"Make the fight Dana" - Boxing sensation Tyson Fury urges the UFC to announce a Nick Diaz fight
Tyson Fury vouches for returning UFC veteran Nick Diaz and urges Dana White to book him a fight. Fury and Diaz were seen training together in a recent social media post.
In a training video uploaded to Nick Diaz and Tyson Fury's Instagram stories, Fury sent an expletive-ridden message to the UFC president. 'The Gypsy King' spoke on Diaz's behalf and said that his friend was in great shape, ready to make a comeback.
"I'm here with my boy Nick Diaz. We're working hard. Coming for all you motherf****rs out there. You're getting smashed the f**k.You better believe it. He's in tremendous shape. He's ready. Make the fight Dana, make the fight," Tyson Fury said.
Among the high-profile attendees of UFC 261 event was former Strikeforce champion and UFC legend Nick Diaz. The Stockton native had a meeting with Dana White post the event to discuss the prospects returning to competition. Diaz has not competed in MMA since the unanimous decision loss to Anderson Silva in February 2015, which was later overturned to a no-contest.
Nick Diaz is one of the best-known MMA fighters of all time and still enjoys a broad fan base. However, MMA is a rapidly evolving sport where every new generation of fighters renders the previous ones ineffective. Therefore, it is debatable if the 37-year-old could compete against much younger opponents after a six-year layoff, one of the longest known periods of inactivity for a fighter in modern MMA.
Dana White questions if Nick Diaz is ready to fight again
From hot prospects like Khamzat Chimaev to UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, Nick Diaz has grabbed everyone's attention with his comeback rumors. However, UFC President Dana White does not seem excited or convinced about the eccentric fighter's return.
In a recent interview with Brett Okamoto of ESPN, Dana White stated that he does not think Nick Diaz has the hunger or innate desire to compete professionally again. White reasoned that Diaz has seen the absolute highs of an MMA career at the peak of his activity level and may no longer be motivated to reclaim the top spot.
"My whole thing with Nick Diaz is I just question how bad he really wants to fight," Dana White said. "I sit down daily with hungry, young savages that wanna break into the top ten, become world champions and all that stuff. Nick Diaz has done it all, seen it all. He's been in big fights. I just don't see that in him anymore when I talk to him."