MMA-URLS

Former Strikeforce welterweight champion and UFC title challenger Nick Diaz was suspended for a year on Monday and fined for his failed drug test at UFC 143.

Posted in: ufc, nick diaz, nick, drug, drug test

Read the full article at Heavy MMA

submitted by gorilla_head [link] [3 comments]

Posted in: ufc, nick, nevada state, commission, state

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Nick Diaz won’t be returning to the Octagon anytime soon.

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick diaz, nick, nac

Read the full article at Sherdog

submitted by robertoandrad15 [link] [16 comments]

Posted in: fight, nick diaz, nick, condit fight, robertoandrad

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Live stream videos at Ustream Nick Diaz vs. the NSAC finally goes down today and thanks to the fine folks at MMA Junkie, everyone gets to watch it live. The hearing is scheduled to start now (12pm ET), but Diaz is the last item on the agenda so there’s still time before all the madness [...]

Posted in: diaz, nick, stream, hearing, stream videos

Read the full article at MMA Convert

submitted by Bad_Misinfo_agent [link] [7 comments]

Posted in: nick, badmisinfoagent

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Keith Kizer is preparing to go after Nick Diaz for a one year suspension due to testing positive for marijuana for a second time.

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, keith, year suspension

Read the full article at Fight Opinion

Nick Diaz is set to become the latest MMA fighter to bring drama from the cage into the courtroom.

Posted in: diaz, mma, nick, mma fighter, court

Read the full article at sportsnet.ca

After all of the drama of the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo superfight that never was, both Braulio Estima and Nick Diaz's trainer Cesar Gracie say that they'd be willing to try again.The first time around was an unmitigated disaster. Diaz flew into Long Beach, grew angered by an issue related to weigh-ins, and left without saying a word to anyone, much to the dismay of the assembled crowd as well as those who had paid to watch an online pay-per-view.But, Gracie said, while Diaz "made a lot of mistakes" in choosing to abandon the competition unannounced, in his opinion, the majority of the blame belongs with the man who according to the show's official website, was in charge of marketing, Nalty Junior. In a joint interview on the "Inside BJJ" podcast with Tim Freeman, both Estima and Gracie gave their viewpoints of the controversial weekend.According to Gracie, the explosive issue that led to the fracture of the match was weight. He said that Junior had initially told their side that Estima could make 175 pounds, but a maximum of 180. According to Estima, Junior told him he could either weigh in at 180 pounds on Friday or 185 pounds on Saturday. A sub-issue was the timing of the weigh-in. Because none of the other grappling "superfights" required weigh-ins, there was no contracted time to hit the scales. Diaz landed in Long Beach on Friday night at 180 pounds, ready to weigh-in and eat, but Gracie says when Junior relayed the information to Estima, they eventually were told he would not be weighing in that night. Estima said that was because while in Long Beach, he heard nothing about the weigh-ins on Friday night, so decided to eat. At some point later in the night though, the two sides seemed to agree that he would hit 180 pounds on Saturday."Junior was too disorganized," Gracie said. "He was telling him one thing what he wanted to hear, and telling us a completely different thing, maybe what we wanted to hear." Estima believed that because it was considered a "friendly" competition, the weigh-ins were not a big deal, a sentiment clearly not shared by Diaz. Angered by the chaotic setup, he left without a word to anyone."We didn’t know Nick had left," Gracie said. "He does things on his own timing. He makes a decision and he doesn’t really talk to people about it. It’s something that needs to be fixed, but I didn’t know Nick wasn’t there. Nobody knew."Gracie said that after he learned Diaz left, several Brazilian top jiu-jitsu competitors in attendance offered to step up in his place, but Estima turned them down.Estima, who did not get paid for the event, essentially said that was because he had his heart set on a Diaz match. He noted his own personal sacrifices made in preparation, including a family vacation that was scaled back due to his training commitments and diet issues, as well as a 15-hour flight from abroad. In addition, he thought the prospect of facing off against Diaz was simply cool."I really wanted to take a picture with him, because actually, at the time, I was a big fan of him as a fighter," he said.It's not clear if he's still a Diaz fan, as he called his unannounced exit "very disrespectful," but one thing that was obvious was that Estima is still very much interested in grappling with him on the mats, as long as there is a date, time, place and agreed-upon number set for the weigh-ins.Gracie said he would still like to see the match happen as well, but noted that Diaz currently has his hands full with an upcoming Nevada state athletic commission meeting that will determine the immediate future of his MMA career."Right now, Nick is dealing with all this NSAC stuff, and it’s like they’re coming at him double-barreled, because he had the audacity to challenge them in court and everything, and say, 'get a lawyer," he said. "And they’re not used to doing that, so they’re coming at this guy crazy. We’ve got to deal with that stuff, make sure his head is right and everything. But I would love to see it. I’m sure he’d do it in the future, but it wouldn’t involve Junior."As for Estima's Saturday night comment that he'd be willing to fight Diaz in MMA, well, he took that back, chalking it up as the disappointment talking."When I mentioned about the fight MMA with Nick Diaz, I was a little bit overheated," he said. "I think It is kind of a little bit over the top for me to say that to him. My idea I wanted to come across was, if he was around, I would show up."

