James Gallagher calls Nick Diaz interview “scary”, urges him to stay retired

Bellator fighter James Gallagher hopes Nick Diaz stays in retirement for good as he found his recent interview concerning.

Diaz sat down for an interview with Ariel Helwani last month and hinted at a possible Octagon return against Jorge Masvidal (to avenge his younger brother’s recent loss.) As Nick Diaz is a figurehead of the sport that many younger fighters look up to, his demeanour was a cause for concern for the young Irishman. Gallagher said (transcript via Metro News):

“That was scary. I don’t know what it is, punch drunk? It’s not weed, that’s not weed,

“That’s punch drunk. What was he even saying? There was a clip took off that was 58 seconds long of him speaking and he didn’t say anything. He was saying stuff like ‘I’ll walk if they want me to walk’, what? I don’t even think he knows what he’s saying.

“It’s scary and that interview was scary. He’s still a legend. I like him a lot. I’m a big fan, but I’m concerned with his health.”

"I never had nothing disrespectful to say, but you don't talk about baptizing my younger brother."@nickdiaz209 took offense to some of Jorge Masvidal's words about his brother Nate (via @arielhelwani) pic.twitter.com/QnibkWHehi

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 11, 2019

Diaz hasn’t fought since January 2015 when he collided with MMA veteran Anderson Silva. The fight was ruled a no-contest after both fighters failed drug tests. Diaz received a hefty suspension from USADA for testing positive for marijuana. He hasn’t fought professionally since and Gallagher believes it should remain that way:

“I feel he should retire. I want him to be happy and retired. He seems like he’s in a bad place, he’s hurting. Lots of athletes let loose and party for a few months. They’re just having fun after all the pressure.

“That’s fine, but when you’re doing that and hiding something and you’re hurting, that’s a dangerous situation to be in. I’m sure he has a few quid to sustain that lifestyle, so he doesn’t need to fight.”

“You’ve got stay ahead of yourself and be real with yourself. Things turn quick. You’ve got to build yourself back up. Be real with yourself. You’ve got to learn to roll with the punches and not walk into them like Nick was doing.”

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