"I don't feel like we're really going to see him again in the octagon" - Daniel Cormier on Nick Diaz
Daniel Cormier isn't optimistic that Nick Diaz will fight in the UFC again, despite what a recent social media post from one of Diaz's coaches said.
Longtime trainer Cesar Gracie surprised the world when he declared a week ago that Diaz would fight again in 2022. When asked on The DC & RC Show if we should expect to see Nate or Nick Diaz fight next, Cormier said:
"My last visual of Nick Diaz, I don't feel like we're gonna really see him again in the octagon. Because, the pictures, he looked shredded. Inside the octagon he looked like a different man and it didn't seem like he wanted to be in there. So I think we'll see Nathan first."
After years away from the sport enjoying the night life, Diaz spent a good portion of the COVID-19 lockdowns training hard and living healthily. The results were impressive, as Cormier noted in an April 2021 tweet:
I just saw @nickdiaz209 in the lobby and I was very surprised at how strong he was. My goodness For a smaller guy dude is strong
Unfortunately, by the time a fight against Robbie Lawler was booked at UFC 266 in September 2021, Diaz had to ask the UFC to move the welterweight bout up to middleweight. The muscular Diaz from April was nowhere to be seen and by the third round of the fight, Diaz was spent and refused to get up off the canvas, forcing the ref to wave off the fight.
(via @nickdiaz209)
Nick Diaz is in shape, folks! 👀 (via @nickdiaz209) https://t.co/iBmiflRW83
Nick Diaz wasn't in the best situation mentally for his last fight, according to Jake Shields
Nick Diaz's longtime friend and training partner Jake Shields was on The Joe Rogan Experience recently, where he discussed the rumors surrounding Diaz's return.
While Shields didn't have any inside information on Diaz's return, he did suggest the fight against Lawler wasn't an accurate assessment of Diaz's abilities. He said:
"The last fight, he obviously wasn't in the best situation you know, mentally and stuff. So I would like to see him fight again but I'd like to see him do a proper camp, so.... I think he wants to but I really hope he does a proper camp and does it right, because [the last camp was] not much. I think he was just going through some tough times in his life and you know, I don't want to get into his personal life too much but I think he was going through a tough time. I would have liked to pull the fight and move it back, personally."
While there are no rumors of an opponent or date for a return, Diaz already seems to be back in training. His Instagram has been unusually active over the past week, featuring images of the Stockton fighter working on his boxing.