UFC president Dana White has weighed in on the possibility of various fighters competing inside the octagon in 2022.
UFC president Dana White has weighed in on the possibility of various fighters competing inside the octagon this year.
Speaking to TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter, White partook in their annual odds show in which he answered yes or no on the chances of seeing the likes of [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag], [autotag]Zabit Magomedsharipov[/autotag], [autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag], [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag], and even Hasbulla fighting in the UFC in 2022.
Check out the full list of fighters White was asked about below:
The UFC president compared Nick Diaz fighting to someone frustratingly sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
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.”
[lawrence-related id=1937033,1935819]
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.
The idea of slapping and yapping with Nick Diaz has Kevin Holland interested.
[autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] wants to go slap-for-slap with one of mixed martial arts’ most prolific open-hand strikers.
Following an Instagram post Wednesday that featured a split image [autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag] next to him, Holland (21-8 MMA, 8-5 UFC) confirmed to MMA Junkie he hopes that matchup is his next.
“I been waiting to slap the slap man since I was on (Dana White’s) Contender Series,” Holland said, in a text. “We had a little run in. I think it’s a fight the fans will want the commentators to just shut up and listen to the punches landing and our mouths flapping.”
Holland did not elaborate further or give more details on the mentioned run-in he had with Diaz (26-10 MMA, 13-7 UFC), but his manager Oren Hodak, of KO Reps, told MMA Junkie his fighter would be willing to compete at either welterweight or middleweight.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXOmP13J-dL/
Neither Holland nor Diaz are booked right now. Though former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen mentioned Holland vs. Diaz as something the promotion was working on, sources indicate to MMA Junkie that the wheels have not yet been put in motion.
Meanwhile, Diaz’s future is uncertain. The fan-favorite fighter returned from a six-and-a-half-year layoff, when he lost to Robbie Lawler via third-round TKO at UFC 266 in September. The took place at middleweight, one class heavier than what the two fighters initially agreed to. Upon arriving for fight week, Diaz negotiated the fight be moved from welterweight to 185 pounds.
Georges St-Pierre doesn’t think Nick Diaz showed his true form at UFC 266.
[autotag]Georges St-Pierre[/autotag] doesn’t think [autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag] showed his true form at UFC 266.
Diaz (26-10 MMA, 7-7 UFC) returned from layoff of nearly seven years to rematch Robbie Lawler, but was stopped in the third round after he refused to get back up when he was dropped with a check right hook.
It took a while for Diaz to get going in the fight. The superstar from Stockton, Calif., looked noticeably slower than usual. He also requested the matchup be contested at 185 pounds at the start of fight week after signing a bout agreement for 170 pounds.
St-Pierre thinks ring rust was evident in Diaz’s performance and he would like to see his former foe buckle down and figure out what his true priorities are before competing again.
“It was a tough night for him because he came back after six or seven years,” St-Pierre told Yahoo Sports. “It was a long, long time. Nobody can come back as good as they were before after that much time. I’m under the impression that Nick left a lot of money on the table, unfortunately for him, because maybe his best years are behind him. For sure, he was rusty. It’s not to make any excuses, but maybe we haven’t seen the best out of him yet. Maybe he’s going to come back and get better because after seven years – I fought after more than four years. I can tell you, it’s very hard.
“There’s a lot of things that you cannot do in training. You cannot replicate in training what happens in a fight and the only way to get it back is through the experience of real competition. I think he can be better than he was. I think he can come back better if he wants to. There’s a difference between fighters that go to collect a paycheck and fighters that want to come back to become champion. I don’t know what he wants. He needs to figure it out for himself. But whatever he chooses to do, he needs to stick to it and go all in.”
Diaz himself wasn’t too surprised with his performance. Following his loss to Lawler, the 38-year-old said he knew he had it coming and that the way the fight was set up was a “bum rap.” Diaz did, however, say he was glad to be back, but didn’t specify any particular future plans.
Joe Rogan said Robbie Lawler “was definitely getting the better of the exchanges, but it’s not like Nick Diaz didn’t have his moments.”
Joe Rogan agrees with [autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag] that he didn’t have enough time to get ready for his return.
Diaz (26-10 MMA, 7-7 UFC) came back from a six-and-a-half-year layoff to rematch Robbie Lawler at UFC 266, and he didn’t appear to be in his best physical form after requesting the fight be contested at 185 pounds instead of welterweight as originally scheduled.
