Nick Diaz said he was done with MMA after losing a unanimous decision to Carlos Condit at UFC 143 in February, but his trainer Cesar Gracie wrote last week that Diaz is looking to return to the sport.
In a posting on his website last Friday, Gracie stated that Diaz wanted to challenge Anderson Silva:
Nick has stated that he would like to take fights “that matter”. Since GSP will be fighting Condit, he has to look elsewhere. He will respectfully ask for a fight with Anderson Silva, a fighter he respects and would like to challenge.
Silva’s camp has been speaking of a fight with GSP, possibly even at a catch weight. Nick will take that fight in a minute but has told me that should Silva decide not to drop at all, he will move up to 185lbs to face the Champ.
Diaz is currently under suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after testing positive for marijuana following the fight (I guess he’s not as good at beating tests as he thinks he is), but he and his team are appealing the year-long suspension.
Whenever he does get cleared to return to the UFC, he won’t be fighting Silva.
“I can tell you this, not theoretically – Diaz/Anderson is not going to happen,” UFC President Dana White told MMA Junkie. “That’s just ridiculous.”
White pointed out that Diaz lost to Condit at 170 pounds, so jumping to 185 to face Silva doesn’t make sense. White also seems to be leaning toward a GSP-Silva fight should he set up a superfight for the Spider. That makes more sense. Diaz is still considered one of the top pound-for-pound fighters, but he needs to prove it once again by getting a win first.
