It’s a great time to be a fan of Nick and Nate Diaz. Though neither has fought in a quite awhile, there is reason to believe both could return to the cage soon, as Nick’s USADA suspension recently ended, and Nate has recently been linked to the upcoming UFC 227 card.

In the opinion of former Strikeforce middleweight champ and current PFL star Jake Shields, who has trained extensively with both Diaz brothers in the past, Nate in particular is likely to compete again before all is said and done.

“I think [Nate] will fight again,” Shields said on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour (transcribed by Anton Tabuena for BloodyElbow). “He still trains a lot. He pretty much trains everyday. He wants to fight and he loves training.”

The holdup in Nate’s case, Shields explained, is simply finding a fight that is sufficiently lucrative, after his two bank-breaking battles with Conor McGregor.

“He just wants to make sure it’s a money fight, which you can’t blame him for,” Shields said. “He just made those two Conor paydays, so it’s hard for him to step in there unless it’s a big fight.

“He’s not just looking for Conor, he’s looking for a fight that makes sense, that’s going to bring him a big payday, and a lot of hype.”

In shields eyes, Nick’s future is a little harder to predict, though he believes he’ll return to the cage soon too.

“I think [Nick] will fight again soon,” Shields said of the elder Diaz brother. “He’s been training a little bit. I haven’t been out there [in California], but I’m pretty sure he’s been training a decent amount. I would love to see him fight again. He hasn’t been training as much, but he’s still in good shape and can come back fast.”

“Nick is a hard person to predict,” Shields added. “Only Nick knows what he will do. But if I had to guess, I’ll say that he fights again.”

What do you think the future holds for Jake Shields and the Diaz brothers?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 5/3/2018.