Nate Diaz is returning to competition this weekend at UFC 241 against former lightweight  champion Anthony Pettis.

Since losing a split decision against Conor McGregor back at UFC 202 in August 2016, Nate Diaz has pretty much been a ghost, an apparition that, if you’re lucky enough, you just might be able to spot on TMZ.

Nate Diaz has been asking for big money fights ever since his record breaking bought against McGregor and has since sat on the sidelines. Now, Diaz is looking to get back to what he does best, put on an action-packed performance.

His opponent is no slouch either. Most recently Anthony Pettis shocked the world with a KO victory over Stephen Thompson, fighting in a weight class above his natural lightweight category. Both men have exciting styles and look for the finish in every bout, which should make for a pretty insane battle.

But before we get to that, we have to wonder why Nate Diaz was gone for so long.

Despite his star rising and becoming one of the most popular fighters in the UFC current day, Nate Diaz decided to spend three years on the shelf. The reason for that? He claims that after being screwed out of a victory over Conor McGregor in their storied rematch, he lost a bit of his passion for the fight game.

Since sitting on the sidelines, Nate Diaz has gone on to set up some side projects to ensure a prosperous future after finishing his tenure in the game. Diaz explains as much in his recent interview with Brett Okamoto for ESPN ahead of his bout with Pettis. Take a look at the video as Nate Diaz explains why he believes the UFC has tried to get him to vanish from public perception as well as how the organization has propped up Conor McGregor.

Will you be tuning into UFC 241?

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Managing Editor at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.