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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Nick Diaz "retired" in cage in a fit of frustration following UFC 143 after his loss to Carlos Condit, but it wasn't a retirement many expect to stick. That holds true for at least one of his teammates, Jake Shields, who said this week he expects his friend and teammate to be back at some point in the future.
In a short video interview with Kimura.se ahead of his UFC 144 bout with Yoshihiro Akiyama in Japan, Shields explained why he expects Diaz to return to the cage.
"He's calmed down," Shields said. "I think he's gonna fight again. I think it's just... he's been a little burned out. They've been fighting him like crazy, keeping him busy. I think he just needs a little break. Unfortunately, he'll probably be suspended for a little while, but the time off will make him love the sport again and make him wanna get back in there."
For now, Diaz won't be making any plans until his disciplinary hearing with the NSAC for a failed drug test out of UFC 143, but fans will return to this conversation depending on how that hearing goes.
Penick's Analysis: The time off for Diaz is the key. Despite his protestations, Diaz is a competitor, and eventually he'll want to compete again. He sees fighting as a "fight" and not as a sporting competition, but it's something he's good at and that he'll eventually want to do again. He won't stay on the sidelines forever, and even if he's suspended for a year, I'd expect him to be back shortly after that expires.
[Nick Diaz art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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