Lawler exacted his revenge 17 years later from their first meeting at UFC 47, scoring a third-round TKO of Diaz after Diaz elected not to continue when he was dropped by a pair of punches. Following the fight, Diaz claimed that the way the fight was set up was a “bum rap” and that he had a lot of stress coming into it. His training partner and fellow former Strikeforce champion, Jake Shields, suggested that Diaz was pressured into taking the fight and only had six weeks to train, which Rogan thinks was evident in his performance.
“My thing about Nick Diaz is, when I looked at him physically, I was like, I don’t know how much he’s been training,” Rogan said on his “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast. “When Nick was in his prime, he was really lean. He’s definitely an older guy now, but the thing is, I don’t think you can just jump back in that easy after six years out of the sport. I think you’d probably need more time to prepare.
“I don’t know how much time he had to prepare and why they agreed to do a fight on short notice, because I think it was only six weeks’ notice – which I think is fine if you’re Michael Chandler, if you’re in peak form right now and you’re ready to go and someone gives you six weeks. I bet you can get ready for a fight. But if you’re a guy who has been off for that long, you’re gonna need more time, I think. I’m just guessing. I don’t know how much time it took him.”
Rogan, who wasn’t on commentary duty at UFC 266, thought Diaz gave a decent account of himself but would like to see him put the adequate amount of time into his preparation before taking another fight.
“My point was, he didn’t do that bad for a guy that was out six (years),” Rogan said. “Robbie Lawler was pressuring him, and he was putting it on him, and he was definitely getting the better of the exchanges, but it’s not like Nick Diaz didn’t have his moments. He definitely did. He would just have to have way more time to prepare, and he would have to be really ready to go. Like the old Nick Diaz, like the Nick Diaz that fought Anderson Silva, like the Nick Diaz that fought Georges St-Pierre, like the Nick Diaz that fought Paul Daley in Strikeforce, that dude was a f*cking killer.”
He continued, “Can he still do that at 38? Well, maybe. We don’t know if you just have one fight. You need time. If you’re body hasn’t been used to this stuff and you haven’t been training as much as you were when you were in your prime, if you still want to do it again legitimately, physically he probably can. But it’s like, you run a marathon, when you start out and you run a mile and you’re dead, and you’re like, ‘I can’t believe anyone can run 26 of those,’ but if you do it over and over and over again, you build up. I don’t think he had a chance to build back up after being off for that much time. I think you get back to where he was Nick Diaz at his best, he’s got to have some time.”
Conor McGregor shared his thoughts on Nick Diaz’s unsuccessful return to the octagon on Saturday at UFC 266.
[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] shared his thoughts on [autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag]’s unsuccessful return to the octagon on Saturday at UFC 266.
McGregor (22-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC), like many fight fans, was a keen observer of Diaz’s (26-10 MMA, 7-7 UFC) long awaited comeback fight, which was a rematch against Robbie Lawler at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Things didn’t go Diaz’s way after more than six years away from competition. He partially reverted back to his old self, but was not able to keep up with Lawler’s pace and output and opted not to continue after getting hurt with a hard shot early in the third round of the middleweight bout.
Some have used the loss to point the finger at Diaz and claim he “quit.” Lawler said post-fight the stoppage came as an accumulation of damage. McGregor, who was watching closely, offered his thoughts on the ending and praised both Diaz and Lawler (via Twitter):
Nick/Rob was a good fight. The spin kick at the start gave the ground on Nick but he was veteran composed and was peppering lovely shots in. He just ate some big body shots and there was more coming Robbie was strong to the body it was veteran work all round. I enjoyed thoroughly
Nick/Rob was a good fight. The spin kick at the start gave the ground on Nick but he was veteran composed and was peppering lovely shots in. He just ate some big body shots and there was more coming Robbie was strong to the body it was veteran work all round. I enjoyed thoroughly
The finishing sequence when the temple was clipped after the leg went, the evasion of the final shot, which was a blistering uppercut, was magic. Look at it. Down on one knee, observing where the shot was coming from, slip/parry, and re cente to open guard safe. Ala Daly fight.
The finishing sequence when the temple was clipped after the leg went, the evasion of the final shot, which was a blistering uppercut, was magic. Look at it. Down on one knee, observing where the shot was coming from, slip/parry, and re cente to open guard safe. Ala Daly fight.
