Nick Diaz not coming back to UFC any time soon: ‘If there was an offer I couldn’t refuse, things would be different’

Nick Diaz hasn’t fought in more than four years, and it looks like his return to the Octagon isn’t going to happen anytime soon.

Away from the eight-sided cage since a five-round no contest versus former middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 183, the former Strikeforce welterweight champion released a statement on social media explaining why he’s not competing anymore — and advising young fighters to get paid better.

”I’m no role model, I’m 35 years old,” Diaz wrote, “but I definitely wouldn’t advise anybody to take a fight for less than their worth or fight for free. Which is practically what I would be doing at this point in taking a fight with some of these guys that are not on my level. Nor would I be within my moral ethics to even do that aside from you not painting me as a role model.

”If there was an offer I couldn’t refuse, things would be different. Until they are — I’d like to continue to think I’ve been fighting to make the world a better place, but until I can continue to do that: ‘I don’t want to hurt nobody, I just want to party.’”

Diaz (26-9, 2 no contests) competed twice for the 170-pound title in the UFC between 2012 and 2013. A year after losing an interim title bout with Carlos Condit at UFC 143, Diaz came back to face Georges St-Pierre for the undisputed belt at UFC 158, again losing via decision.