Dana White Changes Outlook on Nick Diaz Return: ‘It’s Looking Promising’

Dana White has been a consistent skeptic when it comes to the subject of a Nick Diaz UFC return.

However, the UFC president’s perspective seemed to change in a recent interview with UFC Arabia, where he sounded confident that the Stockton, Calif., native would step into the Octagon sometime soon.

I wasn’t very high on that,” White said. “I didn’t think that it would happen but it looks like it will. It looks like Nick Diaz will fight this year.”

It feels like Diaz has been flirting with a return for years, but thus far nothign has come to fruition. The former Strikeforce champion hasn’t competed since January 2015, when he lost a five-round decision to Anderson Silva in a bout that was later overturned to a no contest. The 37-year-old Cesar Gracie Fight Team product hasn’t won a bout since defeating B.J. Penn at UFC 137 in October 2011.

That said, White is more optimistic regarding Diaz’s prospects than he has been in quite some time.

“The last time that I saw him in Jacksonville but it looks like it’s going to happen,” White said. “We’ll see. The matchmakers have [talked to him] but I don’t know where we’re at on it but it’s looking promising.

“You never hear me say that ever. ‘You think Nick Diaz will fight this year?’ Absolutely, positively not is what I usually say. Looking promising [he’ll fight this year].”