Nick Diaz doesn’t ‘see a superstar’ out there for his UFC return fight

Nick Diaz recently sat down with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto to talk about the end of his suspension and his return to MMA competition. Most specifically his potential next fight in the UFC. Diaz has been sidelined since January of 2015, following a decision loss to Anderson Silva (later overturned to a no-contest).

Following the bout, the NSAC revealed that Diaz had failed an in-competition drug test for marijuana and, as his 3rd offense under that athletic commission, would be suspended for 5 years and fined $165,000. After appeals, that shook out to 18 months and $100,000 and a Nick Diaz returning to action in August of 2016 (which is right now).

So, with Diaz back in the cage, who is he going to face? It sounds like “answer unclear, ask again later” (transcript via MMAFighting):

"I don't need to fight,” Diaz told ESPN. “There's no reason for me to come and fight for fun. I don't do that. That's not what I do. I don't like to hurt people for fun. And I like Tyron Woodley and I like Robbie Lawler so can we talk about a reason about why I should be out to get somebody?

"What are you guys gonna do for me? I can't help you. You can't help yourself. You need to go help yourself and then maybe after you do that we can have some sort of deal."

Of course, there is one potential superstar hanging around the fringes of the welterweight division: Georges St-Pierre. The former welterweight champ (who defeated Diaz back in 2013) has been teasing a UFC return for months now and sounds like he’s closer than ever to making that a reality. But if GSP is selling a comeback, it sounds like Diaz isn’t buying:

"I don't see a superstar out there,” Said Diaz. “I don't see Georges St-Pierre coming back. He's too scared to come back and do a fight with me and the rest of these guys are not superstars. Who are they? I don't even want to say their name because no one even heard it yet until I say something and now everybody knows who the guy is."

If GSP does return, it sounds like Diaz still feels he has a score to settle, telling Okamoto that, “somebody freakin’ drugged me” for their first bout and rehashing stories at the time of GSP not making weight for the fight. Alongside his longstanding belief that GSP was taking PED’s at the time, that’s a rematch that may still have quite a bit of heat if the UFC can make it happen.