Retired UFC fighter Nick Diaz is making an appearance in Hollister on Sunday.
The meet and greet is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. at California Finest CBD Depot, 201 C, McCray St. in Hollister. He will make an additional appearance at 800 Lighthouse Ave. in Monterey from 4:30 p.m.-6 p.m.
“If they want to meet and greet and take pictures, they’ll be there for an hour and a half, two hours in Hollister,” said Scott McPhail, the store owner.
McPhail has a relationship with the Diaz brothers through licensing of his products and said some fighters advocate for CBD, a part of the cannabis plant that does not have THC and is often used for pain or anxiety relief.
McPhail said fans can take pictures or get autographs, while free items will be given away such as snacks, drinks and clothing. He said Diaz, now age 35 and from Lodi, has been to Hollister before.
“He has a lot of fans in Hollister,” McPhail said.
Diaz hasn’t fought in the UFC, the preeminent mixed martial arts organization, since 2015. He is one of the more popular fighters out there and gave an update earlier this week on Instagram about any prospects for his return to the ring. “I’m no role model, I’m 35 years old, but I definitely wouldn’t advise anybody to take a fight for less than their worth or fight for free,” he wrote. “Which is practically what I would be doing at this point in taking a fight with some of these guys that are not on my level. Nor would I be within my moral ethics to even do that aside from you not painting me as a role model. If there was an offer I couldn’t refuse, things would be different.”