Posted in: diaz, nick, estima, gracie, weighin

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Unofficial spokesman Cesar Gracie seemingly bought a bit of understanding from fans after making a passionate plea to the public regarding star student Nick Diaz’s decision to no-show a BJJ superfight against Braulio Estima scheduled for this past weekend. In his statement, Gracie explained Diaz had been mislead in terms of Estima’s desire to transition from a career on the mat into one inside the cage as well as on some weight-related matters. However, any good faith earned may have been wiped clean in light of Estima’s own take on the situation. The decorated submission-specialist took to Twitter yesterday where he outlined a few points pertaining to Gracie’s account. “When (the promoter) approached me to offer me the fight I was actually training at the Blackzilians at the time so obviously I was training MMA,” wrote Estima. “I never fought before so (he) said it was fine & why (not) cancel the fight before if this was really an issue??” “Nobody has ever bended no rules for me,” he continued, turning to Diaz’s problems with his weight. “Because there was no rules set to start off with. It wasn’t going to be a UFC match but a superfight on a BJJ Expo so the whole point here was for us to show a fight. Has Nick signed a contract that stated the date time and weight that we both need to reach? I didn’t… Besides when did Nick actually weigh in? And who witnessed that if we are being so strict and professional?” “You are saying Nick had left by 10:00 AM Saturday morning? Why you never said anything then? I even asked you I’d like to see him and his weight and you said he’s not gonna come down because he ate already and wouldn’t make the weight anymore,” stated Estima. “Nobody at any point had mentioned he could have left. Leaving me believing we would fight till the very last minute…You’re talking about lack of professionalism in the organization of the superfight and this was very professional behavior right?” Ultimately, Estima summed things up saying he was frustrated by the way things had unfolded and adamant about Diaz being largely to blame. Read the full statement from Estima below: 1st- When Junior approached me to offer me the fight I was actually training at the Blackzilians at the time so obviously I was training MMA. Junior told me about Nick not wanting to fight an MMA fighter. I never fought before so [Junior] said it was fine & why [didn't you] cancel the fight before if this was really an issue..?? 2nd- Nobody has ever bended no rules for me. Because there was no rules set to start off with, it wasn’t going to be a UFC match but a superfight on a BJJ Expo so the whole point here was for us to show a fight.. has Nick signed a contract that stated the date time and weight that we both need to reach? I didn’t. And since this whole thing was going to be a friendly event I really don’t see any issue here even if Nick turned up 10lbs overweight. Still when asked I went and dropped the weight to meet the requirement. Actually to put things straight it was myself that called Junior around 10pm Friday to check if there is going to be a weigh in at all. He kept contacting you and got back to me saying I need to be 180 that time, of course I said I can’t for the simple reason I was away in Irvine and it was already late at night but I said sure no problem I’ll make it first thing in the morning if needed, even if it would put me in a bigger disadvantage I didn’t care I just came to fight. Junior had actually called me back no later than midnight that he spoke to you and confirmed the weigh in for 10am. Besides when did Nick actually weigh in? And who witnessed that if we are being so strict and professional? 3rd – You are saying Nick had left by 10am Saturday morning? Why you never said anything then? I even asked you I’d like to see him and his weight and you said he’s not gonna come down because he ate already and wouldn’t make the weight anymore. And Lana, after speaking to you, called his room and said he was actually there sleeping. Nobody at any point had mentioned he could have left. Leaving me believing we would fight till the very last minute, now you’re talking about lack of professionalism in the organisation of the superfight and this was very professional behaviour right? There is many more points here that I don’t agree with but I am just fed up of this whole situation and don’t agree for anyone to ever release the blame from Nick for whatever reason, we were there to fight and that’s what should happen no excuses, we are both professional athletes and should respect one another no matter what. And this is inexcusable. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

Posted in: fight, nick, ’t, weight, estima

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Nick Diaz’s Coach and Manager Cesar Gracie recently released a statement on his student’s recent no-show for his superfight at the World BJJ-Expo. The statement placed most of the blame on the promoter “Junior” and opponent Braulio Estima. Estima (a 3x world BJJ champion and 2009 ADCC absolute champion) took offense to parts of the statement, namely the assertions that he hid his MMA aspirations, his weight, and about Cesar’s explanation of the night’s events. Estima responded over twitter stating (misspellings have been corrected): Hi César I was reading your statement. very interesting points.. 1st- When Junior approached me to offer me the fight I was actually training at the Blackzilians at the time so obviously I was training MMA. Junior told me about Nick not wanting to fight an MMA fighter. I never fought before so [Junior] said it was fine & why [didn't you] cancel the fight before if this was really an issue..?? 2nd- Nobody has ever bended no rules for me. Because there was no rules set to start off with, it wasn’t going to be a UFC match but a superfight on a BJJ Expo so the whole point here was for us to show a fight.. has Nick signed a contract that stated the date time and weight that we both need to reach? I didn’t. And since this whole thing was going to be a friendly event I really don’t see any issue here even if Nick turned up 10lbs overweight. Still when asked I went and dropped the weight to meet the requirement. Actually to put things straight it was myself that called Junior around 10pm Friday to check if there is going to be a weigh in at all. He kept contacting you and got back to me saying I need to be 180 that time, of course I said I can’t for the simple reason I was away in Irvine and it was already late at night but I said sure no problem I’ll make it first thing in the morning if needed, even if it would put me in a bigger disadvantage I didn’t care I just came to fight. Junior had actually called me back no later than midnight that he spoke to you and confirmed the weigh in for 10am. Besides when did Nick actually weigh in? And who witnessed that if we are being so strict and professional? 3rd – You are saying Nick had left by 10am Saturday morning? Why you never said anything then? I even asked you I’d like to see him and his weight and you said he’s not gonna come down because he ate already and wouldn’t make the weight anymore. And Lana, after speaking to you, called his room and said he was actually there sleeping. Nobody at any point had mentioned he could have left. Leaving me believing we would fight till the very last minute, now you’re talking about lack of professionalism in the organisation of the superfight and this was very professional behaviour right? There is many more points here that I don’t agree with but I am just fed up of this whole situation and don’t agree for anyone to ever release the blame from Nick for whatever reason, we were there to fight and that’s what should happen no excuses, we are both professional athletes and should respect one another no matter what. And this is inexcusable. Estima’s possible MMA career was never a hidden, but his debut has been delayed multiple times for various reasons. Estima had been set to face Bellator’s Rick Hawn before their card was scrapped due to a legal dispute with the Shine Fights headliner, Ricardo Mayorga. In the end, it will likely never be fully known what transpired prior to Diaz no-showing the match but it appears that informality of the event combined with the lack of clear communication, between the promoter and both camps, lead to confusion on all sides. What is known is that no one informed the promoters of Nick’s absence and even Cesar Gracie did not acknowledge an issue until he tweeted before Diaz was supposed to walk onto the mat. What is unfortunate is that the no-show has overshadowed what was an amazing display of BJJ from the superfights that did occur. MMAFrenzy.com

