Nick Diaz has never been one to hold back his true feelings. And he made it known this week that he’s not a big fan of the upcoming fight between pound-for-pound king Anderson Silva and Stephan Bonnar.
In an interview on Spike TV’s MMA Uncensored Live (via MMA Mania), Diaz called the bout “a joke.” Silva, the middleweight champion, will move up to light heavyweight to face Bonnar, a journeyman, at UFC 153 on Oct. 13 in Brazil.
“If I was making a joke, like, ‘Who are they gonna get to fight Anderson Silva, right now? Me or Stephan Bonnar?’ it would have been a big, laughing matter,” Diaz said on the show.
Diaz, the former Strikeforce welterweight champion, is out of the UFC currently on suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after testing positive for marijuana back in the spring. The controversial Diaz has made it clear that he’d be interested in a fight with Silva when he comes back, which is expected to be sometime in the winter.
Silva stepped in to participate at UFC 153 when both the main event and co-main event were canceled due to injury. Bonnar, while an exciting brawler, has been little more than a gatekeeper in the 205-pound weight class over the years.
“If I was Anderson Silva, and I’m on my way out of this sport, at 37 or whatever, I’m looking to do a couple more fights, if that,” Diaz said. “I’d want to fulfill my legacy. I’m not gonna be able to do that with Stephan Bonnar. That’s just the way I see it.”
While Diaz is right that a fight between him and Silva would be more relevant, the circumstances are that Silva took the fight on short notice and volunteered to help save the UFC 153 event, which was in peril without its top two fights.
It’s more disconcerting that Silva reiterated Thursday during a 153 media call that he has no interest in fighting light heavyweight champion Jon Jones ever.
“All the fans have talked about me moving up and facing Jon Jones,” Silva said. “But it’s something I’ve never wanted. … My weight class is 185. I’m 37 years old and I feel I need to be honest and continue what I’ve built, which is to keep defending my belt at 185.”
Yet Silva has said repeatedly over the last few months that he wants a fight with welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. So does the champ want to stay at 185 or does he just want nothing to do with Jones? Probably the latter.