New UFC Deal, New Message – Nick Diaz: ‘All you guys learned to fight by watching me’

“I’ve been doing a whole lot of not getting punched around-type stuff,” Diaz said Thursday afternoon at UFC headquarters. “I’ve been staying in shape pretty good, doing a lot of running. It’s been a good experience having this much time off.”

Fresh off the signing of his new UFC deal, Nick Diaz discusses his motivations to fight on, a potential bout with Anderson Silva and More.

Via UFC.COM‘s Matt Parrino:

“Next year I guess (on a return date), whatever though. I can fight tomorrow; tonight,” he said. “You have to do what you have to do. … [I came today] to sort things out with Dana White and Lorenzo [Fertitta].

“It was hard times for a little bit, but people act like I’ve been doing nothing. I’ve been getting some things done. Just because I’m not getting punched around every day doesn’t mean I’m not focused on what I’m doing. Now, here we are.”

“I’d like to fight for the title,” Diaz said. “I think that would be a big deal and worth fighting for. I want fights that will lead to a title fight. Whoever is in line and whoever has the title, that’s who I’m going to be fighting.

“I’d be interested in fighting [Anderson Silva] and anything that’s going to do well,” he continued. “As far as Anderson Silva, I think that would be a great fight for people to see because he has my type of style.”

“I think he has a little bit more of a kickboxing style. I think people have pointed that out to him, especially the way he lost his last couple fights,” Diaz said. “He’s working on that now, and he has a lot of work to catch up on as far as his punching. Usually with my style, people have a hard time. You have to come forward if you’re kicking and stuff. You got guys that are moving in and out, but I work hard. I don’t jump in and out. You can wind up all indecisive out there.”

“You got people running around – you got Johny Hendricks running his mouth,” Diaz said. “People yelling at me that I’m not at Top 10 level. ‘You learned to fight by watching me. Your guy that trains you was somebody that was in my era.’”