#2. Nick Diaz may be harming his health if he continues to fight
Perhaps the most important thing when it comes to Nick Diaz and his future with the UFC is his own health. Once considered one of the most durable fighters in MMA, his fight with Robbie Lawler showed that even an iron jaw like Diaz’s can be cracked.
Sure, he wasn’t fully knocked out, it was more cumulative damage that finished him off, but signs of his waning ability to weather punishment were definitely on show. And of course, the Lawler fight wasn’t the first time that we’d seen Nick Diaz take punishment in the octagon.
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His face is basically a mass of scar tissue at this point, as he suffers cuts in literally every fight he’s involved in and who knows how many traumatic brain injuries he’s taken both in fights and in training over the years?
Fans have spoken for a long time about their fears that Diaz may be showing early signs of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) due to his penchant for slurring his speech in interviews. While there’s no concrete proof of that, it’s easy to understand those concerns.
When Nick Diaz defeated him in 2011, B.J. Penn stated that he was going to retire because he couldn’t justify going home to his family looking like such a mess. A decade later, surely it’s time for Diaz to admit the same and stay away for his own good.
#1. Nick Diaz has already stated that he doesn’t really like fighting anyway
The UFC has plenty of other fighters on its roster who should probably consider retirement, with names like Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone and Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua immediately coming to mind. But part of the reason veterans like them stick around is because they clearly love fighting. The same cannot be said, unfortunately, for Nick Diaz.
Despite being one of the most popular fighters in UFC history, as well as one of MMA’s all-time great antagonists, Diaz has stated on multiple occasions that he doesn’t enjoy fighting at all.
In an interview prior to UFC 266, for instance, the Stockton native was quoted as saying that fighting was just “something that I do” and that he’d tried to get away from it, but various factors simply wouldn’t let him do so.
“I never enjoyed fighting. It’s just something that I do. It’s just what I do. I tried to get away from it, but really it’s kind of inevitable. It is. All the people around me and all the money and sponsors, they won’t let me get away from fighting. There’s things I could do, but it’s not going to work out. I might as well just go and take my punches."
If Nick Diaz really feels this way, then why is he continuing to fight? Obviously, he is, or was, good at fighting and can make big money from stepping into the octagon.
At 38 years old, though, and with plenty of money already made, should he really be doing something that clearly brings him no enjoyment whatsoever? The honest answer is no.
Nick Diaz has always had a love/hate relationship with MMA. Based on both his recent interviews and his fight with Robbie Lawler, it’s clear that the 'hate' side of that relationship is winning right now. So why not simply walk away from it before it becomes too late?