UFC CEO, Dana White, has recently announced that Nick Diaz is going to make a return to the Octagon at UFC Abu Dhabi, against Vicente Luque, on 3rd August 2024. Diaz was out of action since his last fight against Robbie Lawler, back in 2021. But now, out of the blue, the UFC head honcho has given the Stockton native a fight and sent a shockwave through the MMA world. This has also raised questions about the Stockton star’s UFC contract situation.

Before the events of UFC 266, Diaz was away from the Octagon for 6 years, owing to a suspension by NSAC, due to a failed drug test. But his return, just like three years ago, has sent the fighting community into a frenzy. But would ‘Diablo’ stay in the UFC following his next fight? Let’s find out.

Nick Diaz still has fights left in his contract

Nick Diaz faced a heart-wrenching defeat at UFC 266, quitting at the start of round three of a five-round co-main event. He then went into intensive training mode. And now, he is ready to return to the MMA cage and redeem himself. Despite losing quite a few fights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the fans expect him to get a win, at the next one in Abu Dhabi.

In a recent episode of ‘The MMA Hour’, the famed mixed martial arts reporter, Ariel Helwani, made the revelations about the UFC veteran’s contract situation. He declared that Diaz still had five fights left in his contract. He said, “I don’t know if that is real, but there’s something. There’s something. And yeah, they want the legends and Nick Diaz is a legend. He still has five fights left and so, let’s see.” 

Without a doubt, the Stockton native would have to return for four more fights after going against Luque at UFC Abu Dhabi. Even though Diaz is not listed in the current 170-pound rankings, he will fight with the fighter who stands at the 14th spot in the UFC welterweight rankings. 

The former Strikeforce contender has trained pretty hard ever since he faced the ugly defeat at the hands of Lawler. He has also been putting efforts to get a fight since 2023. Diaz even wanted to settle for Holland. But White wasn’t ready to let him fight till August. 

‘Diablo’ wanted fights before August

Helwani, on his podcast, had made another revelation regarding Diaz. The MMA reporter revealed that ‘Diablo’ initially wanted a fight against Georges St-Pierre. However, like many other fights, it didn’t come to fruition. Diaz also wanted Colby Covington for UFC 300, but White didn’t approve of it. The fighter then asked for a fight against Kevin Holland only to be denied once again. 

Talking about Diaz, Holland recently said, “I would also be taking up a fight at 170 against a pre-named opponent. But they said he wouldn’t be able to fight till August. So I was like damn that’s a long time. Just a extra month and I was like na too long.”

His contract situation also brings a few other questions into play. At 40 years old, elite level competition will be a thing of the past for ‘The General’ be it at welterweight or middleweight. So it remains to be seen if White will allow Diaz to walk away without fulfilling his contract, as he did for Jose Aldo a few years ago. The featherweight phenom returned last month at UFC 301 in Brazil to fight on his last contractual bout.

With his reputation, there are more lucrative options for Diaz outside the Octagon. A sojourn in the world of celebrity boxing might not be out of the question either, not to mention the substantial paydays there.

Nevertheless, the fighter from Stockton is all set to fight Luque and make his presence known in the Octagon. Do you think Diaz’s skills are still the same? Will he claim victory against Luque? Let us know in the comments down below.