Why It Has Taken Nick Diaz 6 Years To Return To The UFC

It's been a topic of discussion for the last six years. Will he, won't he. Well, finally there has been some confirmation about Nick Diaz's MMA future.

The 37-year-old is set to return to mixed martial arts competition for the first time since 2015 - against former UFC Welterweight champion Robbie Lawler.

It's a rematch of a fight fought all the way back in 2004, when two UFC youngsters were trying to make a name for themselves. Diaz was the younger of the two at 20-years-old and came out on top.

So why has it taken this long for Nick Diaz to return to an Octagon?

After Diaz's last fight in 2015, he tested positive for marijuana metabolites in a post-fight test. Famously, he and his opponent Anderson Silva both popped for illegal substances after their fight.

It was Nick Diaz's third violation under the Nevada State Athletic Commission for weed. As a result, they imposed a hefty five year ban and a $165,000 fine.

Fans and the media were up in arms at the exaggerated suspension. In an appeal hearing, Diaz had his ban reduced to eighteen months and his fine reduced to $100,000.

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Since the drama of the NSAC hearings, Diaz lived the life of a retired fighter. He spent some time developing a CBD company with his brother and fellow UFC star Nate, and partied, a lot.

Partying with Nick Diaz leaves you ffff'd up. #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/egmsIZT1Tk

— Chisanga Malata (@Chisanga_Malata) July 1, 2017

There were also issues Diaz had legally and with the tightly gripped USADA. Diaz failed to inform USADA, who were running the UFC's anti-doping program, of his whereabouts in April 2018 and got sidelined for a year as a result.

Diaz also got caught up in an alleged domestic violence case, where he was arrested in May of 2018. The charges were later dropped after discrepancies in the victim's story to the police.

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He's always been an illusive character. The Diaz brothers are infamous for their spontaneity and disappearing off the face of the earth. Nick famously missed two press conferences in 2011 and lost a shot at GSP for his troubles.

So why the big return now? Why not sail off into the sunset? Diaz appears to be back training for awhile, and hungry for another run in the Octagon.

Seeing the success of his brother Nate in his UFC absence has no doubt spurred Nick on to train and earn some big paydays of his own.

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Nick Diaz will face off against Robbie Lawler in a five-round, non title fight co-main event at UFC 266 on September 25th. It's set to be a Featherweight title fight in the main event, between Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega.

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