Gilbert Melendez: Nick Diaz has ‘been retired,’ last time I checked ‘he’s hung it up’

Bloodyelbow.com

Apart from a scrapped fight against Jorge Masvidal and some plans to move to Bellator, there has been nothing but radio silence regarding Nick Diaz’s career. But according to his teammate Gilbert Melendez, the 35-year-old MMA veteran and former Strikeforce champion had already called it a career.

ESPN+ Has Live Sports CoveredBe sure to catch all the upcoming fights, including UFC 234: Whittaker vs Gastelum on Saturday, Feb 9, by subscribing to ESPN+…SUBSCRIBE HERE TO WATCH THE FIGHTS ON ESPN+

“Our boy, Nick, he’s been retired,” Melendez told fellow ESPN analyst Chael Sonnen on the “You’re Welcome” podcast (transcript via BJPenn.com). “I would love to see him come back, but last time I checked, he’s retired. I know If anyone could come back and do it and stay on track and everything, it’s him.

“I’d love to see him one day, if the fight is right, I think he’ll come back out, and if the contract’s right I think he’ll come back out. But last I’ve heard, he’s hung it up.”

Melendez also mentioned that Diaz remains to be in the USADA testing pool, and that the only deterrent is the decision on whether to return or not.

The elder Diaz brother last fought in 2015 against Anderson Silva, where he lost via unanimous decision. The result, however, was overturned to a No Contest after both fighters tested positive for banned substances.

Diaz has since been serving multiple suspensions for the drug test and his failure to let USADA know of his whereabouts, which is every fighter’s obligation as part of the agency’s testing pool. His suspension lapsed in April 2018.