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Nick Diaz's coach recently addressed his pupil's struggles outside the octagon and provided a rare perspective on his challenges. The former Strikeforce champion has been the topic of conversation after his withdrawal from his return bout against Vicente Luque.
The Stockton native has been a beloved fighter throughout his career, however, the MMA community was worried about his well-being after a video and reports surfaced on social media. Despite the challenges and struggles in his personal life, his coach Cesar Gracie said he will always be there for his pupil.
During his latest appearance on LEGACY TV, the longtime coach opened up about the former UFC title challenger's lifestyle choices and noted that alcohol appeared to be a root cause of spending time with Ronda Rousey. Gracie clarified that Rousey isn't to blame and mentioned that Diaz began associating himself with the wrong crowd:
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"I think Ronda Rousey got him drinking cause she would come up before she was famous and hang out...it wasn't her fault but [Diaz]...could not drink, he can't do things like that and that set him on a different path. And all the sudden, he's friends with Hollywood friends...Las Vegas friends, they're kinda weird...So he went on a path, but I can't go on that path, that's not my path...All I could do is stay on the outside and wait for him to come to my path." [32:10]
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Check out the full episode featuring Cesar Gracie's comments about Nick Diaz below:
Cesar Gracie doesn't believe Nick Diaz wants to fight again
In addition to discussing his pupil's recent struggles, Cesar Gracie said that he doesn't believe Nick Diaz wants to fight again.
During the aforementioned appearance, Gracie mentioned that Diaz is very aware of the dedication required to prepare for a bout and is doubtful about him returning to the UFC octagon:
"Sometimes [Diaz] does [want to fight again] and I don't think he really does because like I said, he understands what he has to give...to represent himself or what happens is we didn't see the full Nick Diaz in his last fight...We saw glimpses of it...I think he's an amazing teacher and I would like him to maybe share and get a love for teaching." [33:34]
Check out the UFC's promo for Nick Diaz's 2021 return below:
