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Ariel Helwani became the latest member of the MMA community to criticize John McCarthy's assessment of a potential clash between Kamaru Usman and Nick Diaz. According to McCarthy, Diaz would outstrike Usman, the current No.1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC, in a fight for the welterweight title.
Nick Diaz is 38 years old and only returned to the octagon last year after a six-year-long absence. Many believe he's past his prime and won't give him a chance against Usman, who is the most dominant welterweight on the planet right now. On a recent episode of the WEIGHING IN podcast, McCarthy claimed Usman would be forced to resort to wrestling after he gets "lit up" by Diaz's strikes in a potential clash.
According to Ariel Helwani, it is "one of the worst takes of all time." He doesn't even think that a fight between Nick Diaz and Kamaru Usman will ever come to fruition. During an episode of The MMA Hour podcast, the renowned journalist said:
"It ain't happening and yes, one of the worst takes of all time. What are you talking about? I mean I actually like John, [he is a] legend and I didn't watch it and I saw the headlines but that's got to be one of the worst takes of all time. What, the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet? Come on. it ain't happening, not now, not anytime soon."
Watch The MMA Hour podcast below:
What's next for Kamaru Usman and Nick Diaz?
Kamaru Usman is currently recovering from the hand ligament surgery he underwent earlier this year. He is expected to return to the octagon later this year to defend the welterweight title in a rematch against Leon Edwards. Both Usman and Edwards are currently on impressive winning streaks in the UFC and it promises to be an intriguing matchup whenever it does go down.
In a recent interaction with TMZ Sports, Nick Diaz said he's feeling healthy and ready to start training for his next fight. The Stockton native wants to return to the cage by the end of the year. He said he is only interested in big fights at the moment and wants to fight for the title.
Although it is unlikely that he will get an immediate title shot, the UFC can book him against a top-ranked welterweight in the division.
