Diaz

By FCF Staff

After months of speculation as to whether Nick Diaz would fight again, the renowned fighter’s trainer and manager Cesar Gracie, says the former Strikeforce champ is ready to come back.

Gracie made the announcement in a statement posted on the instructor’s official website, Gracie Fighter.com.

“For the last couple of months I’ve watched Nick begin to frequent the gym more and more. He’s training harder now than he has for many of his fights. It was obvious that training and fighting is in his DNA. It is who he is.”

“This week we had a great talk and he made it clear to me that he is ready to get back to the cage. Nick Diaz will return.”

Diaz announced he was retiring from the sport after he lost by unanimous decision to Carlos Condit at UFC 143 in February.

Not long after the fight, the Nevada State Athletic Commission announced that Diaz had failed his post fight drug test and suspended the fighter until February, 2013.

The appeal of Diaz and his camp, which in part, was based on the fact that he has a prescription for medicinal marijuana, was denied by the NSAC.

Gracie commented on the situation with the NSAC by stating:

“To address the NSAC suspension, I will say that we have appealed to the courts and if things go our way, it will be plausible that Nick could return as early as sometime at the end of this year.”

“For too long NSAC bureaucrats have acted with malicious incompetence towards the fighters. We will challenge them in court.”

According to Gracie, he will meet with UFC President Dana White on August 6th to discuss the future of Diaz. In respect to Diaz’s wishes as far as opponents, Gracie relayed:

“He will respectfully ask for a fight with Anderson Silva, a fighter he respects and would like to challenge.”

“Silva’s camp has been speaking of a fight with GSP, possibly even at a catch weight. Nick will take that fight in a minute but has told me that should Silva decide not to drop at all, he will move up to 185lbs to face the Champ.”

Reigning welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre is currently scheduled to fight the interim champ Condit at UFC 154 in November.

Prior to losing to Condit, the 28 year-old Diaz had won 11 straight fights, which included victories over notable fighters like BJ Penn, Paul Daley, Frank Shamrock and Hayato Sakurai.