Dana White excited for Nick Diaz’s return to the UFC: “I’m hearing stories of him having incredible sparring sessions”
UFC president Dana White is excited for Nick Diaz’s return, saying that “I’m hearing stories of him having incredible sparring sessions.”
Diaz recently revealed that he is ready to return to the Octagon and wants to fight again for the first time since a No Contest against Anderson Silva in 2015. White this week confirmed that the UFC is working on a rematch between Diaz and former rival Robbie Lawler, though that fight isn’t done yet. After having not fought in six years, it’s hard to say what version of Diaz will show up in the cage, but as far as White is concerned, he’s excited to see “The Stockton Bad Boy” back fighting in the Octagon.
Speaking to The Mac Life ahead of UFC 264, White admitted his excitement for Diaz’s return, saying that he’s heard that he’s looked good in his sparring sessions and calling him a “world-class athlete.”
“Listen, I’m hearing stories of him having incredible sparring sessions. The guy is still doing triathlons. It’s not like, a lot of times what happens is when a guy leaves for a while, they don’t work out and they don’t do anything for a few years. They might go to the gym and mess around but they’re not training at that level. This kid, this kid’s a world-class athlete,” Dana White said.
As far as the Lawler fight goes, White confirmed that the UFC is working on getting the deal done, and he said he is hopeful and optimistic that Diaz will step back into the cage by the end of 2021.
“I’m working on something for Nick. We’re trying to get the Nick thing done right now. Like I said before, I’m confident he’ll fight this year. But if he doesn’t fight this year, he’s not fighting,” White said.
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