Posted in: fight, nick, weight, estima, statement

Read the full article at MMA Frenzy

You didn't really think this would end so quietly ... did you? Famed mixed martial arts (MMA) trainer Cesar Gracie, who often serves as his fighter's mouthpiece as well as their head coach, gave his best explanation as to why Nick Diaz failed to appear at his scheduled ‘Super Fight’ against Braulio Estima at the first ever World Jiu-Jitsu Expo this past weekend (May 12, 2012) in Long Beach, California. You can read that statement by clicking here. Braulio was obviously disappointed, especially given the fact that he made a very long trip from London to California to attend the expo and participate in the highly-anticipated jiu-jitsu match against one of the top Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight fighters of today, only to have him ''run away' in the final hour. Not long after Gracie gave his statement as to why his student decided to bolt on the event altogether, citing "disrespect" and "lack of professionalism," which left Estima waiting alone on the mats ready to roll, Braulio himself responded to the above statement via his official Twitter account. Check it out, after the jump. @CesarGracieBJJ Hi César i was reading yr statement. vry interesting points.. 1st- When junior approached me 2 Offer me the fight I was actually training at the blackzilians at the time so obviously I was training Mma. Junior told me abt nick not wanting 2 fight an Mma fighter. I nevr fought before so he said it was fine & y u dnt cancel the fight before if ths was really an issue..?? 2nd- nobody has ever bended no rules for me. Because there was no rules set to start off with, it wasnt going to be a UFC match but a superfight on a BJJ Expo so the whole point here was for us to show a fight..has Nick signed a contract that stated the date time and weight that we both need to reach? I didn't. And since this whole thing was going to be a friendly event I really don't see any issue here even if Nick turned up 10lbs overweight. Still when asked I went and dropped the weight to meet the requirement. Actually to put things straight it was myself that called Junior around 10pm Friday to check if there is going to be a weigh in at all. He kept contacting you and got back to me saying I need to be 180 that time, of course I said I can't for the simple reason I was away in Irvine and it was already late at night but I said sure no problem I'll make it first thing in the morning if needed, even if it would put me in a bigger disadvantage I didnt care I just came to fight. Junior had actually called me back no later than midnight that he spoke to you and confirmed the weigh in for 10am. Besides when did Nick actually weigh in? And who witnessed that if we are being so strict and proffessional? 3rd - you are saying Nick had left by 10am Saturday morning? Why you never said anything then? I even asked you I'd like to see him and his weight and you said he's not gonna come down because he ate already and wouldn't make the weight anymore. And Lana after speaking to you called his room and said he was actually there sleeping. Nobody at any point had mentioned he could have left. Leaving me believing we would fight till the very last minute, now youre talking about lack of proffesionalism in the organisation of the superfight and this was very professional behaviour right? There is many more points here that I don't agree with but I am just fed up of this whole situation and don't agree for anyone to ever release the blame from Nick for whatever reason, we were there to fight and that's what should happen no excuses, we are both professional athletes and should respect one another no matter what. And this is inexcusable. Some of the disappointment was aimed at the fact that Diaz was set to donate his entire earnings from the event to charity and that his disappearing act not only affected his reputation further, but also the charity itself. There is, however, a positive side to all of this madness as MMA Uncensored's Mike Straka confirms that the Diaz camp did indeed make a sizable donation to St Jude's Children's Hospital. Though undoubtedly a very honorable and extremely nice gesture on the part of Diaz, apparently, all is not well that ends well ... at least not on Estima's end. Whose side are you on? For more on last weekend's grappling fiasco click here.

