Report: Nick Diaz vs Jorge Masvidal in the works for UFC 235 on March 2 in Las Vegas

He’s (almost) back!

According to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Nick Diaz is set to make his long-awaited return to the Octagon, as Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is working on a fight between he and Jorge Masvidal, which is tentative for UFC 235 on March 2, 2019.

And it’s not fake news:

So much for this.

Diaz hasn’t competed since suffering a loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 183 in early 2015. The fight was ultimately overturned to a no-contest after “The Spider” tested failed a drug test. Nick also failed a drug test after traces of marijuana were found in his system.

After multiple battles with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) and USADA, Diaz ultimately settled on a deal that would see him accept a one year suspension and allows him to return to action in the first quarter of 2019. Nick hasn’t won an MMA fight since defeating B.J. Penn at UFC 137 back in 2011.

As for Masvidal, he’s been on a small hiatus, as he hasn’t competed in over a year since he suffered a decision loss to Stephen Thompson at UFC 217. Prior to that, “Gamebred” came up short against Demian Maia.

While he hasn’t been competing inside the cage, Jorge has kept busy participating on a Latin American television show titled Exatlon.

Prior to his skid, Masvidal was on a hot streak, winning three in a row including wins over Jake Ellenberger and Donald Cerrone. Now, Masvidal will look to collect the biggest win of his career against one of the most enigmatic figures in the history of the sport who, like himself, prefers to stand-and-bang. And you know the pre-fight trash talk will be on point, as well.

Early predictions?