N. Diaz hasn't fought since 2015. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @nickdiaz209
Without fighting since he faced Anderson Silva, in January 2015, Nick Diaz returned to notoriety within Ultimate after Jorge masvidal defeated his brother, Nate, in a duel for the UFC 244, and awarded the winner with the symbolic belt of 'Mais Thick'. After Nate's setback, Nick took his brother's pain and suggested a fight against Masvidal. Regarding a possible fight between the two, Cesar Gracie, Nick's former trainer, stated that his pupil would win an eventual fight. The statement was made in an interview with 'Ariel Helwani's MMA Show.
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“That's his belt, the most 'thick' title. Nick is the toughest one, for sure. It's the perfect belt for Nick. The promotion of this confrontation would be very big”, said the coach.
Gracie, however, did not minimize Jorge's talent, who had the best year of his life in 2019, beating tough opponents and establishing himself as one of the company's most profitable athletes. The coach also stated that, for the duel to take place at a high level and to confirm the idea that Nick would win the confrontation, Cesar conditioned the possibility of it happening, if his student was in shape.
“I watched Masvidal's fight with Nate and thought, 'This guy has good hands. He's a tough fighter', but I think Nick, in his prime, I don't know how he would do. He would have to get in shape. But the Nick Diaz I saw at or near his peak would destroy guys like this (Jorge masvidal). It would be amazing for fans who don't know the Nick Diaz,” said Gracie.
The coach took the opportunity to find an advantage when it came to promoting Nick's name, which, after a long time away, is not as recognized by current MMA enthusiasts, who arrived along with new athletes to the company.
“Let's be honest, there are a lot of new fans to the sport, and Nick has been away for a long time. For those fans who don't know who he is Nick Diaz, this would be a great calling card upon his return”, concluded Cesar.
At 36 years old, Nick, who debuted in Ultimate in 2003, is one of the athletes who are part of the company's 'old guard'. The athlete remained active in the sport until 2013, when he had his first career break and spent almost two years without acting.
His last battle, before facing 'Spider', in 2015, was for the welterweight title (up to 77kg), the current weight category. Jorge masvidal. At the time, Diaz faced the challenge of trying to stop Georges St-Pierre, but ended up beaten by the Canadian in a unanimous decision by the judges, in a fight that represented the main fight of UFC 158.
Nick, today, has 37 fights as a professional in MMA. The North American has 26 wins, nine losses and two matches without result.
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