UFC welterweight Nick Diaz teased his return to the octagon in 2018, but it appears he is now content with simply watching from the sidelines. Unless, of course, the UFC makes him an outstanding offer that he can't refuse.
As Diaz puts it, "I don't want to hurt nobody. I just want to party."
(Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)
Diaz posted the following message on Instagram following Sunday night's UFC event in Phoenix, Arizona.
"I’m no role model, I’m 35 years old,” Diaz wrote on Instagram, “but I definitely wouldn’t advise anybody to take a fight for less than their worth or fight for free. Which is practically what I would be doing at this point in taking a fight with some of these guys that are not on my level. Nor would I be within my moral ethics to even do that aside from you not painting me as a role model."
“If there was an offer I couldn’t refuse, things would be different. Until they are — I’d like to continue to think I’ve been fighting to make the world a better place, but until I can continue to do that: ‘I don’t want to hurt nobody, I just want to party.'”
Diaz has not competed in the UFC since January 2015, when he lost via decision to Anderson Silva. However, the match was later ruled a no-contest after Silva tested positive for PEDs and Diaz tested positive for marijuana.
Older brother of UFC Lightweight Nate Diaz, Nick (26-9) recently served an 18-month suspension after testing positive for marijuana metabolites. He was also suspended by the United State Anti-Doping Agency again in 2017 for missing three out-of-competition drug tests, according to ESPN.
The 35-year old Stockton, California native regained his eligibility last April. He has not won a fight since UFC 137 in October 2011, when he defeated BJ Penn by unanimous decision.