Nick Diaz is the muther effin' man! That's really all that needs to be said. If you have any interest in combat sports, more specifically, EXCITING combat sports, you absolutely need to watch Nick fight. It's impossible for this dude to not put on an amazing performance in the cage. He is the consummate showman of Mixed Martial Arts. Last night's destruction of British banger, Paul Daly, was no exception to this definitive rule. In a fight where Nick had a clear advantage, that being his jiu jitsu skill, what does the Stockton bad boy do? He comes out and goes blow for blow with one of the most dangerous strikers on the planet in that division. That almost turned into a horrible decision. Semtex was dropping bombs on Nick's dome, literally dropping him more than once. Most fighters would have folded under that kind of pressure but not Mr. Diaz. He protected himself, got into a safer position, got back up and continued to bang with crazy Paul. Then the magic happened. Nasty Nick caught Semtex, dropped him and finished him just seconds before the end of one of the most electrifying rounds of MMA fighting you will ever see. Actually, that was some of the best five minutes of any fighting, period! As far as I'm concerned, it was the body shots (pictured below) that did the most damage. Being the cerebral fighter that Nick is, he knew headhunting wasn't the route to take and detoured down to the body. Nick smashed Semtex's torso like Rocky did that meat hanging in the freezer. Incredible to watch.
Diaz is definitely a man of contradictions and highly misunderstood. In the same sentence, he'll tell you he feels he is underpaid, but he also makes too much money. If you understand what he is saying, he makes perfect sense. For as exciting and popular a fighter as he is, he is definitely underpaid, but he also makes very good money doing something he thoroughly enjoys and was born to do. As he says, he doesn't need a lot of money to live well in Stockton, California, and will be just fine if he never fought again. But if he is going to be a professional fighter, he should be paid properly. The dude puts asses in the seats at arenas and asses on the couches in front of TVs. There's no disputing that fact. Lots of people love him, lots hate him, but they all love to watch him fight. Dude deserves a serious raise. I hope Scott Coker and the bosses at Zuffa are reading this.
Some would say that Nick isn't the smartest dude you will ever meet. Actually, some call him dumb. That couldn't be further from the truth. While he might say and do some things that from a business perspective aren't particularly smart, he is not a dumb dude by any stretch of the imagination. He might come across as somewhat scatterbrained in interviews, but that's just because he doesn't want to do interviews in the first place. He'd much rather be sweatin' and bleedin' in the gym with his brothers. Those are his literal blood brother, Nate, and his brothers from other mothers who sweat and bleed next to him at the Cesar Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy. No MMA team on the planet is as tight as Cesar Gracie's is. I absolutely love that about them. They are "all in", all the time, 24/7-365! And they are all very talented fighters. Cesar deserves a ton of credit for teaching these guys as well as he has and also for guiding their respective careers from the managerial side of the business. Props, Mr. Gracie!
The future looks very bright for Nick Diaz. He is the reigning welterweight champion in Strikeforce, who as we all know, recently got purchased by Zuffa, the company behind the Ultimate Fighting Championship. That purchase could be both a good and a bad thing for Diaz. He has had some issues with Zuffa in the past, but given what Nick brings to the table, I can't see them letting him leave the fold. He's a valuable commodity in a sport with few. Nick has to be a Top 10 fighter as far as popularity and a Top 5 fighter as far as providing scintillating, memorable performances. The suits at Zuffa won't let him go anywhere, regardless of the fact that Nick leaves his middle finger permanently raised and purposefully pointed in their direction. That's the beauty of Nick Diaz. He is doing what he wants to do, the exact way he wants to do it. He has absolutely no interest in kissing anyone's ass, and he's proven that he doesn't have to. At the same time, if he loves and respects you, like he does his teacher and mentor, Cesar Gracie, he will literally die for you. He would do the same for his brothers at the academy as well. Dana White has recently stated that he likes Nick a lot, he just wishes he would tone down his anger a bit and "play the game" a little better. He said he didn't want Nick to change because that's a big part of his appeal, which it most certainly is, but he thinks some of his behavior is holding him back from being a full fledged superstar. While that may be true, Nick is just being Nick and its apparent that nothing will change that. It isn't an act, it's the real McCoy, take it or leave it. That is actually what I, and many of Nick's fans, like about him the most. He is a genuine dude, there's absolutely no bullshit in this kid whatsoever. Like him or not, you have to respect him for that.
Just as Nick would do, I raise and direct my middle finger at all the haters and non-believers who don't understand what makes a dude like Nick Diaz tick.
Fuck them, Nick, we got your back, homie!
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