VIDEO | Joe Rogan says he heard that Nick Diaz turned down a rematch with Robbie Lawler

https://youtu.be/CKsMEEI3sOM?t=6m34s

Nick Diaz’s suspension, which stemmed from a January 2015 bout with Anderson Silva, is now over. As such, the MMA community is now chomping at the bit to see him return to the Octagon. Apparently, however, getting him back into the cage has not been an easy process for the UFC.

Not long ago, our own Chris Taylor reported that Diaz had turned down a fight with UFC lightweight champ and bona fide MMA megastar Conor McGregor, claiming that this fight belonged to his younger brother Nate.

I have confirmed that Nick Diaz recently turned down a fight with UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor.

— Chris Taylor (@CTaylor_96) December 28, 2016

Apparently Nick said no to the offer because “That is Nate’s fight” and he wouldn’t take that away from his little brother.

— Chris Taylor (@CTaylor_96) December 28, 2016

Not long thereafter, we learned that the elder Diaz brother had also turned out a welterweight title fight with reigning champion Tyron Woodley, a fellow Strikeforce veteran who has been calling for a Diaz fight for months.

Now, it sounds as though we can also add Robbie Lawler to the list of opponents Diaz is unwilling to fight in his potential return to the Octagon. Three weeks ago, we reported that this fight was in the works for UFC 209.

I jumped the gun with "headlining".. Apparently Woodley vs. Thompson 2 is targeted to headline #UFC209, Diaz vs. Lawler 2 would be co-main.

— Chris Taylor (@CTaylor_96) December 13, 2016

According to UFC color commentator Joe Rogan, however, the planned bout has since fallen through. Rogan broke this unfortunate news on his podcast The Joe Rogan Experience.

“Apparently they offered Nick Diaz Robbie Lawler, and Nick passed on it,” Rogan explained.

If Rogan’s claim is true, we lose out on a rematch that fight fans have been clamoring for for years. Diaz and Lawler, who stand out as two of the most consistently violent fighters in MMA, first met in the Octagon all the way back in 2004. On that night, Diaz delivered with a shocking knockout of the notoriously durable Lawler. To this day, he and Tyron Woodley are the only two fighters to stop the gritty veteran with strikes.

If not McGregor, Woodley, or Lawler, who do you think Nick Diaz will fight when he returns? Sound off, PENN Nation!