Former UFC welterweight title challenger Nick Diaz has not fought since January 2015. And despite many clamoring for his return, he says fans shouldn't get their hopes up.
"I'm no role model," Diaz, one of the most popular fighters in the promotion's history, wrote on Instagram early Monday. "I'm 35 years old, but I definitely wouldn't advise anybody to take a fight for less than their worth or fight for free. Which is practically what I would be doing at this point in taking a fight with some of these guys that are not on my level. Nor would I be within my moral ethics to even do that aside from you not painting me as a role model.
"If there was an offer I couldn't refuse, things would be different."
Diaz, the older brother of UFC lightweight Nate Diaz, is a former Strikeforce welterweight champion. He joined the UFC in 2011, defeating legendary fighter B.J. Penn by unanimous decision. Diaz fought for the division's interim title the following year against Carlos Condit but lost by unanimous decision. His next fight was against another legend, Georges St-Pierre, for the belt in 2013, but he fell again by unanimous decision.
Diaz's last fight with the organization came in 2015 when he took on all-time great Anderson Silva. He lost the fight by unanimous decision but the result was changed to a "no contest" after Silva tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Diaz also tested positive for marijuana after the bout.
The Stockton, California, native took to Instagram earlier this month to provide an update on his status as a fighter:
"I don't want to hurt nobody," Diaz said. "I just want to party."