What’s the story?
Nick Diaz has been cleared to fight for sometime now following his suspension and UFC President Dana White is trying his best to coax him back to the Octagon.
Dana White revealed on the latest UFC Unfiltered podcast, that he offered Diaz a rematch with Robbie Lawler which was turned down. White also stated that reached out to Nick Diaz again with an offer to face #3 fighter Demian Maia, but has not heard back from Diaz or his camp yet.
In case you didn’t know...
Nick Diaz did not look interested in rematch with Lawler as he has already knocked him out in their previous fight back in 2004, at UFC 47.
Demian Maia has insisted that he wants to fight the winner of upcoming title bout between Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson, but he can not refuse a fight against a big name like Nick Diaz.
The heart of the matter
As quoted in Fox Sports, White initially tried to make the rematch between Diaz and Lawler possible but the Stockton native turned it down:
“(Diaz’s team) were terrorizing me saying ‘we want a fight’ so they wanted to announce it that night at Sacramento card. Cause he was there and it’s the right crowd, it’s close to his hometown. I got Robbie Lawler to accept the fight, I called him, and they turned it down.”
Dana White also said that he reached out to Diaz again to see if he is interested in fight with top-ranked middleweight contender Demian Maia instead,
“I just reached out to Diaz’s team and said what do you guys think about a fight with Demian Maia? I haven’t heard back from them yet. If Nick doesn’t take it, I will give it to Jorge Masvidal.”
What next?
Dana White wants to see Nick Diaz back in the Octagon soon, and has offered him couple of fights. The recently proposed Diaz vs Maia bout is still in its infancy, and we are still to hear back from Nick Diaz on this matchup.
Sportskeeda’s Take
Nick Diaz is one of the most popular and exciting fighters in the UFC. His trash talking with opponents inside the Octagon and his notorious ‘Stockton Slap’ has made him a fan favourite. Everyone is waiting for his return to the Octagon after his highly controversial suspension.
If Diaz vs Maia takes place, it will be a bout between two fighters with very solid ground game. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top.
