Nick Diaz may be 0-2 in his last two trips to the Octagon (and 1-2 since he returned to the UFC), but that isn’t stopping him from declaring that the only way he’ll come back is if he’s in a title fight.
It’s coming up on a year since Diaz’s most recent “retirement,” the first one that seems like it might actually stick. Fox Sports has quotes from the former welterweight title challenger:
“I don’t care, I’m talking about a title fight matchup,” he said. “Bottom line, I’m the only draw here. Bottom line. We had like the third biggest [pay-per-view]. That wasn’t just because of Georges St-Pierre. And these guys aren’t doing that. People want to pay to see me fight, they want to see someone get knocked out or someone get tapped out, or they want to see me get my ass whooped like they’ve been waiting to see but they still don’t get to see.”
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“I’ve been fighting for 11 years. I already did all those [contender] fights. I don’t have to take a warmup fight. Why would I take a warmup fight? To help somebody out? To bring them to my level? I’ve already been through all that and you still didn’t see me take an ass whipping.”
UFC president Dana White answered questions from reportersabout the situation after UFC 170, and he didn’t make it sound like a Diaz title shot was likely:
“He hasn’t told me that,” White said. “I haven’t heard a word from him.”
Pressed further on whether Diaz’s marketability could thrust him into that No. 1 contender picture, White bristled at the suggestion.
“I haven’t even heard from Nick Diaz,” he said. “He called and asked for tickets. I don’t know. It’s not even worth talking about. He hasn’t fought, he hasn’t wanted a fight, and he’s not even in the picture.”