Nick Diaz turned in an egg of a performance when he ended his seven-year retirement at UFC 266.
Diaz looked terrible against his former nemesis Robbie Lawler, who exacted revenge for his UFC 47 loss back in 2004. After being battered for the majority of their encounter, Diaz was stopped in the third round.
Now, the reclusive Diaz said he wasn’t entirely to blame.
During an interview on the Dying To See Me Podcast, Diaz blamed his management for putting everything together.
“I was in between management, it wasn’t like when I went and found a group to work with and organize my situation. I was going back and forth with the people I was working with and some of the old people I was working with during this training camp and my trainers.”
Diaz would later admit that he knew a loss was coming due to his minimal preparation. The former WEC and Strikeforce champion said he “Didn’t really go in there to win.”
Nick Diaz was not a long-term prospect
Though Nick and his brother Nate are widely popular, nobody expected Nick to hang around. His disdain towards fighting is well known, and he went into exile as a spent force.
Diaz was given a five-year suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission following a failed drug test against Anderson Silva in 2015. The long process kept Diaz out of the octagon, where he simply didn’t care that much to return.
His poor form against Lawler is evidence enough that he simply doesn’t care. Why Diaz would want to point fingers now is anyone’s guess. It isn’t as if Diaz is itching to return to competition in any capacity.
All things considered, Nick Diaz had a great career. Now that he’s outside of the spotlight again, he’s exactly where he’s always wanted to be.
