Former Strikeforce
and
World Extreme Cagefighting titleholder Nick Diaz might
compete before the end of the year. Diaz (26-10, 2 NC; 7-7, 1 NC
UFC) is preparing for his
Ultimate Fighting Championship return and aims to compete in
2022. While an official opponent and date have yet to be revealed,
the UFC superstar is undoubtedly willing to don the four-ounce
gloves one more time. In a recent interview, Diaz claimed that he
would like to face the current 170-pound kingpin, Kamaru
Usman, if his return materializes.
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“I’m working on the end of the year,” Diaz said to TMZ Sports. “I’m
working on it. I’d rather fight for a title. If I’m gonna fight, I
want to fight for a title. That’s the thing, and they want to say
if I want to fight a bunch of guys and stuff like that, but I’m
like, you know what, it’s a bigger fight if you just skip all the
mess. I don’t want to go in there and get my ass whooped by one of
those young guys anyway. And it’s not that I won’t win, it’s just
that I’m not motivated to fight somebody that’s, you know… I want
to fight for the title, I’m 38 years old.”
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In his latest Octagon appearance, Diaz lost to former UFC
titleholder Robbie
Lawler. The pair locked horns at UFC 266 in September, when the
older brother of Nate Diaz was
forced to retire due to strikes for the first time in his career 44
seconds into the third period. It was the first time 38-year-old
Diaz had competed in more than six years. Still, he believes he has
what it takes to dethrone Usman, who is chasing a boxing match with
multiple-division titleholder Canelo Alvarez following his title
defense against Colby
Covington in November. When asked to send a message to his
potential opponent, the Cesar
Gracie Fight Team standout sounded concise and confident.
“I think I can beat you,” Diaz stated. “I’d love it if they gave me
a shot. I think I can beat you.”