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Has Nick Diaz's legacy been tarnished by his struggles, or can he still make a comeback?

Following his defeat against Robbie Lawler at UFC 266, Nick Diaz hasn’t really remained the same. The entire fighting community began worrying about the Stockton native when a video of a shirtless man, who closely resembled Diaz, went viral on the internet. The voice behind the camera could be heard saying, “Nick what? Are you okay? Are you alright?” Soon after that, Diaz’s girlfriend dropped a bombshell on the world, when she tagged Diaz in her IG story and hinted at the mixed martial artist’s dr-g addiction. Now, Vicente Luque has joined the crowd to reveal his feelings about Diaz’s bizarre behavior. 

Diaz hasn’t fought since 2021. That was the reason why his return at UFC 310 against Luque was something that the fanbase looked forward to. But things came tumbling down when his girlfriend revealed his troubles with addiction. While the video kept turning heads, Diaz’s girlfriend said, “Dr-g addiction doesn’t last forever. You either find sobriety, or it takes your life.” 

Although it’s still unclear why Diaz had to pull out of UFC 310, the netizens seemed to have linked it all with the viral video. In his stead, Themba Gorimbo would fight Luque on the 7th of December. Needless to say, this filled ‘The Silent Assassin’ with concern for the Stockton resident. Talking to MMA Fighting, Luque said, “I don’t know exactly why (it was cancelled). I saw that video of him in the streets, and he didn’t look ok. And more than anything, I hope his family and he’s taking care of himself. I hope he recovers and goes back to his best state possible.”

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Luque weighed in on the video and hoped for Diaz to seek out help if the footage showed the recent situation of the ‘Diablo’. After all, Diaz is one of the few fighters who have inspired great numbers of young ones. He continued, “We don’t know what he’s going to do from now on, if he’s going to recover, if he’s going to be able to fight again, maybe open a gym and teach, whatever, but we hope for the best. It’s very sad to see him at that stage, because I don’t want that for anyone, much less a man that has inspired so many.”

 

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Diaz has put even Daniel Cormier in a state of worry. After the former UFC heavyweight champion asked ‘Diablo’ to focus on UFC 310, he offered an alternative to Diaz. 

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Daniel Cormier expresses concern about Nick Diaz

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Has Nick Diaz's legacy been tarnished by his struggles, or can he still make a comeback?

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Taking to his YouTube talk show, ‘3 Rounds with Daniel Cormier’, the UFC commentator said, “Not to be a Debbie Downer, not to be a ‘hater’, like a lot of people try to call me. [But] the last time we saw [Nick] Diaz, [he] wasn’t the same guy that we’re used to seeing.” He admitted that he was indeed a fan of Diaz. However, he remained adamant in his belief that the Stockton native had changed a lot. No doubt, nearing the age of 40 was also a factor that affected Diaz. But DC had an alternative for him.

Cormier continued, “I’d like to see him in Bellator, honestly. I believe that Scott Coker would take care of him, even though I feel that the UFC tried with Robbie Lawler. But even Robbie was a bit too much for him. Because he [Nick Diaz] is not the same guy. And there is no shame in that. There really isn’t.”

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While concerns about Diaz kept flowing, the excitement around UFC 310 was also palpable. Even though Luque won’t be fighting Diaz anymore, he promised that he would give it his all against Gorimbo. After all, that’s what a fighter is supposed to do! 

What are your thoughts on Diaz’s addiction? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.

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