UFC targeting Nick Diaz vs. Hector Lombard – without much luck

The UFC is apparently interested in matching up sorta-retired-but-probably-not Nick Diaz (26-9 MMA, 7-6 UFC) with fellow welterweight Hector Lombard (34-4-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC).

But as with many Diaz plans, there’s an issue: UFC President Dana White can’t reach the former title challenger to finalize the bout.

Diaz said he liked the bout. But?

“Then I never heard from Nick again,” White said today at a media luncheon in Los Angeles.

Getting a firm commitment from Diaz on anything MMA-related hasn’t exactly been easy for UFC officials. The former Strikeforce champion said a state of flux in his personal affairs previously kept him from focusing on a return to the cage. But this past month, he said he was finally ready to return to the cage.

“I’m ready to go; I’m ready to fight,” Diaz said at UFC 171, where his division crowned a new champion after Johny Hendricks defeated Robbie Lawler to claim a title recently vacated by longtime titleholder Georges St-Pierre.

Diaz hasn’t fought since a title loss to St-Pierre in March 2013. He subsequently announced his retirement, though White and others have suggested the 30-year-old Californian will eventually return to the cage.

It’s not clear if Lombard is the type of opponent who will prompt such a return. However, the former Bellator champion is on an upswing following recent victories over Nate Marquardt and Jake Shields, and a win over the Cuban could certainly help Diaz’s goal of getting another UFC title shot.

For now, though, White is simply awaiting his call.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.