Although most of his sentiments were positive, McGregor couldn’t help but slide in a dig, too. He said he was far more impressed with the striking of Nick than his younger brother Nate Diaz – who famously fought McGregor twice – and “The Notorious” took a shot at his rival to conclude his review (via Twitter):
Nate your boxing is piss compare to nicks. We been fed garbage with your sloppy shots the last few years. Can see the clear difference between the two brothers after last night. Balance, composure. Another level the big bro is on to you. I made you.
Nate your boxing is piss compare to nicks. We been fed garbage with your sloppy shots the last few years. Can see the clear difference between the two brothers after last night. Balance, composure. Another level the big bro is on to you. I made you.
McGregor, for his part, is coming off a first-round TKO loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 where he suffered a broken leg in the process. The Irishman remains in the United States nearly three months later continuing his rehabilitation process as he looks to return to the octagon in 2022.
“I don’t know how this fight got set up” sounds a lot like Nick Diaz was told to fight rather than him truly wanting to fight.
LAS VEGAS – There is one thing we can say for certain about [autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag] after UFC 266: He is simply not the same fighter he was six-and-a-half years ago.
How could he be? In the fight game, that’s an absolute eternity for a layoff, and when the stretch ends with you returning to the cage at 38, the odds of giving a prime performance aren’t exactly in your favor.
There were signs of what to expect throughout the week leading up to Diaz’s heavily anticipated rematch with Robbie Lawler at T-Mobile Arena. That the Diaz team requested the fight be moved from welterweight to middleweight was a massive red flag. After all, this is the man who once showed up at an official weigh-in ceremony for a card in which he was not involved and openly taunted a clearly withered Johny Hendricks as he struggled to make 170 pounds for his UFC 181 clash with Lawler.
Now he’s comfortable with a 15-pound adjustment just days before a fight? That’s not the same Nick Diaz.
That Diaz (26-10 MMA, 7-7 UFC) skipped media day was no real surprise (motherf*ckers). The 20-year veteran has made it clear for most of his career that he’s not in this for the camera time.
While it was another warning sign, his limited pre-fight comments, in which he told ESPN “I don’t know why I’m doing this,” weren’t overly concerning for those who have closely followed his career. After all, Diaz has long expressed his love-hate relationship with prizefighting – and he also immediately said afterward that rather than Lawler, he would have been better suited to face UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman, the man who currently sits as the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie official rankings.
But on fight night, it was clear this was a different fighter. That became painfully evident even as he made his way to the cage.
Given the honor of a championship walk by the UFC, a true sign of the respect Diaz has generated during his Hall of Fame-worthy career, he was second to arrive. With Lawler already in the octagon, Diaz walked by, took one quick look into the fighting surface, and then immediately turned his gaze toward the floor. Compare that with the last time Diaz was in the red corner, when he stared a hole through Carlos Condit prior to entering the cage for their 2012 interim welterweight title fight.
[lawrence-related id=1136634,1136540]
Once inside the octagon, Diaz did pace back and forth in his customary pre-fight routine, but the menacing scowl we’ve all come to love? It just wasn’t there – and what’s a Diaz fight without a little mean-mugging?
As the fight began, it was clear Diaz had lost a step. Never known for his blazing hand speed, it nevertheless looked like many of his movements were labored and a touch slower to reach the target than in previous bouts.
For all the differences, though, one truth remained the same: Diaz is a real fighter. Despite sometimes appearing to be stuck in first gear, Diaz threw an incredible 176 strikes in the opening round, followed by another 145 in the second. He stood toe to toe with Lawler and gave fans a show.
That said, it was the ending of the fight that undoubtedly gives the most pause for Diaz’s career moving forward. With momentum clearly shifting in Lawler’s favor, “Ruthless” landed a big right hand that dropped Diaz to a knee. A grazing uppercut followed, sending Diaz to his back, at which point Lawler turned and walked away, declining to engage the Cesar Gracie black belt on the floor. When referee Jason Herzog directed him to return to his feet to continue, Diaz declined.
Electing to stop fighting? This, certainly, was not the same Nick Diaz.
With his busted nose still spewing blood, Diaz opined that “I knew I had it coming.” Was that an admission from Diaz that he knew he was facing an uphill battle all along? Unfortunately, it’s often hard to know the exact context of what the former Strikeforce welterweight champion means with almost anything he says, so we might never know for sure.
