Jake Shields Hopes, Believes Nick Diaz Will Fight Again

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Jake Shields, on “Beatdown,” discussing whether he thinks teammate Nick Diaz will fight again:

“It’s really hard to say. Nick’s one of my favorite fighters to watch. I’m friends with him, but I’m still a huge Nick Diaz fan. I really hope he comes back. Even though I know him really well, it’s hard to say. It’s unpredictable if he wants to fight or not. I feel like he’ll be back. I just think he needs a break. I think he’s been fighting so much and he’s so sick of all the media always in his face, getting told he has to do interviews and getting told what he has to do. Nick’s the kind of guy who likes to [live] under his own terms obviously. He likes to come in, train and go fight. I think with all the fame and the pressure and getting told what to do just burnt him out, not to mention he’s been pretty active lately with Strikeforce and UFC. I feel like he just needs a break. I think now that he’s not fighting will actually be good for him. He’s still going to be coming and training with us. I think that’s going to make him start loving the sport again and I think when his [expected suspension] is up, I think he’ll probably have that desire again.”