UFC president Dana White doesn't think Nick Diaz should step back into the Octagon.

Though White was impressed by Diaz's efforts in his return bout against Robbie Lawler in September, he doesn't see the desire in Diaz to compete.

"Regardless of how good he looked and what he did after such a huge layoff, I don't think Nick should fight," White told ESPN's Brett Okamoto.

"I don't think that Nick does it because he loves it," White continued. "I think Nick does it because he has to do it."

Diaz returned to the cage at UFC 266 after spending more than six years away from the sport, falling to Lawler by third-round TKO. His last win in MMA came in 2011.

The former welterweight title challenger has long maintained that he doesn't enjoy fighting. That might've worked for Diaz a decade ago, but White doesn't see it as a recipe for success now.

"It's all about being happy and doing what you love," White said. "It seems to me like when I always talk about the people who sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic and go to a job they hate, that's what I feel like when Nick Diaz is getting ready for a fight. He's in bumper-to-bumper traffic going to a job that he doesn't love at all. It's actually fascinating."