UFC president Dana White says he has all the respect for [autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag], but that doesn’t mean he wants to see the MMA fan favorite step into the octagon again.
For White, the key to success is doing something you love. After what he saw from Diaz (26-10 MMA, 13-7 UFC) before, during and after UFC 266 in September, White isn’t so sure he fits that billing.
“Regardless of how good he looked or what he did after such a huge layoff, I don’t think Nick should fight,” White recently told ESPN. “It’s not that I was in favor of it. He’s a grown man and can do whatever he wants to do. I just don’t think that Nick does it because he loves it. I think Nick does it because he has to do it. I don’t know, man. People always ask me, ‘What’s the key to success?’ It’s all about being happy and doing what you love.”
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Following his UFC 266 loss to Robbie Lawler, Diaz voiced mixed feelings about fighting in his post-fight interview. He indicated the fight was set up without his full approval. White compared Diaz to someone who is stuck in traffic at a job he does not like.
“When I always talk about the people who sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic and go to a job they hate, that’s what I feel like with Nick Diaz when he’s getting ready for a fight,” White said. “He’s in bumper-to-bumper traffic going to a job that he doesn’t love at all. It’s actually fascinating. But for a guy that’s been off as long as he has, nothing but respect for Nick.”
Since UFC 266, which marked his return from a six-and-a-half-year competitive absence, Diaz has not cleared up conflicting statements on whether or not he’s interested in fighting again. He does not have a fight on the books.
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