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick diaz, nick, braulio

Read the full article at MMA Mania

UFC welterweight Nick Diaz is not necessarily the most eloquent individual, often cracking under the pressure of media attention similarly to the way he breaks opponents inside the Octagon. However, coach/mentor Cesar Gracie has no such problem penning a thoughtful statement laced with objectivity, not profanity. Gracie did just that last night regarding Diaz’s decision to no-show a scheduled BJJ superfight with Braulio Estima. And, while the renowned instructor certainly defended Diaz in the public plea, he also made it clear he wasn’t happy with how the 28-year old handled himself either. “Nick is not without fault by any means. His lack of communication with his team and coach was inexcusable. This will be addressed privately,” wrote Gracie after revealing a number of situations behind-the-scenes had lead to Diaz’s behavior. According to Gracie, the company behind the match misrepresented the situation by presenting Estima as an opponent without aspirations to compete as a Mixed Martial Artist. Feeling as though the Brazilian would likely use a BJJ victory over Diaz as a means of promoting himself in the MMA arena, Gracie and Diaz were initially inclined to pull out of the bout sooner but felt obligated to perform based on Renzo Gracie’s financial investment in the WJJE (where the bout was to be held). UFC President Dana White Reacts to Diaz’s No-Show Another issue arose when Estima failed to make an agreed upon weight the night before the clash was to take place. This was apparently the final straw for Diaz who left town the morning of the match and went home without telling anyone. Read the full statement from Gracie below: “My decision to write an account of what happened this weekend is not to answer to the detractors of myself or my team, as no explanation is owed them. It is instead based on my acknowledgement and respect to our fans and supporters. I never thought I would be answering for something that happened at a grappling tournament, however with the worldwide popularity of the sport and my team increasing, I understand that our supporters need answers. Below is a compilation of events in chronological order. I included the behind the scenes problems we had to let you, our supporters, know how things deteriorated. Facts In the month of February I was contacted by a Brazilian named Junior asking me if I wanted to participate in an Expo\Jiu-jitsu tournament. The goal was to put one of our team’s stars in the event to attract sponsors and ensure it was successful. The event was not that far away and they desperately needed exposure. Junior stated that he was working with my uncle Rilion and my cousin Renzo on this project and they were in fact partners. Rilion and Renzo are 2 people that I greatly admire and respect and I was more than happy to partner up with them. I discussed the idea with Nick Diaz and he readily agreed to enter in the black belt gi division. He did not seek any reimbursement. Junior thought it better for Nick to do a super fight as he thought this would be more of a spectacle and bring in more attention.Nick was not as enthusiastic but agreed on the condition that whoever was picked to go against him was not a MMA fighter. He knew even a mediocre MMA fighter would try to use a match and/or victory over him to further their career in MMA. Nick believes a reputation as a fighter should only be earned in a ring or cage. I relayed this to Junior and he agreed to arrange for a strict jiu-jitsu competitor. In March I received the disturbing news from Rilion that Junior had broken his agreement with him. Rilion stated to me that Junior was registering all World Jiu-jitsu Expo names under his name alone and was no longer taking his phone calls. When contacted by me, Junior stated that he would no longer honor his financial obligations to Rilion because “Rilion was doing nothing and treats me like one of his clerks”. He then went on a tirade about Rilion which I interrupted and reminded him that Rilion was my family member and I would not listen to someone speaking negatively about him. This rift left me in a dilemma. My instinct was to sever ties immediately. Rilion was my original jiu-jitsu instructor and his reputation as an honest person was impeccable. On the other hand we had already committed Diaz and Caio Terra. Our removal would destroy an event Renzo provided all of the funding for. I consulted with Rilion who advised me to move forward with the event. He was the one that had brought Renzo into this project and convinced Renzo to fund it. He also still believed in the idea of an American tournament that paid the best BJJ guys on the planet to showcase their skills. We agreed to move forward without him since at this stage Junior had entrenched himself and his removal was impossible. Lastly Rilion warned me that Junior was not to be trusted and would undoubtedly try to cheat me and Renzo. In early April I got the call from Junior asking what I thought of a Braulio Estima vs Nick Diaz matchup. I had heard of Braulio and knew he was a formidable jiu-jitsu practitioner. I was under the impression that Braulio competed in the close to 200lbs weight category. When I asked Junior he assured me that Braulio could weigh in as little as 175 lbs right before the match. I presented his information to Nick who accepted the matchup and seemed happy to go against the top BJJ player in the world at that weight. Nick started training for the match and I brought up several BJJ black belts to compliment his training. Looking through some of Estima’s YouTube videos, it was soon discovered that he had in fact been planning on entering upon a career in MMA. We wondered if the match with Diaz was a way to create a buzz around him and get him signed with a prominent organization. I called Junior who assured me Estima would not be fighting in MMA and that he had spoken with him and been assured he had given up on the idea of ever fighting. Junior reiterated, “Cesar I spoke with Braulio, the guy is in his 30?s, he has a family and doesn’t want to live that type of life at this stage in his life…etc” I repeated this info to Nick. A week or so later it was all over the Internet that Braulio had joined the “Blackzillians” and was training for a MMA fight. We had been lied to. Furthermore it was evident that Nick’s sole condition that he not go against a wanna be MMA guy was violated and this was in fact an attempt by Braulio to ignite an MMA career.Nick was to have been accurately portrayed as a fighter returning to his BJJ roots. He had even agreed to give his entire purse to charity; St Jude’s Children’s Hospital for kids with cancer. If you know the story of Ralph Gracie’s son you would understand why this charity was chosen. Nick’s name having been added to this event had saved it but now it was clear he was to be the patsy, not respected but used. Despite all of this Nick was still going to compete. He brought up Kron Gracie and prepared himself. Around this time I was informed by Junior that Braulio wanted to weigh in the day before and not right before the match as is the custom in IBJJ competitions and Abu Dhabi. At the time Nick was about 186lbs so I consented to both guys weighing in at 180lbs the night before. Nick boarded a plane on Friday for Long Beach having cut 6 pounds for the weigh in that night. On his way there I got a call from Junior telling me Braulio would not be making weight! ”Cesar Braulio is complaining about the weight cut. Can we have him weigh in tomorrow? He can’t make the weight tonight how about 185 in the morning?” Nick arrives in Long Beach to the news that there will be no weigh ins that night. As a professional with over 30 fights this was the final straw. The disrespect and total lack of professionalism given him convinced him he was at a circus not a professional event. At 3:20 in the morning I received a text from Junior that Braulio would in fact make the 180lbs weight class at 10:00AM. With no other option available I said fine I’ll check with Nick in the morning. At 10:00AM Braulio did weigh in at 180lbs but by that time Nick had already left. Opinion As a Brazilian I love Brazil but not all things Brazilian. In the last decade I have witnessed Brazilian cronies running the IBJJF and making it impossible for Americans to get a fair shake when competing against their Brazilian countrymen. These cronies have instituted rules to where if you miss weight by even half a pound you are disqualified and not refunded your entry fee. They gladly keep your money and treat you like crap in your country because they can. One of these cronies (Junior) decided to bend all the rules for Braulio Estima and treat Nick Diaz like crap. Sorry that didn’t work out here. As for Braulio I still respect him as a great BJJ artist. As far as calling Nick out for a MMA fight, he knows that is impossible because Nick is signed with the UFC and in MMA you have to make weight when they want you to. Not when you want to. If Braulio ever finds success in MMA then he can mention Nick’s name for a fight. Right now he should respect the man. Nick is not without fault by any means. His lack of communication with his team and coach was inexcusable. This will be addressed privately. Renzo and I have spoken and we are committed to continuing with this otherwise awesome event….without the services of Junior. It should be noted that Nick paid to St Jude’s Children’s Hospitable the sum of what would have been his entire purse. Thank you, You have my apologies and my respect Cesar Gracie PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE Tweet

