Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller wants to lend UFC star Nick Diaz a helping hand after some concerning footage of the Stockton native’s recent behavior went viral.
Nick Diaz‘s planned UFC comeback is indefinitely postponed after he was supposed to face Vicente Luque in a welterweight clash at UFC 310. The two fighters were supposed to clash at UFC Abu Dhabi earlier this year before the fight was canceled due to a reported Diaz travel issue.
Just days after Diaz vs. Luque was scratched from UFC 310 and after Luque was matched with a new opponent, concerning footage went viral showing Diaz attempting to light a piece of grass on fire. Many speculated Diaz was on a hard substance at the time of the video clip, with many wondering if Diaz’s health was in significant jeopardy.
Diaz and his team have stayed silent since the announcement of his UFC 310 withdrawal. As of this writing, it’s uncertain if he’ll return to the Octagon at a later date, as well as if concerns about his health are founded.
Diaz and Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller were at the center of one of the wildest moments in MMA history at Strikeforce: Nashville in 2010. After Diaz’s teammate Jake Shields earned a win in the main event, Miller entered the cage and asked for a rematch, leading to Diaz and his team attacking Miller on the live broadcast.
14 years later, cooler heads have prevailed, and Miller wants to do anything he can to help Diaz out of the Octagon.
Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller wants to help Nick Diaz ‘Get to a better place’
During a recent interview with Helen Yee, Miller responded to the recent Diaz footage and offered help to his longtime rival.
“We all saw what we saw. I won’t dwell on it too bad, but I think that people in Nick’s life need to gather around, anybody who ever made some money off him, needs to come circle around and help this guy out,” Miller said of Diaz. “We had our beef or whatever since we were kids, but that doesn’t stop me from extending a helping hand to this guy if he needs it. If he’s not ready to take a helping hand, then y’all need to keep on him!
“The people close to him, his brother, his family, friends. All of young guys that made money off of him, he needs you now. That’s not talking bad on him, it’s just a tough sport we’re in and it’s easy to get tripped up in the wrong things. Super easy. And it’s even harder to come up out of that, so my advice is not for him, it’s for all the people around him to help him to get to a better place in his life.”
Miller, who has had his own controversial moments outside of fighting, retired from MMA in 2016. He defeated the likes of Kazushi Sakuraba, Tim Kennedy, and Robbie Lawler during his fighting career.
Nick Diaz’s UFC future uncertain after two 2024 cancelations
Diaz was briefly linked to a professional grappling match with former rival Georges St-Pierre before St-Pierre suffered an injury ahead of the UFC Fight Pass Invitational showdown.
Diaz returned to the Octagon at UFC 266 against Lawler after a six-year absence, losing by TKO. He hasn’t won in the Octagon since defeating BJ Penn at UFC 137.
There’s no telling what the future holds for the eldest Diaz brother in the UFC, but Miller wants to do everything he can to help pivot Diaz on the right path. Miller’s message shows even the most hostile beefs can be set aside over time.