Fans anxious to see Strikeforce welterweight champ Nick Diaz follow teammate Jake Shields to the Octagon will have to wait a little longer, as the company he currently calls home has issued a press release stating the 27-year old has elected to extend his professional relationship with Strikeforce. Though no specific terms were provided the official statement labeled the agreement as a “multi-year” deal.
“I’m looking forward to continuing my career with Strikeforce,” said the Cesar Gracie student. “When I first got here, there weren’t a lot of great 170-pound fighters for me to fight, but that’s definitely changed. There are a lot of really good fighters in the division now and I’m ready to fight anyone who thinks they can beat me.”
Diaz has found success his last eight fights including victories in Strikeforce over K.J. Noons, Frank Shamrock, Scott Smith, and Marius Zaromskis. He is currently scheduled to put his welterweight strap on the line against Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos on January 29 in San Jose, the second title-defense of his run as champion.
As a result, he is an individual MMA enthusiasts have been clamoring to see in the UFC again since parting ways with the company after a three-year stint in the mid-2000s. During his stretch in the Octagon, Diaz rose to fame with a mixture of his unique personality, fearless style, and a series of highly-entertaining scraps against Robbie Lawler, Karo Parisyan, Diego Sanchez, Joe Riggs, and Josh Neer. However, the two parties professional parted ways based on issues unrelated to in-ring ability including Diaz’s behavior outside of competition (open marijuana use and a post-fight brawl in the hospital with Riggs being two examples).
Strikeforce is locking in some of their more successful fighters. Another guy I wanted to see in the UFC.
