 263.
Reacting to the news of Masvidal dropping from the fight, Edwards wrote: “Disappointed but honestly I knew this fraud didn’t want to fight me anyway. He was just a stop off on the way to the title. The goal remains the same. Much needed family time now, @usman84kg i will see you soon.”
Disappointed but honestly I knew this fraud didn’t want to fight me anyway. He was just a stop off on the way to the title. The goal remains the same. Much needed family time now, @usman84kg i will see you soon.
Edwards is currently riding a 10-fight unbeaten strike. He hasn’t tasted defeat since a unanimous decision loss to Usman back in 2015. He holds notable victories over Nate Diaz, former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos and top-ranked welterweight Vicente Luque.
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Diaz Hasn’t Won an MMA Fight In Over 10 Years
The last time Nick Diaz had his hand raised in an MMA cage was when he defeated former two-division UFC champion BJ Penn at UFC 137 in October 2011. He’s fought for times since then, going 0-3 with one no contest.
He lost to Carlos Condit for the interim UFC welterweight title, Georges St-Pierre for the undisputed UFC welterweight belt, Anderson Silva in a middleweight match and Lawler in September, which was also a 185-pound match.
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Nick Diaz Wants New Fight With UFC Star: ‘Put Me In’