Former UFC two-division champion Daniel Cormier gave his thoughts on who he thinks would be the best return fight for UFC superstar Nick Diaz.
The former double champion seems to have his own opinion on who Nick Diaz should fight next. However, the UFC commentator and former fighter believes a nuanced approach should be used in determining Nick Diaz’s next fight. After all, the fan-cult-legend, Diaz hasn’t strapped on the MMA gloves in over five years.
After mentioning seeing Diaz in Florida, Cormier admitted that Nick Diaz was in amazing shape and ready for a fight. However, in an interview with The Schmo it seems that a lot of talk about a potential fight with rising contender Khamzat Chimaev came up, but it seems Daniel Cormier isn’t too keen on that fight for Diaz.
Cormier on Diaz’s Next Opponent
Speaking about Chimaev as a potential opponent for Nick Diaz, Daniel Cormier isn’t convinced it’s the right matchup.
“It’s just too much,” he began. “I think it’s too much for right away, right? This kid’s young. This kid’s been active. Nick hasn’t fought in five, six years, you know what I’m saying? So while I do get excited, I do say, ‘Oh, my goodness. A fight like that? Sure,’ but not right now.”
Cormier continued, “I say a guy that’s hanging around the bottom of the top 15, a Robbie Lawler maybe, that’d be a fantastic fight. It’s a fight that we’ve all wanted to see. Something like that, I believe would be more suited for a return fight.”
First, the former Olympian acknowledges that throwing Diaz to a wrestler like Khamzat Chimaev probably wouldn’t be the smartest matchmaking. It seems that Cormier believes that giving Diaz a tune-up fight could be optimal because Nick Diaz hasn’t fought in over five years. According to the UFC commentator, he believes a fighter like Robbie Lawler would be an appropriate opponent for Diaz.
Who would you like to see Nick Diaz fight in his UFC return?
