Nick Diaz returning to the fighting world is something that many MMA fans eagerly anticipate. Each time a new interview is done with the surly Stockton native it creates an instant buzz throughout the MMA outlets. Fans are either begging for his return or condemning him as a smack-talking punk without much to offer to top competition. One thing is clear: he has a polarizing personality and his name always prompts a reaction. Nick Diaz is finally hitting his stride. He is getting the money fights he wants, clearly the only fights he wants, and a lot of it is due to his outside the ring antics. As much as he wants to just be a fighter, the money he is making not is not just because of how he fights. It is a game he seems to be starting to grasp.

Even his retirement that is still ongoing but no one thought would actually last is just helping build anticipation for his eventual return; something that should happen. I don’t think he planned any of this, I just think he is accidentally a marketing savant, and the more he is starting to understand it the bigger his name will get. Let me clarify. I think he understands that he is now a very marketable fighter, I just don’t know if he understands why. I don’t really understand why either, and I would have to consider myself a pretty big fan.

I am also one of those who are always hoping the rumors are true and we get to see a couple more Nick Diaz fights. He is an exciting fighter and typically that leads to exciting fights. People debate the intelligence of his fighting style, but maybe along with his changing views on the media he is reevaluating some of his training and fighting philosophies too.

Regardless, his popularity does not just rest in his fighting style. His personality is magnetic. Think about the phrase “wolf tickets” he single handily entered it into the MMA vernacular at a run of the mill press conference. Everyone else was there to promote a fight, he may have been a little confused about his role at the conference but he sent thousands to look up an interesting phrase and forever added it to MMA vocabulary.

Nick Diaz is easily the most popular non fighting fighter, rivaled only by maybe the young Connor McGregor due to knee injury; Diaz is actually “retired.” Even while not fighting he is receiving constant media attention and Dana White seems hard pressed to make it through an interview or scrum without talking about Nick at least once. Over the last few days alone he has been for sure coming out of retirement for big fights, never fighting again, and to now once again wanting fights. Also he apparently does not have a manager which is probably leading to some of the confusion and hurting his negotiating ability to get those big money fights. It is no coincidence though that this is all coming out the week leading up to UFC 167. He could fight any of the welter weights on the main card and have an instant story line. Easily enough to be the co main event or even the main event in a smaller show, depending if he is fighting a winner or a loser.

I am sure over the next few days we will see this start to unravel and get straightened out, and then within the same sentence new layers of confusion will be added. Nick I hope you come back soon, and to everyone else I hope you appreciate Nick for all he is because Diaz is not just a fighter, he is a full show. When Nick Diaz is fighting it is not just a fight, it is a three month epic and no one ever knows how it will turn out, so just sit back and enjoy the show.

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