Yahoo Finance Nick Diaz aiming for 2020 return to fight Jorge Masvidal, who just took down his brother
Nick Diaz hasn’t fought in the UFC for nearly five years, but he’s finally ready to make a comeback. He’s already identified who he’d like to face in his return to the Octagon: Jorge Masvidal.
In an interview with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, Diaz discussed fighting Masvidal, who recently emerged victorious from a fight with Diaz’s brother, Nate.
I'll fight anybody," Diaz told Helwani. “This guy [Masvidal] can do anything he wants to do right now to make the most money possible.
"I'm like, you know, do the damn thing. ... I'm doing my part, you do yours. They [UFC} can do their part and then the show could go on."
Diaz, 36, hasn’t fought since January 2015 when he lost to Anderson Silva. After Silva tested positive for a banned substance the result of the fight was changed to a no-contest, but Diaz himself also tested positive for marijuana for the third time in his career.
Diaz was originally given a five-year suspension for his third positive test, but that was eventually reduced to 18 months. Once the suspension was over, Diaz didn’t return to fighting, keeping a “low profile” according to Helwani.
Masvidal had a majorly successful 2019, and at one point a fight between him and Diaz was floated. Apparently the obstacle to that happening was Diaz, but he’s now ready for the fight. Nate may be the one to thank for that, since Nick seems to want this potential fight personally on behalf of his brother.
According to Helwani, Diaz didn’t like how the fight between Nate and Masvidal went down. He especially didn’t like how Masvidal talked about wanting to knock out Nate by using the word “baptize.” From ESPN:
"You want to talk about baptizing my younger brother? That's on you. Like you don't talk about baptizing my younger brother, so you're already in a f---ed position if you fight with me. You don't f---ing talk about baptizing someone's younger brother. That's my baby brother. You don't talk like that to nobody."
Nothing like brotherly love to get the blood going.
If UFC president Dana White schedules this fight, it would be Diaz’s third career return to the UFC. Diaz knows that his fate isn’t in his own hands, but in the hands of White.
"You know, it's on you Dana,” Diaz told ESPN. “It's on you, UFC, it's on... that's on them. It's in your hands now. Cowboy Stadium."
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