All We Want for Christmas Is the Return of Nick Diaz

Before last weekend, we had been starved of the magical Diaz brothers for almost a year. Obviously, Nick hasn't fought since his memorable January bout with Anderson Silva due to the ridiculous five-year suspension the NSAC threw at him for his third positive test for marijuana use. Nate, on the other hand, had been on the shelf for over a year in the back of his December 2014 loss to Rafael Dos Anjos.

Last weekend in Florida, we not only got to watch a vintage Diaz boxing display as Nate took a decision win over Michael Johnson, but we also got to feast on some fantastic thrash talking thanks to one-half of the infamous Stockton duo. The explicit theme of Nate's onslaught in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan was so strong that Fox has to pull it from the broadcast.

"Conor McGregor, you're taking everything that I worked for, motherfucker," roared Diaz into Rogan's out-stretched hand.

"I'm going to fight your fuckin' ass. You know what's the real money fight, it's me, not these clowns that you already punked at the press conference. Don't nobody want to see that. You beat them already. They were easy fights. You want that real shit."

The excitement MMA fans feel when they see one of the Diaz's twist their faces into a scowl and furrow their brows is unlike any other in the sport. While we didn't get to see him, in the days following the Florida card Nick Diaz was brought through a multitude of a tirade-inciting topics by Chael Sonnen, who sat back and allowed the 209's finest colorfully vent his thoughts.

First up on the agenda was the issue of his brother's pay, as it was revealed after the event at the Amway Center that Nate Diaz only received $20k and $20k for show and win.

"I wouldn't have taken any of them (fights), I would've quit," he told Sonnen on the You're Welcome podcast. "I wanted to figure out the ins and outs of things. I didn't understand it. I was like, 'wait a minute, you're fighting for what?' We've had a little bit of a lack of communication over this last year or so just on account of we're both grown up now."

He continued: "I used to get paid nothing too. 2k and 2k, 4k and 4k, 6k and 6k, 8k and 8k, I went all the way up before I was like, 'I'm going to be a pro-boxer. I can win.' I was going to fight Jeff Lacey, that's how I got that pay-per-view percentage in my paydays and they had to because I was going to fight for millions of dollars in boxing. I would've won too. I've put in better days with Andre Ward than a lot of the guys he's fought."

The former Strikeforce champion claimed that Nate's financial situation makes him "sick":

"It makes me sick. It makes me sick what I get paid. It makes me sick based on everything I have done in the past.

"(Nate) is stuck in the Stone Age over there, I want to bring him to some understandings, but it's a quick fix as far as I'm concerned. They sell him short, both of us, but as far as the 20k and 20k, these guys are laughing at us. We're like, 'no dude, that's what he gets paid.'"

"My brother is fighting for 20k and 20k. He's fighting for free."

The older of the Diaz siblings weighed in on the potential meeting of his brother and Conor McGregor too. He insisted that McGregor has already asked for the bout in the past.

"I think Conor was saying that he wanted the fight too one time on account of somebody pulling out when they were hurt," revealed Diaz. "He was asking for the fight too, you know, so give him what he wants."

Despite all-time great and former opponent Georges St-Pierre coming out in support of Diaz and the relinquishing of his five-year ban, Nick did not pull any punches when it came to the Tristar standout. Diaz reignited his previous claims that St-Pierre "was on steroids" and "missed weight" for their championship meeting at UFC 158.

"Georges St-Pierre was on steroids when I fought him. You know what? Somehow that's not news! I put this out there. Somehow it's not news that that guy didn't make weight. He missed weight by three pounds or more when I fought him. It's not even a one pound allowance during a title fight. That fight shouldn't have been a title fight and I should've got an immediate rematch.

"He missed fuckin' weight! He fuckin' missed weight! He didn't make weight. How is this not news?

"That's why they wanted that fight over there, so he could fuckin' cheat. I would've knocked that motherfucker out. He's not as good as me. There is no way that that guy is as good as I am. There's no way. He held on the whole fight. In Pride FC, in real rules fights, you had to fight the whole fight.

"I'm over here trying to fight, but neither of us are fighting now because you're holding on to my fuckin' leg. (He was) holding on to me around the waist for the whole fight. Anytime (he wasn't), he got punched up.

"He didn't make weight and they also didn't test us, because I would've tested positive for sure during that fight."

Whether you agree with the sentiments of Diaz or not, you can't help but find the man captivating. This week has been a solid reminder of how many talking points that the Diaz boys can produce when they are given a platform. While having Nate active again is great, the likes of Sonnen's podcast appearance make it all the more upsetting that Nick's suspension has forced him onto the sidelines.

In early November, Ariel Helwani reported that Diaz's suspension could be cut back to 18 months. Given that the suspension time would have begun from his last outing on January 31, this summer could see the return of the infamous Stockton native.

At 32 years old, the NSAC really need to reconsider their stringent disciplinary action on one of the most iconic proponents of the sport. So if there's one thing the MMA world needs for Christmas, it's Nick Diaz back in action in 2016. Even outside of the Octagon the welterweight is one of the most interesting people we have in the sport and it would be a shame to see his skillset wasted for so long.