When it comes to former UFC welterweight title challenger Nick Diaz, fans and analysts alike have learned to expect the unexpected.
That's why it should come as no surprise that the Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu black belt is trying to start his own MMA promotion in his native state of California.
Rumors had been circulating around the Internet for days, which increased exponentially after NickDiazPromotions.com was discovered.
The website has a logo which says "WAR MIXED MARTIAL ARTS" and aside from that, simply reads: "Coming Soon."
The only information found on NickDiazPromotions.com
Monday night, MMA Junkie was able to speak with the California State Athletic Commission to confirm that Diaz was indeed working to create a fight league of his own.
An official with the California State Athletic Commission on Monday told MMAjunkie.com that Diaz has started the process of applying for a promoter's license in the state. Diaz, along with his brother Nate, famously are based in Stockton, Calif...The official cautioned, however, that much still needed to be done before WAR MMA could put on a show. Among the items the CSAC would need to review prior to approving a license include financial statements, resumes and an article of incorporation...The official did say that a background check on Diaz performed by the CSAC came back clean.
After a 10-fight win streak that included a Strikeforce welterweight title reign, Diaz got the call from the UFC and fought former two-division champ BJ Penn at UFC 137 in October 2011.
While Diaz won a clear-cut decision, the victory was bittersweet, as the 29-year-old was originally scheduled to fight divisional champ Georges St-Pierre for the title at the same event.
However, after no-showing a press conference, UFC President Dana White pulled Diaz from the championship bout and instead pitted him against Penn (via MMA Fighting).
GSP was originally set to instead meet Carlos Condit at the event, but had to withdraw from the fight due to an ACL injury.
When St-Pierre reported he would be out for an extended period of time, Diaz met Condit for the interim welterweight tile at UFC 143 in February of last year.
Diaz lost a controversial decision to "The Natural Born Killer" and was subsequently suspended for testing positive for marijuana metabolites (via MMA Junkie).
Despite coming off a loss and a suspension, Diaz still somehow managed to talk his way into a long-awaited showdown with St-Pierre at UFC 158 in March, losing a lopsided unanimous decision.
Afterward, Diaz announced his retirement from the sport, with his team later stating Diaz was serious about hanging up the gloves unless he got a rematch with GSP or a matchup with UFC middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva (via MMA Fighting).
Based on the latest turn of events, it appears that Diaz's retirement could very well be final, despite still being ranked the No. 6 welterweight in the world by the UFC.
Could WAR MMA be a promotion worth watching before 2013 comes to a close?