Posted in: diaz, mma, nick, braulio, rilion

Read the full article at Fighters.com

As perhaps the closing shot in this strange Brazilian jiu jitsu tragicomedy, Braulio Estima responded to Cesar Gracie's account of the famous Nick Diaz No Show at the World Jiu Jitsu Expo last Friday and Saturday. I use the word "tragicomedy" because there is a minor happy ending to all this, in that the Diaz Brothers website has indeed made a donation to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital as Mike Straka confirms. Braulio's words to Cesar are present in full: @CesarGracieBJJ Hi César i was reading yr statement. vry interesting points.. 1st- When junior approached me 2 Offer me the fight I was actually training at the blackzilians at the time so obviously I was training Mma. Junior told me abt nick not wanting 2 fight an Mma fighter. I nevr fought before so he said it was fine & y u dnt cancel the fight before if ths was really an issue..?? 2nd- nobody has ever bended no rules for me. Because there was no rules set to start off with, it wasnt going to be a UFC match but a superfight on a BJJ Expo so the whole point here was for us to show a fight..has Nick signed a contract that stated the date time and weight that we both need to reach? I didn't. And since this whole thing was going to be a friendly event I really don't see any issue here even if Nick turned up 10lbs overweight. Still when asked I went and dropped the weight to meet the requirement. Actually to put things straight it was myself that called Junior around 10pm Friday to check if there is going to be a weigh in at all. He kept contacting you and got back to me saying I need to be 180 that time, of course I said I can't for the simple reason I was away in Irvine and it was already late at night but I said sure no problem I'll make it first thing in the morning if needed, even if it would put me in a bigger disadvantage I didnt care I just came to fight. Junior had actually called me back no later than midnight that he spoke to you and confirmed the weigh in for 10am. Besides when did Nick actually weigh in? And who witnessed that if we are being so strict and proffessional? 3rd - you are saying Nick had left by 10am Saturday morning? Why you never said anything then? I even asked you I'd like to see him and his weight and you said he's not gonna come down because he ate already and wouldn't make the weight anymore. And Lana after speaking to you called his room and said he was actually there sleeping. Nobody at any point had mentioned he could have left. Leaving me believing we would fight till the very last minute, now youre talking about lack of proffesionalism in the organisation of the superfight and this was very professional behaviour right? There is many more points here that I don't agree with but I am just fed up of this whole situation and don't agree for anyone to ever release the blame from Nick for whatever reason, we were there to fight and that's what should happen no excuses, we are both professional athletes and should respect one another no matter what. And this is inexcusable. The name "Junior" refers to Nalty Junior, the World Jiu Jitsu Expo marketer and a Floridian who has been around the BJJ and MMA industries for quite some time. At least one interview with Nalty is forthcoming this week with Damon Martin over at MMA Weekly. Related Bloody Elbow Links: How the Nick Diaz-Braulio Estima Situation Spiraled Out of Control | Tweet of the Day: Braulio Estima Reacts to Nick Diaz No Show | Braulio/Diaz Superfight Live Discussion

