Dana White thinks it’s absurd for Nick Diaz to ask for UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
In a recent interview with ESPN, Diaz (26-9 MMA, 7-6 UFC) said whoever put together his Robbie Lawler rematch for UFC 266 on Saturday is an “idiot” and that he should be fighting Usman, instead.
But White, who’s very high on Usman (19-1 MMA, 14-0 UFC), said 38-year-old Diaz returning from a layoff of nearly seven years to challenge Usman would make no sense.
“You think he should be fighting Kamaru Usman?” White told Yahoo Sports. “You know what I’ve been saying lately: Kamaru Usman is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, OK? (He beat Jorge) Masvidal twice, Gilbert Burns, Tyron Woodley, (Rafael dos Anjos), Demian Maia, Leon Edwards. I mean, the list of guys that this guy has beaten is unbelievable, and the way that he beat them.
“He’s the world champion in that division and he’s the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. Does anybody out there think that that’s who Nick Diaz should come back and fight after not fighting for seven years? That would be an idiot that would make that fight.”
Diaz knocked Lawler out in their first meeting at UFC 47, which took place in 2004. The superstar from Stockton, Calif., hasn’t competed since a decision loss-turned no contest against Anderson Silva in January 2015 and his return doesn’t seem to be a one-off thing. Diaz said he intends on competing more, especially if he gets his “ass whooped” by Lawler.
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UFC 266 breakdown: Can Nick Diaz beat Robbie Lawler after nearly seven years away?