As ESPN’s post-fight broadcast crew played matchmaker moving forward for Diaz, the two names that were mentioned included a 43-year-old Demian Maia, who was recently released from the promotion, as well as Ben Askren, who retired from the sport in 2019 and has mechanical replacement parts in his hip. It’s not exactly a glowing endorsement for Diaz’s potential success moving forward.
Therein lies the difficult choice for Diaz. There’s clearly something left in the tank, but how much? Matchmaking the aging superstar would require careful consideration should he elect to carry on. At this point, Diaz has done too much in his career to be simply rolled out as fodder for some Dana White’s Contender Series graduate to use to make a name, but it’s also clear that he doesn’t quite have what it takes to be competitive with the division’s best.
A pairing with welterweight champ Usman? That would be downright criminal.
And so there is no clear-cut next move for Diaz right now. That will have to come from inside, and hopefully he’s willing to stand up and be the one leading the charge, whether it be to continue competing or to walk away from the sport after a financially successful but ultimately failed comeback. But listening to Diaz say again after that bout that “I don’t know how this fight got set up” sounds a whole lot like a guy who was told to fight rather than one who truly wanted to fight.
In the end, Diaz’s final words before leaving the cage rang true: “I’m glad to be back. I’m glad I put on a little show for you.”
If nothing else, Diaz is certainly capable of putting on a show. The Nick Diaz Army was in full effect throughout the week, and Stockton’s finest remains one of the most popular fighters on the UFC roster. Hopefully the “switch-up in my whole management and setup” will lend itself to a more unified effort moving forward, and Diaz makes the decision that is best for him, and him alone.
It’s the least this man deserves for what he’s given to the sport.
The best facts and figures to come out of UFC 266, which saw Volkanovski and Shevchenko defend while Nick Diaz suffered a loss.
UFC 266 was a loaded lineup on paper and proved to be one of the best of the year in practice. The promotion put on a spectacular event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with a main card that aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.
Both champions at the top of the card retained their belts. [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (23-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC) defeated [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] (15-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) by unanimous decision to defend the featherweight title in the headliner, while [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) produced a fourth-round TKO in the co-main event against [autotag]Lauren Murphy[/autotag] (15-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) to retain her women’s flyweight strap.
For more on the numbers behind the decorated champions, as well as the winners and losers from the rest of the card, check below for 65 post-event facts to come out of UFC 266.
Robbie Lawler didn’t think there was anything particular unusual about the ending of his rematch with Nick Diaz at UFC 266.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] didn’t think there was anything particularly unusual about the ending of his rematch with [autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag] at UFC 266.
After a back-and-forth slugfest for two rounds, Lawler (29-15 MMA, 14-9 UFC) came out in the third of Saturday’s featured bout at the T-Mobile Arena and landed some solid strikes on Diaz (26-10 MMA, 7-7 UFC), who was making his anticipated return from a more than six-year hiatus.
Lawler landed a strong blow that hurt Diaz early in the third round and made him fall to his back. He refused to follow Diaz to the ground, and when referee Jason Herzog tried to instruct Diaz to his feet, he refused and the fight was waved off.
Some critics said post-fight that Diaz quit. Lawler doesn’t see it that way, however, and argued the stoppage was merely the sum of a grueling fight.
“I felt like it was an accumulation,” Diaz told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the UFC 266 post-fight news conference. “But I felt like I caught him with a little check hook and then a little left after that then when he went down a hit him with a little uppercut. Then when he went down he wanted him to come down with him and I was like, ‘Let’s continue the fun stuff.’
“He’s a warrior. He was standing right there in the pocket. I throw hard shots and he was taking them. It was a lot of damage. When you go back and watch the fight it was a war. A three-round war. I hit pretty hard and it just wasn’t his night.”
Lawler’s victory over Diaz marked a moment of redemption losing the first fight between them in April 2004. It was the first time Lawler was ever stopped with strikes, and more than 17 years later he got it back.
The former UFC welterweight champion said it doesn’t signify anything special for him, though. He was surprised when the matchup was presented to him, and ultimately it was a motivating fight to take on one of the biggest names in MMA history.
Lawler credited his Sanford MMA teammate and Bellator fighter Jason Jackson for getting him perfectly prepared for Diaz’s unique style. Now that he secured the victory and snapped his four-fight losing skid, “Ruthless” is ready to move on to his next victim.
