It’s December and the weather is getting colder. Luckily, the rumors of a potential Nick Diaz return to MMA are only just beginning to heat up.
Earlier this year, the elder Diaz made headlines when his manager, Kevin Mubenga, revealed that the former Strikeforce champion had completed a test weight cut in advance of a potential return to the cage in 2021. Now that potential return seems to be all but a foregone conclusion.
Speaking with Fanatics View recently (h/t MMAJunkie), Mubenga updated the world on his clients impending return, stating that Nick Diaz is still working out and that next it’s on him to make sure a deal for Diaz’s return is suitable.
“That’s the millions and millions of dollars question,” Mubenga said. “Yeah, the guy has been training. He’s been training for at least four months now straight. … Now, we’re in December – we’re what? Four months (or) five months in now?”
“He took a little break last month and now we’re going to pick it back up in December and go into the new year hopefully with a new deal done. (We’ll) make sure the money is right and the opponent is right and we’ll be able to move forward with all of this.”
As for who his opponent might be, there will be no shortage of options for Diaz. When Mubenga first announced Diaz’s intention to return, a number of high-profile welterweights and middleweights threw their names out in the hope of being the one to welcome him back. And while currently there are no concrete plans have formed about which of those fighters might get the call, at this point, Mubenga says it’s a virtual certainty that Diaz will be fighting someone next year.
“99.99999 (percent),” Mubenga said. “We just got to get everything else right with the organization and everything. We’ll be able to move forward. He’s been training. People want to see (that). Well, he’s been training as you can see for the last few several months. He took a little break now. Now, it’s time to get back on there and just go through it. You don’t want to overtrain and over-exhaust yourself, especially when you don’t have a date yet. But it was good to be able to go through the regimen and go through that small camp there to kind of feel everything out (and) get back with everyone (like trainer) Cesar Gracie.”
Diaz has not fought in nearly six years. His last bout was a loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 183 that was later overturned to a No Contest when Silva tested positive for performance enhancing drugs and Diaz tested positive for marijuana.
