Nick Diaz reported to be the man in leaked footage which appeared on Reddit on Friday night.
UFC 209 is made for the famous Diaz brothers. Fight fans will know the significance of the numbers 209 to Nick and Nate, as it is the much quoted area code for Stockton, the brothers’ hometown. It would only seem natural that at least one of the fan favorites would appear on the card.
Yet with little over a month until the event, there has been no indication that this will happen.
Next month’s Las Vegas card boasts the much anticipated rematch between Tyron Woodley and Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson, in addition to what promises to be an explosive interim-lightweight title fight featuring Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov. In staying true to UFC nature, a surprise is not completely out of the question, but hope is beginning to fade.
Such is the lack of activity surrounding the Diaz brothers of late, any news is good news. Footage released to Reddit on Friday should be interpreted as a positive sign, especially when we see what has been confirmed as Nick Diaz in hand wraps, standing in front of a heavy bag.
The short clip is merely a hint at a return, yet it could easily be a promotion or advertisement of some sort. It is hard to argue for the latter, however, when we consider that Nick has been absent from the fight game since 2015; what sense would a formerly banned, UFC absentee make when it comes to advertising? Surely there would be better candidates in place to promote products.
Fans are hoping that this is part of a promotional shoot for Nick’s eagerly awaited return. Should an announcement be made that the elder of the Stockton natives is to return to the octagon at UFC 209, the buzz would be incredible.
It has been reported that Nick will only return to fight providing there is a title on the line, which is a big ask considering his activity since being banned almost two years ago. Tyron Woodley did allude to offering Diaz a crack at his own welterweight title, but stated that the former Strikeforce champion rejected both his own and the UFC’s attempts to make this happen.
It is not too late to have the ‘209 at UFC 209, surely? Maybe, but this footage gives (slight) hope that it is not.
