Cesar Gracie explains why Nick Diaz wants to fight Anderson Silva

We're still roughly four months away from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight Nick Diaz being eligible to return from the one year suspension doled out by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) for his failing a drug test at UFC 143 back in February.

But that doesn't mean his camp can't lobby for match-ups once he does get back.

That includes campaigning for big fights against opponents outside his own weight class, like UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. Cesar Gracie explained why they want this to Tatame:

"Nick really wants this fight because he has great admiration and respect for Anderson as a fighter. Anderson Silva is a true martial artist, he studied martial arts, is a great representative of the sport. Nick loves martial arts and that, for him, is enough to put Anderson Silva as the opponent. ... I heard Dana White's statements saying that Nick will have to fight someone before having another chance at the title shot and there are a lot of fighters out there who would love this fight."

Interestingly enough, if Diaz wants any title shot, he has a much better chance at UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre. Or Interim Champion Carlos Condit, pending the outcome of their bout at UFC 154 on Nov. 17 to unify the titles.

But that's dependent a few things as well, as Silva vs. St. Pierre is on the table if "Rush" emerges victorious in Montreal.

Sorry, Nick, you might be waiting for a while.

If that's the case, though, and he needs to find another opponent to fight while he's waiting for everything to work itself out, who should that be, Maniacs?