“Back on top in 2023,” UFC icon Nick Diaz vows to take on Israel Adesanya on one condition upon his return
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Nick Diaz (L) and Israel Adesanya (R)[Image Source - Bloody Elbow (L) and Marca (R)]
Nick Diaz is a bonafide UFC icon – and, for good reason at that, having faced the who’s who of the welterweight and middleweight divisions, and also having held the WEC and Strikeforce titles.
Hence, his return to the octagon after a lengthy absence (to be precise, six years) was preceded by a lot of fanfare and hype. After all, despite having the tag of being one of the realest fighters, he is also an exquisite striker. That, however, was not to work out for the veteran – his comeback fight against Robbie Lawler ended in the third round via retirement from the Stockton native.
Now, it seems like the older Diaz brother is still hungry for accolades within the UFC. Speaking about his ambitions of returning, he said, “You can see me back on top in 2023, I’m making a comeback. I’m going to be quicker than ever, stronger than ever, better than ever — I’m just gonna be a whole new me.” [H/T MMA Mania]
One would think that Diaz would wish to take on an elder statesman like himself, but that is not the case. Speaking about a potential opponent, he said, “Whoever is on top at the time [I want], preferably Israel Adesanya, if he gets his title back.” Unfortunately, for Diaz, however, it seems too good a scenario to be true. Israel Adesanya held the UFC middleweight belt of the UFC for over three years, before eventually being bested by his old foe, Alex Pereira. On the other hand, Diaz’s last win in MMA came in 2011.
A brief recap of Nick Diaz’s illustrious UFC career
![Nick Diaz (L) against Anderson Silva (R) [Image Source - MMA Fighting]](https://firstsportz.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/13162551/Q_1670928852-1024x576.jpg)
The Diaz name carries a lot of weight with it in MMA circles – despite not having won a UFC title, Nick and Nate Diaz have contributed immensely to the sport of MMA. Nick Diaz’s time in the UFC is quite memorable – having already seen skilled fighters in the promotion, fans longed to see someone who could back all that up with a touch of charisma and pizazz.
And that is exactly what he did – long-time UFC fans will remember the bad blood that him and Robbie Lawler had for each other, and the spectacular fashion in which Diaz was able to finish the fighter most considered the favourite. That was Nick Diaz’s first stint in the UFC – after some time spent in Pride, EliteXC and Strikeforce, Diaz returned with a bang, scoring a landmark victory over B.J. Penn.
From there, however, he suffered two consecutive losses (to Carlos Condit and Georges St.Pierre) and a no-contest overruling of what would have been a decision ruling in favor of Anderson Silva. His latest stint, after a five-year suspension, didn’t work out in his favour, with him losing to Lawler again. However, at 39, can Diaz finally overturn his form in his fourth stint?
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Udayan Mukherjee
(382 Articles Published)