Posted in: fight, nick diaz, time, nick, estima

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Late last evening via GracieFighter.com, Nick Diaz’s coach and manager Cesar Gracie released an official statement on his student no-showing the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo over the weekend. Gracie starts off by explaining the initial organization of the expo, which was apparently overseen “by a Brazilian named Junior.” Upon learning of his uncle Rilion and cousin Renzo’s involvement with the expo, Cesar brought up the idea to Nick Diaz, who initially agreed to participate in a black belt tournament. I discussed the idea with Nick Diaz and he readily agreed to enter in the black belt gi division. He did not seek any reimbursement. Junior thought it better for Nick to do a super fight as he thought this would be more of a spectacle and bring in more attention. Nick was not as enthusiastic but agreed on the condition that whoever was picked to go against him was not an mma fighter. He knew even a mediocre mma fighter would try to use a match and/or victory over him to further their career in mma.  Nick believes a reputation as a fighter should only be earned in a ring or cage.I relayed this to Junior and he agreed to arrange for a strict jiu-jitsu competitor. Before long, Cesar learned that Rilion an Junior had come to a business disagreement and severed ties. Considering Renzo’s large financial stake in the tournament, Rilion advised Cesar to move ahead with the tournament, but with caution; Cesar agreed. Junior proposed Braulio Estima as an opponent for Diaz with the strict assurance that Estima had no intentions of ever competing in mixed martial arts. I repeated this info to Nick. A week or so later it was all over the Internet that Braulio had joined the “Blackzillians” and was training for an mma fight. We had been lied to. Furthermore it was evident that Nick’s sole condition that he not go against a wanna be mma guy was violated and this was in fact an attempt by Braulio to ignite an mma career.Nick was to have been accurately portrayed as a fighter returning to his BJJ roots. He had even agreed to give his entire purse to charity; St Jude’s Children’s Hospital for kids with cancer. If you know the story of Ralph Gracie’s son you would understand why this charity was chosen.  Nick’s name having been added to this event had saved it but now it was clear he was to be the patsy, not respected but used. Cesar says that even after learning of this, Diaz intended to go through with the fight. He also agreed to weigh in the night before the competition at 180lbs. Nick boarded a plane on Friday for Long Beach having cut 6 pounds for the weigh in that night. On his way there I got a call from Junior telling me Braulio would not be making weight!  ”Cesar Braulio is complaining about the weight cut. Can we have him weigh in tomorrow? He can’t make the weight tonight how about 185 in the morning?” Nick arrives in Long Beach to the news that there will be no weigh ins that night. As a professional with over 30 fights this was the final straw. The disrespect and total lack of professionalism given him convinced him he was at a circus not a professional event. At 3:20 in the morning I received a text from Junior that Braulio would in fact make the 180lbs weight class at 10:00AM.  With no other option available I said fine I’ll check with Nick in the morning. At 10:00AM Braulio did weigh in at 180lbs but by that time Nick had already left. Gracie gave respect to Estima as a BJJ player, but answered his call for an MMA fight with Diaz by saying he needed to “find success in MMA” first. He pointed to what he believes was a crooked promoter’s intentional tipping of the scales in his countryman’s favor as what ultimately cancelled the fight. As a Brazilian I love Brazil but not all things Brazilian. In the last decade I have witnessed Brazilian cronies running the IBJJF and making it impossible for Americans to get a fair shake when competing against their Brazilian countrymen. These cronies have instituted rules to where if you miss weight by even half a pound you are disqualified and not refunded your entry fee. They gladly keep your money and treat you like crap in your country because they can.  One of these cronies (Junior) decided to bend all the rules for Braulio Estima and treat Nick Diaz like crap. Sorry that didn’t work out here. The coach didn’t deflect all the blame from Diaz though, asserting that he will be reprimanded for his disappearing act. He also reminded us that Diaz did make the agreed-upon donation to St. Jude’s out of his own pocket. Nick is not without fault by any means. His lack of communication with his team and coach was inexcusable. This will be addressed privately. Renzo and I have spoken and we are committed to continuing with this otherwise awesome event….without the services of Junior. It should be noted that Nick paid to St Jude’s Children’s Hospitable the sum of what would have been his entire purse. Renzo Gracie has since spoken out about the event since it all went down last Saturday, appearing on the MMA Show with Mauro Ranallo taking blame for the situation for his role in allowing Junior to organize. MMAFrenzy.com

Posted in: diaz, mma, nick, cesar, braulio

Read the full article at MMA Frenzy

Jits, lies and videotape. There's been a lot of finger-pointing in the wake of last weekend's World Jiu-Jitsu Expo, one that was marred by a canceled "superfight" between Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight Nick Diaz and his opponent, famed grappling stud Braulio Estima. Diaz, who failed to appear in the main event, took his ball and went home after getting played by a Brazilian crony, according to his official statement. The man behind the expo, longtime mixed martial arts (MMA) veteran Renzo Gracie, wants to be the guy to take the blame for the breakdown in communication, as well as his decision to let an "amateur" deal with the fighters scheduled to attend. His comments from "The MMA Show with Mauro Ranallo" (transcribed by The Score) after the jump. "I have to be honest, if there’s someone to blame, it’s me. Even though it was my expo, I had one guy working on it and he was good at organizing it and putting it together. The only thing he’s not good at is dealing with fighters. From what I understand, Junior called Cesar Gracie’s room the night previously at midnight and said Braulio Estima would be 10 pounds overweight. You have to understand, Nick Diaz was already giving up too much fighting that caliber of fighter in BJJ. For Nick to take the match, it shows the kind of guts he has. It ended up turning out the way that it did because the guy dealing with the fighters is an amateur, and he didn’t understand the emotions the athletes go through." Weigh ins, fables and scales, oh my! While Renzo is (kind of) taking responsibility for last weekend's fiasco, there is a long list of culpable parties. Diaz's temper, Estima's weight cut, Junior's lies and Gracie's leadership make for a volatile mix. And Dana White can't believe you're even shocked! For more fallout from the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo click here.

