'Muhammad Ali took three years off and never looked the same' - Dana White warns UFC fans ahead of Nick Diaz's return

Nick Diaz looks set to finally return to the UFC after years on the sidelines due to a host of different reasons. However, Dana White has warned fans that they might not see the same Nick Diaz who went on an incredible 11-fight win streak between 2008 and 2011.

Diaz has not competed in MMA since his 2015 decision loss to Anderson Silva, which was later overturned to a No Contest. Dana White has implied that while a return for Nick Diaz looks likely, his time away from the sport may have taken a toll on the fighter.

Speaking with Submission Radio, White had the following to say:

"The kid always looks like he's in good shape. But you think of all the greatest fighters of all time, including Ali. Ali took three and a half years off and never looked the same again when he came back. He was not the same fighter. It's very hard to take time away from this sport, especially as you get older and try to come back and look like the old you."

White is not wrong in terms of combat sports athletes such as Muhammad Ali struggling to reach the heights they once scaled after a lengthy spell away from the sport. However, it should also be noted that there are athletes that have come back and looked as impressive as ever. Georges St-Pierre is the perfect example.

White confesses that a Nick Diaz return does look likely

While White may not fancy Nick Diaz's chances in a comeback, he cannot deny that it is looking more likely that a return will materialize. Speaking to Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports, White said:

"It's looking like he might fight this year. You know me. Every time you ask me, I say, 'No! No! No!' He actually might fight this year. We'll see how this thing plays out."

Nick Diaz's last fight in the UFC was against Anderson Silva at 185-lbs. However, White believes that if Diaz's return does finally come to fruition, he will move back down to welterweight, where his brother Nate is currently competing.

"I'm assuming he'll come back at 170. I don't think he'd wanna fight at 185 here. I get it he wanted to do the Anderson Silva thing but you don't wanna fight at 185. No way, especially after not fighting for six years. 170 is bad enough," said Dana White.