Cesar Gracie: 'Look for Nick Diaz to fight by the end of the year'

It appears Nick Diaz intends to fight again.

According to Diaz’s longtime coach, Cesar Gracie, fans can expect Diaz to return to the UFC later this year.

“Look for @nickdiaz209 to fight by the end of the year.”

At UFC 266 this past September, Diaz (26-10 MMA, 13-7 UFC) fought for the first time in almost seven years. In a middleweight rematch against former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler, Diaz was stopped in the third round. The TKO gave Lawler a measure of revenge and marked Diaz’s first stoppage loss in nearly 14 years. Diaz, 38, hasn’t won a fight since defeating B.J. Penn at UFC 137 in October 2011.

Prior to his UFC 266 return, Diaz hadn’t competed in MMA since January 2015 when he was defeated by Anderson Silva, a fight that was later ruled a no contest after Diaz tested positive for marijuana and Silva for performance-enhancing drugs. Diaz was later handed a five-year suspension by the Nevada Athletic Commission.

Although UFC president Dana White thought Diaz looked good considering the long layoff, he stated that he’d rather Diaz didn’t fight again. Diaz himself sounded uncertain about fighting beyond the Lawler rematch in the lead-up to UFC 266.

Following his loss to Lawler, Diaz said he knew he had it coming and wasn’t sure why or how the rematch with Lawler was set up.