Posted in: diaz, guy, nick, fighter, expo

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Renowned coach Cesar Gracie is a lot of things for polarizing welterweight Nick Diaz – a trainer, a mentor, a father-figure, and now apparently a spokesperson. Gracie, who has stood up for Diaz publicly before, finally broke the silence surrounding the 28-year old’s decision to not show up for a scheduled grappling match this past weekend. While Gracie expressed disappointment in a written statement published late last night he also made it clear he understood where his star pupil was coming from given the lack of professionalism he received from the organization hosting the bout. According to Gracie, the issues influencing Diaz’s decision related to opponent Braulio Estima being presented as someone with no interest in a MMA career as well as the Brazilian’s weight-related demands. Originally Diaz’s camp had been told Estima was purely focused on grappling as a means of quelling their concerns about a BJJ-based win being used as a means of self-promotion in the MMA field. When they learned he had started training for an eventual MMA debut a red flag went up. Estima also failed to make an agreed-upon weight the night before the match-up, adding to Diaz’s displeasure with how things were being handled. However, that doesn’t mean Gracie let Diaz off the hook for his role in the matter. “Nick is not without fault by any means. His lack of communication with his team and coach was inexcusable. This will be addressed privately,” wrote Gracie. Gracie also added Diaz donated a sum equal to that of his purse from the event to St. Jude’s Hospital as he’d planned to do with his winnings. The full body of Gracie’s statement can be found below: My decision to write an account of what happened this weekend is not to answer to the detractors of myself or my team, as no explanation is owed them. It is instead based on my acknowledgement and respect to our fans and supporters. I never thought I would be answering for something that happened at a grappling tournament, however with the worldwide popularity of the sport and my team increasing, I understand that our supporters need answers. Below is a compilation of events in chronological order. I included the behind the scenes problems we had to let you, our supporters, know how things deteriorated. Facts In the month of February I was contacted by a Brazilian named Junior asking me if I wanted to participate in an Expo\Jiu-jitsu tournament. The goal was to put one of our team’s stars in the event to attract sponsors and ensure it was successful. The event was not that far away and they desperately needed exposure. Junior stated that he was working with my uncle Rilion and my cousin Renzo on this project and they were in fact partners. Rilion and Renzo are 2 people that I greatly admire and respect and I was more than happy to partner up with them. I discussed the idea with Nick Diaz and he readily agreed to enter in the black belt gi division. He did not seek any reimbursement. Junior thought it better for Nick to do a super fight as he thought this would be more of a spectacle and bring in more attention.Nick was not as enthusiastic but agreed on the condition that whoever was picked to go against him was not a MMA fighter. He knew even a mediocre MMA fighter would try to use a match and/or victory over him to further their career in MMA. Nick believes a reputation as a fighter should only be earned in a ring or cage. I relayed this to Junior and he agreed to arrange for a strict jiu-jitsu competitor. In March I received the disturbing news from Rilion that Junior had broken his agreement with him. Rilion stated to me that Junior was registering all World Jiu-jitsu Expo names under his name alone and was no longer taking his phone calls. When contacted by me, Junior stated that he would no longer honor his financial obligations to Rilion because “Rilion was doing nothing and treats me like one of his clerks”. He then went on a tirade about Rilion which I interrupted and reminded him that Rilion was my family member and I would not listen to someone speaking negatively about him. This rift left me in a dilemma. My instinct was to sever ties immediately. Rilion was my original jiu-jitsu instructor and his reputation as an honest person was impeccable. On the other hand we had already committed Diaz and Caio Terra. Our removal would destroy an event Renzo provided all of the funding for. I consulted with Rilion who advised me to move forward with the event. He was the one that had brought Renzo into this project and convinced Renzo to fund it. He also still believed in the idea of an American tournament that paid the best BJJ guys on the planet to showcase their skills. We agreed to move forward without him since at this stage Junior had entrenched himself and his removal was impossible. Lastly Rilion warned me that Junior was not to be trusted and would undoubtedly try to cheat me and Renzo. In early April I got the call from Junior asking what I thought of a Braulio Estima vs Nick Diaz matchup. I had heard of Braulio and knew he was a formidable jiu-jitsu practitioner. I was under the impression that Braulio competed in the close to 200lbs weight category. When I asked Junior he assured me that Braulio could weigh in as little as 175 lbs right before the match. I presented his information to Nick who accepted the matchup and seemed happy to go against the top BJJ player in the world at that weight. Nick started training for the match and I brought up several BJJ black belts to compliment his training. Looking through some of Estima’s YouTube videos, it was soon discovered that he had in fact been planning on entering upon a career in MMA. We wondered if the match with Diaz was a way to create a buzz around him and get him signed with a prominent organization. I called Junior who assured me Estima would not be fighting in MMA and that he had spoken with him and been assured he had given up on the idea of ever fighting. Junior reiterated, “Cesar I spoke with Braulio, the guy is in his 30?s, he has a family and doesn’t want to live that type of life at this stage in his life…etc” I repeated this info to Nick. A week or so later it was all over the Internet that Braulio had joined the “Blackzillians” and was training for a MMA fight. We had been lied to. Furthermore it was evident that Nick’s sole condition that he not go against a wanna be MMA guy was violated and this was in fact an attempt by Braulio to ignite an MMA career.Nick was to have been accurately portrayed as a fighter returning to his BJJ roots. He had even agreed to give his entire purse to charity; St Jude’s Children’s Hospital for kids with cancer. If you know the story of Ralph Gracie’s son you would understand why this charity was chosen. Nick’s name having been added to this event had saved it but now it was clear he was to be the patsy, not respected but used. Despite all of this Nick was still going to compete. He brought up Kron Gracie and prepared himself. Around this time I was informed by Junior that Braulio wanted to weigh in the day before and not right before the match as is the custom in IBJJ competitions and Abu Dhabi. At the time Nick was about 186lbs so I consented to both guys weighing in at 180lbs the night before. Nick boarded a plane on Friday for Long Beach having cut 6 pounds for the weigh in that night. On his way there I got a call from Junior telling me Braulio would not be making weight! ”Cesar Braulio is complaining about the weight cut. Can we have him weigh in tomorrow? He can’t make the weight tonight how about 185 in the morning?” Nick arrives in Long Beach to the news that there will be no weigh ins that night. As a professional with over 30 fights this was the final straw. The disrespect and total lack of professionalism given him convinced him he was at a circus not a professional event. At 3:20 in the morning I received a text from Junior that Braulio would in fact make the 180lbs weight class at 10:00AM. With no other option available I said fine I’ll check with Nick in the morning. At 10:00AM Braulio did weigh in at 180lbs but by that time Nick had already left. Opinion As a Brazilian I love Brazil but not all things Brazilian. In the last decade I have witnessed Brazilian cronies running the IBJJF and making it impossible for Americans to get a fair shake when competing against their Brazilian countrymen. These cronies have instituted rules to where if you miss weight by even half a pound you are disqualified and not refunded your entry fee. They gladly keep your money and treat you like crap in your country because they can. One of these cronies (Junior) decided to bend all the rules for Braulio Estima and treat Nick Diaz like crap. Sorry that didn’t work out here. As for Braulio I still respect him as a great BJJ artist. As far as calling Nick out for a MMA fight, he knows that is impossible because Nick is signed with the UFC and in MMA you have to make weight when they want you to. Not when you want to. If Braulio ever finds success in MMA then he can mention Nick’s name for a fight. Right now he should respect the man. Nick is not without fault by any means. His lack of communication with his team and coach was inexcusable. This will be addressed privately. Renzo and I have spoken and we are committed to continuing with this otherwise awesome event….without the services of Junior. It should be noted that Nick paid to St Jude’s Children’s Hospitable the sum of what would have been his entire purse. Thank you, You have my apologies and my respect Cesar Gracie PHOTO CREDIT – HDNET/STRIKEFORCE

