Veteran UFC superstar and the OG God of War, Nick Diaz, is returning to the octagon at 41. Despite an underwhelming last appearance against his long-time rival Robbie Lawler, the elder Diaz, this time, is game, primed for a war. Reflecting on this, former UFC champ Michael Bisping, during his latest YouTube video, believes that Diaz is ready to shock and awe the world.
Going up against Vicente Luque at UFC 301 on December 7, Diaz looks sharp and in shape, unlike his previous appearance at UFC 266. Sharing his thoughts on the Stockton slugger, Bisping said,
“But what I’ve seen of Nick Diaz recently online, the man is taking this very very seriously. He looks to me in phenomenal shape, he’s ripped, last time at UFC 266 he showed up, he looked a bit chubby, he looked a bit out of shape and the kind of performance reflected that. Well, not right now. This version of Nick Diaz is ready. He’s in shape and he’s angry, he’s pissed off, he wants to show the world who he is… the man’s got attitude, the man’s a fighter that will always be part of his DNA.”
Mentioning his latest training footage, ‘The Count’ is stoked to see the former Strikeforce champ back in the cage. In fact, Diaz has not fought in UFC since 2021 and has an overall record of 26-10 including 13 knockouts. Whereas his opponent, Luque is coming into the fight with a record of 22-10-1 overall record and has fought four times since Diaz’s last bout.
Even though Diaz hasn’t won a fight since 2011, when he bested the protege BJ Penn, Bisping is on board the Diaz hype train and is thrilled to catch him back in action.
Meanwhile, Diaz’s Academy Recovery Coach and Team cut man Jose Garcia dropped some startling revelations, mentioning how Cesar Gracie is trying to live off Diaz, supposedly attempting to profit off him financially.
Diaz’s coach drops a truth bomb about Cesar Gracie
Before the UFC matchmakers put together Diaz’s UFC return in December, the veteran was scheduled for an Abu Dhabi return in August. However, travel complications prevented that, ultimately pulling the plug on the veteran’s return fight against the ranked welterweight. Now, a recent BJ Penn.com report suggests that there’s more to it than what meets the eye.
As per Garcia, Cesar Gracie is back at it again, trying to jeopardize the veteran’s long-awaited return. He said,
“He’s a snake and an opportunist that only has his own best interest in mind. He does not care about Nick’s mental health, nor does he care if Nick has a full fight camp as we saw when he fought Robbie Lawler (Cesar was in charge of fight negotiations and fight camp prep for that fight). Nick is excited to return to the Octagon and we are all excited to see his return. However, we want to see him mentally healthy and with a full fight camp. Cesar has caused Nick a lot of stress this last week.”
According to Garcia, Gracie is trying to pull Diaz into his camp, hoping to reap financial benefits from him. As of now, the Stockton slugger is not signed to any manager, and Cesar apparently is desperate for a payday.
