Dana White: Nick Diaz turned down Carlos Condit rematch backstage, might return in May 2014

Carlos Condit met Nick Diaz in the center of the Octagon at UFC 143 for the interim Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight title at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The bout came about when Georges St-Pierre was sidelined with a knee injury.

For five rounds, Condit utilized footwork and attacked from the outside to frustrate Diaz. He even threw some unorthodox strikes that were called "spinning sh*t" by the Cesar Gracie black belt. When the score cards were read, Condit was awarded a unanimous decision and the interim title.

Diaz subsequently tested positive for marijuana metabolites and was put on the sidelines for a year.

That UFC 143 bout took place in 2012. Diaz returned to face St-Pierre at UFC 162 and lost a one-sided fight that saw "Rush" take a unanimous decision. Following the bout, Diaz decided to "retire" from mixed martial arts (MMA).

UFC President Dana White understood that Diaz had enough money to enjoy life away from fighting, but expected the man from Stockton to return eventually.

With Friday's (Dec. 13, 2013) announcement that St-Pierre would be taking an indefinite hiatus from MMA and the UFC welterweight title was vacant, the UFC decided to match Johny Hendricks up with Robbie Lawler to decide the new champion.

This left Carlos Condit on the outside looking in. When asked if Condit would still face Matt Brown, White said that the promotion would be moving in a new direction but hoped that Condit would fight on UFC 171. Apparently the President hoped to set up a rematch with Nick Diaz.

Following the conclusion of UFC on Fox 9, White joined the post-show and was asked what the promotion planned to do with Condit. White says that he spoke with Diaz backstage and discussed a possible rematch, but Diaz turned down the bout. Diaz was open to eventually returning, perhaps in May.

"I was going to do Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz. I met with Nick Diaz in the back here and he doen't want the fight," said White. "He said he doesn't want the fight and isn't thinking about coming back, but [he said] maybe he will come back in May."

While Diaz isn't set to return at the moment, there is a silver lining in knowing that he's open to fighting around May in 2014. With St-Pierre taking time off, Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez out for most of 2014, and Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis dealing with another injury, the promotion needs as many draws as they can get right now.