People might not see it this way but in my opinion Pettis looks for ways out of fights. He tapped and quit to a body triangle, then he quit on the stool with a broken hand which wasn't broken.
He is hit and miss at the moment, win one lose one and all the losses are coming to step ups in competition, loss to Holloway, beat Jim Miller, lose to Dustin beat Chiesa. There's no doubt he's lost a step and is in a decline. Pettis has peaked and peaked a while a go.
I'd say the closest thing we've seen to the Diaz fight is when he fought Holloway, a volume punches who comes forward and pressures constantly. Now Diaz isn't the striker that Holloway is, doesn't have the footwork or movement and Holloway threw more kicks on that fight that usual. I don't think Diaz will do that, but he will take the centre, throw a lot of low power punches and accumulate damage over the rounds. Holloway got Pettis out of there in 3 and did it mainly with boxing. Holloway was also stronger in the cliche than Pettis and was able to push him back to the cage a few times, in a situation where Pettis should have had the strength and size advantage since was coming down in weight.
The time off will be good for Diaz I think, he might have some rust but he's also going to have healed all his injuries, rested his rattled brain, ge has the frame for welter weight and should have grown into it.
He's got the reach advantage, cardio advantage, doesn't quit in fights, should be the bigger stronger guy. Where does the advantage lie for Pettis? Just in the kicks?