Possibly the most polarizing figure in all of Mixed Martial Arts, Nick Diaz will fight for the UFC Interim Welterweight Championship on Saturday.
Diaz, who is known for his brawling style, dropped out of high school after just one year, and began training in all sorts of martial arts from Sambo to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Nick was also on the swim team in high school and credits that for his high level of cardio during fights. As a regular triathlon competitor, cardio is easily one of the
Stockton, California native’s biggest strengths.
Diaz began his first stint in the UFC at UFC 47 in 2004. After two straight wins over Jeremy Jackson and Robbie Lawler, he dropped one to famed Judoka, Karo Parisyan. It was an up and down road for Diaz, who won two straight again, over less-than-notable opposition, and went on to drop three straight against the upper echelon of the UFC. He was cut from the promotion, and went on to make a name for himself in the now defunct EliteXC, and Strikeforce.
As a member of Strikeforce’s welterweight roster, Diaz rose to prominence quickly. After a win over the legend, Frank Shamrock, Diaz was awarded a title shot against Marius Žaromskis. Dubbed,“Little Cro Cop,” Žaromskis was little more than a footnote on Diaz’s MMA career. After dispatching him in just under a round, Diaz went on to defend his belt three times, against rival KJ Noons, Evangelista Santos and Paul Daley. He finished all but his arch nemesis, Noons in his Strikeforce run before being called back to the UFC after its parent company, Zuffa LLC., bought Strikeforce in 2011.
Diaz had finally made it back to the top. As the Strikeforce Welterweight Champion, he was guaranteed an immediate title shot at welterweight king, Georges St-Pierre’s UFC title. That meeting has still yet to happen. Diaz, on the eve of their bout at UFC 137, missed the pre-fight press conference. As a result, he was pulled from the main event, and scheduled to fight B.J. Penn in the co-main event.
St-Pierre was scheduled to square off against Carlos Condit for the welterweight title. In a very interesting saga of events, St-Pierre was forced out of the bout with an apparent knee injury, and Condit was removed from the card. Diaz-Penn was promoted to the main event, and Diaz found himself again at the top of the UFC 137 card, though not exactly against who he had planned. Nonetheless, Diaz went out and took care of business as he always does.
The first round began with what many fans wanted to see, as the fan favorite, Penn was landing heavy shots in the pocket. Penn landed a takedown, and attempted to take Diaz’s back. The position that has spelled the end for so many fighters was not a factor as Diaz was able to escape it in just seconds.
In the second frame of their three-round contest, Penn looked tired, and Diaz capitalized. Diaz began to mix up his striking with hard body shots. It was at that point, Diaz began to taunt Penn in the Octagon as he often does. Throwing his hands up wildly, reminiscent of his clash with Robbie Lawler, Diaz forced Penn against the cage and went to work. Landing shots to the liver and head, Penn looked utterly defenseless against the onslaught. The fight from that point on was more of a boxing clinic than a brawl like fans had expected. Penn kept coming, and attempted to take a round to win the fight, but the volume of Diaz’s punches was too much. Diaz won the fight with a unanimous nod, and established himself as one of the best strikers in the UFC.
At the post-fight press conference, Diaz spoke about how he was supposed to fight St-Pierre and that he still wanted that fight. Adding to the interesting saga, St-Pierre had a miraculously quick recovery from his knee injury, which was found to not be as serious as originally thought. Carlos Condit “decided” to step out of his title fight with St-Pierre, and Diaz was back in to fight for the title. It was later revealed by Condit’s manager that he did nothing of the sort, which makes perfect sense, because why would anyone simply step down from a title defense?
Either way, all the controversy would be for naught, as St-Pierre was again sidelined due to injury. This time, he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his knee. Expected to be out over 10 months, an interim title was created, and Diaz finds himself fighting Carlos Condit for the right to that title.
The fight, billed as, “The fight they weren’t seeking, just became the biggest of their lives,” is exactly that. With a win here, either fighter could find himself fighting St-Pierre next. Originally, the UFC brass thought the interim titleholder to have to defend that title, but St-Pierre’s recovery is coming along quickly, and after surgery in January, he is already back on the mat.
The matchup is as explosive as any in recent memory inside the Octagon. Diaz has already proven to be one of the most prominent strikers at 170, and Condit has a habit of knocking guys’ heads off. With a combined 26 knockouts, an even 13-13 split between them, heads are sure to roll.
The biggest factor here will be technical striking. Diaz is among the finest in the UFC, whereas Condit is a power puncher. Condit has much more power in his hands, but Diaz has the ability to mix up his strikes and wear his opponent out. If the fight does go to the ground, Diaz has a significant advantage but I guarantee it will not go to the ground. This war will be won on the feet, with Diaz winning a unanimous decision over Condit and getting his wish: a bout with Georges St-Pierre.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment