Nick Diaz is not interested in any warm-up fights ahead of his UFC return.
The former Strikeforce welterweight champion has not won a fight since he defeated BJ Penn back in 2011.
He’s now 42, coming off a long spell on the sidelines, and is fresh out of rehab after dealing with substance abuse problems.
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Nick Diaz recently hinted at a return to the cage and spoke about his ambition to become a world champion again.
And he has already picked out the two UFC champions he would like to face upon his return.
Nick Diaz says he is ready to face either Islam Makhachev or Khamzat Chimaev in his UFC return
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Nick Diaz has spent most of his career fighting in the welterweight division, but he has also had a few appearances at middleweight over the years.
He has not been shy about wanting a big fight straight away, even though he knows that is unlikely.
Diaz said to Full Violence: “I wish they would just give me a title shot right away, but I have to fight for that.
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“I don’t care. 185lbs or 170lbs, either weight. I could fight at 185lbs, but I’d like to fight at 170lbs.”
When questioned about his interest in fighting Islam Makhachev, Diaz responded: “Yeah, or the other guy, [Khamzat] Chimaev.
“I think I could beat both of them. I could lose, too, but I mean, I could see myself winning those fights.
“It’s just matchups and fighters. It’s coming in with the right formula and fighting the right fight.”
His comments quickly made the rounds on social media with fans calling him ‘delusional’ for targeting such high-profile opponents after such a long absence from the sport.
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Nick Diaz reflects on Robbie Lawler rematch
Diaz’s last appearance in the octagon came against Robbie Lawler at UFC 266 in July 2021, where he lost by TKO.
The bout was a rematch nearly two decades in the making. Their first meeting ended with Diaz knocking out Lawler in memorable fashion.
This time, it was ‘Ruthless’ who came out on top. The former Strikeforce champion went down early in the third round and chose not to continue.
Speaking about that fight two years later, Diaz admitted he was not fully prepared for the rematch.
“I went into training camp, and I kind of got backed into it.
“I couldn’t amount to a level of athleticism that I needed to be competitive, and I knew that going into the fight. Then I was going into this fight like, ‘I really have it coming’, so I didn’t really go in there to win. I just needed to get that fight out.
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“I hadn’t fought in a long time. I’d never fought under those conditions,” he concluded.
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