Nick Diaz recently made a surprising statement about his return, but Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White is still confident that the returning superstar will perform well in his upcoming fight.
Diaz, who is scheduled to face former middleweight champion Anderson Silva in a non-title showdown at UFC 183 on January 31, recently said in an interview that he decided to return not because he wanted to fight again, but only because he needed to do so.
The 31-year-old middleweight contender, who has not fought since his unanimous decision loss to Georges St-Pierre in March last year, said that he doesn't enjoy fighting and hurting opponents.
"I don't recommend anybody be a fighter," Diaz said via MMA Junkie. "Fighting is not something that I enjoy doing, it's something that I do that I feel I have to do. That's just the way it is. There's a lot to it. I don't want to hurt anybody. I'm a non-violent person. I don't especially enjoy violence. I hate watching people get hurt."
But despite Diaz's surprising comment about the sport, White said that he is not bother at all, saying that he knows Diaz doesn't enjoy fighting.
"There's a lot of things Nick says that make him Nick. It is what it is," Diaz said via UFC.com. "I believe that he doesn't enjoy fighting. When you hear him talk about what he does and why he does it - everything that guys says is the reason he is who is who is. The way he fights, his demeanor, all make him Nick Diaz."
White also added that he is not worried about the possible effect of Diaz's statement in his upcoming fight against Silva, saying that he is very excited to see the two returning superstars slug it out inside the Octagon.
The upcoming bout will be Silva's first bout since sustaining a gruesome leg injury during his rematch with Chris Weidman in December last year.
"I'm pretty pumped for that fight," White said. "Anderson, I can't wait until he comes back. He's one of my favorite fighters, and you know Nick Diaz. That's the fight Nick wanted, that's the fight the fans wanted to see, so we did it."
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