Despite being inactive since 2015, MMA veteran Nick Diaz remains to be a fan favorite. Some of his fellow fighters, however, have an even higher opinion about him.
Multiple time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion and brand new Bellator signee A.J. Agazarm, for one, believes the elder Diaz brother is incomparable from the rest.
“Masvidal, is that a fight that you want to see? If Nick is going to do anything, his heart is going to be in it completely and that is what makes him the best fighter the world has ever seen,” Agazarm said on Monday’s episode of Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show (transcript by MMA Mania).
“He is the greatest fighter of all time. He really is. Every fighter aspires to be like Nick Diaz. Just having been around him for the time that I’ve been and understanding his psyche and the way he operates.
“He is very efficient and effective in every single thing he does. Not just fighting,” he added. “He’s got his daily routine. I know what it looks like on social media because I am with him every day.”
Diaz is reportedly ending his three-year absence at UFC 235, where he is slated to fight Jorge Masvidal. According to Agazarm, Diaz’s motivation to return is more about the reason he would be doing it instead of his opponent and the deals that would be put in place.
“If he is going to come back after a four-year layoff, given everything that has happened, just think about the psychology in him and everything that has happened in his life the last six years,” said Agazarm, who has been training with Diaz as of late. “It’s not a matter of if he is going to come back, it’s why. Why is he going to come back? Come back to fight Masvidal? Why? What about a rematch with Anderson Silva? What about him and GSP? You think GSP would take that match?”
UFC 235 takes place on March 2nd in Las Vegas. If things go as planned, the card will likely include the much talked about heavyweight title matchup between Daniel Cormier and Brock Lesnar.