It would appear that the Nick Diaz vs Carlos Condit rematch isn’t likely to happen after all, at least not anytime soon. According to MMAJunkie.com, Diaz’s longtime manager and friend, Cesar Gracie, has discarded the possibility of the much-anticipated rematch. The news comes less than a day after UFC president Dana White announced the “Natural Born Killer” had agreed to a Diaz vs Condit 2 bout.
“No,” Gracie simply said when asked if the rematch was on, declining to elaborate. Condit defeated Diaz by unanimous decision in last Saturday night’s UFC 143 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada. Diaz was listed as a hefty betting odds favorite to defeat the former WEC champion and set up a mega-fight with longtime UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre.
But Condit had other ideas, as he went into the cage with an unexpected gameplan, struck through it, and got the “W”. After the fight, Diaz was so upset with the decision that he announced his retirement in what seemed like a tongue-in-cheek moment. But you never know with Diaz, as he’s one of the most unpredictable characters the fight game has ever seen.
One thing is for sure, and that is that, Dana White certainly didn’t believe him when he said he would retire at UFC 143. In fact, after Tweeting last night that Condit had agreed to the rematch, White immediately booked a flight to Las Vegas for this Friday. It is believed that White made plans to return to the states to finalize the Diaz vs Condit 2 fight contract. The UFC president is currently in Brazil filming for the latest season of “The Ultimate Fighter: Brasil”.
“You never know with Nick Diaz,” White said about the shocking retirement announcement during his UFC 143 post-fight press conference. “You never know. I think he’s just upset right now, and I think he’s emotional, but who knows? The kid’s made a lot of money. If he didn’t want to do it anymore, maybe he could retire.
“But why? He’s in his prime. Fight for a few more years, and he’ll have enough money to really do it and kick back the rest of his life. I think once he goes home and realizes and calms downs… I don’t see Nick Diaz retiring, but who knows? This isn’t one of those sports where you want to be half in, half out. If that’s how you feel, maybe you should retire.”
Gracie went on to let Diaz fans know that their idol would likely return to fight in the Octagon following a long layoff. According to the BJJ 7th degree Master, Diaz wishes Condit the best of luck in his fight against GSP later this year.
It’s going to be interesting to see what happens from now until the end of the week when White returns to Vegas. Like we all saw, Condit and his camp were unwilling to fight anyone other than GSP next and look at what happened. For all we know, Diaz could be persuaded to do the rematch with Condit in spite of what Cesar Gracie is alleging… perhaps for the right dollar amount? We’ll see!
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