“I want to knock this guy out.”
Nate Diaz will be making his long awaited return to the UFC on August 17 at the UFC 241 PPV event taking place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Diaz, who has not fought since August 2016, will be going up against Anthony Pettis in a Welterweight bout.
During an appearance on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show, Pettis explained just how eager he is to get in the octagon with Diaz. Says Pettis, “It’s personal. I can’t wait to put my hands on him. I can’t wait to hurt this guy.”
“It’s time to back it up; Everything he’s been talking, all the stuff he’s been saying and all the drama he’s been trying to cause with the UFC vets.
Aright, let’s settle it now, in the octagon, exactly how I want it. Man, I’m excited for this fight, 100% motivated. I want to knock this guy out.”
Pettis, 32, is 22-8 in his career, including a 4-6 record in his last 10 fights. In his last bout, which marked his welterweight debut, Pettis picked up a second-round KO victory against Stephen Thompson.
Diaz, who hasn’t fought since losing to McGregor in an epic five-round bout in 2016, has been rumored for a return to the octagon on numerous occasions, but nothing ever came to fruition. He was linked to a fight against Poirier at UFC 230 back in November, though it all fell apart before anything became ficial.
Barring any unforeseen issues, Pettis and Diaz will serve as the co-main event on the UFC 241 card, headlined by a heavyweight title rematch between Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic.