What to expect from Nick Diaz's supposed return to the Octagon after 4-year absence

Nick Diaz is one of those fighters who, when you know he’s on a card, you change plans if need be to make sure you watch.

The only problem these days is to make sure you’re not buying wolf tickets.

It was big news inside the MMA community last week when ESPN reported the likelihood that Diaz would end more than a four-year absence from mixed martial arts by taking on Jorge Masvidal on March 2 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas at UFC 235.

Forgetting everything else, Diaz-Masvidal is a great fight, the kind that makes MMA fans salivate.

But if you make plans to travel to Las Vegas to see that fight, don’t forget those wolf tickets. Diaz hasn’t fought since a match against Anderson Silva on Jan. 31, 2015, at UFC 183 in Las Vegas. Silva won, but it was later changed to a no contest when both failed post-fight drug tests.

Before that, Diaz lost unanimous decisions to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 158, and to Carlos Condit at UFC 143. His last win was at UFC 137 on Oct. 29, 2011, when he scored a decision over B.J. Penn.

What can we reasonably expect from Diaz after having been gone for more than four years by fight night? It’s not like Diaz’s body was being battered and beaten that he needed the time away. Prior to Silva, he had been off for 22 months. Prior to St-Pierre, he’d been off for 13 months.

Diaz has been gone so long, Donald Trump wasn’t even a candidate for president when he left the game.

The sport has evolved — moreso on the women’s side than on the men’s, though it has evolved on the men’s side, too — and Diaz will be returning to a better sport than when he left.

He’ll be 35 when he comes back — if he comes back — and he’ll face challenges in terms of regaining timing and distance upon his return. They’re very real issues, though Diaz is a natural fighter and being away that long, instincts will take over. His instincts are, and always have been, very good.

UFC 235 figures to be a massive show, and it will perhaps afford Diaz the opportunity to avoid the spotlight as he prepares. It is expected to be Daniel Cormier’s retirement fight against Brock Lesnar for the heavyweight championship.

That’s a massive fight, and one that will rack up an insanely large pay-per-view total.

If you plan to buy tickets, buy them for that fight, or for any of the other fights announced for the show. Don’t buy them expecting to see Diaz fight, particularly if your plans involve flying to Las Vegas to see it.

A March 2 fight means Diaz passing drug tests for five months with no hiccups. A March 2 fight means a 35-year-old’s body will hold up through the rigors of an MMA training camp.

There is no guarantee that he gets to the post, though if he makes it, there’s little doubt the atmosphere inside T-Mobile Arena will be electric. Diaz is one of those compelling personalities who draws people to him. He’s unreliable and you never know if he’ll show up when and where he’s supposed to, and fans flock to him as a result.

If it happens, it will be a compelling bout. Most Diaz fights are.

Just be sure you go in with your eyes wide open, because if you’re going for Diaz and only Diaz, you risk being stuck with some wolf tickets.

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