Posted in: diaz, mma, nick, gracie, braulio

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

It's been 24 long hours, but the Nick Diaz camp has finally issued a statement that provides its side of the story about what happened at the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo this past Saturday (May 12, 2012). Diaz -- who has established an unreliable reputation for making promised appearances thanks in large part to his recent rocky Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) stint -- failed to show up for his superfight against Braulio Estima at the event. In fact, Estima waited on the math, fruitlessly, while public announcements were being made for Diaz to report for duty. He never appeared. That's because, according to his trainer Cesar Gracie, Diaz had left. He had no choice after "disrespect and total lack of professionalism given him convinced him he was at a circus not a professional event." Gracie posted a detailed statement on GracieFighter.com that described the "facts" behind the situation, which included a Brazilian crony promoter who not only disrespected Diaz, but also his Gracie family members. This crony, who is named Junior, also lied to Diaz about numerous things, including the weigh-in process, which Gracie explains was designed to give Estima an unfair advantage, as well as Estima's desire to enter mixed martial arts (MMA) someday soon. And, as Gracie tells it, to use the Diaz name as a springboard to further his MMA aspirations. Something that was apparently a major concession prior to agreeing to the grappling match. Check out a portion of Gracie's statement after the jump: In early April I got the call from Junior asking what I thought of a Braulio Estima vs Nick Diaz matchup. I had heard of Braulio and knew he was a formidable jiu-jitsu practitioner. I was under the impression that Braulio competed in the close to 200lbs weight category. When I asked Junior he assured me that Braulio could weigh in as little as 175 lbs right before the match. I presented his information to Nick who accepted the matchup and seemed happy to go against the top BJJ player in the world at that weight. Nick started training for the match and I brought up several BJJ black belts to compliment his training. Looking through some of Estima’s youtube videos, it was soon discovered that he had in fact been planning on entering upon a career in mma. We wondered if the match with Diaz was a way to create a buzz around him and get him signed with a prominent organization. I called Junior who assured me Estima would not be fighting in mma and that he had spoken with him and been assured he had given up on the idea of ever fighting. Junior reiterated, "Cesar I spoke with Braulio, the guy is in his 30′s, he has a family and doesn’t want to live that type of life at this stage in his life…etc" I repeated this info to Nick. A week or so later it was all over the Internet that Braulio had joined the "Blackzillians" and was training for an mma fight. We had been lied to. Furthermore it was evident that Nick’s sole condition that he not go against a wanna be mma guy was violated and this was in fact an attempt by Braulio to ignite an mma career.Nick was to have been accurately portrayed as a fighter returning to his BJJ roots. He had even agreed to give his entire purse to charity; St Jude’s Children’s Hospital for kids with cancer. If you know the story of Ralph Gracie’s son you would understand why this charity was chosen. Nick’s name having been added to this event had saved it but now it was clear he was to be the patsy, not respected but used. Despite all of this Nick was still going to compete. He brought up Kron Gracie and prepared himself. Around this time I was informed by Junior that Braulio wanted to weigh in the day before and not right before the match as is the custom in IBJJ competitions and Abu Dhabi. At the time Nick was about 186lbs so I consented to both guys weighing in at 180lbs the night before. Nick boarded a plane on Friday for Long Beach having cut 6 pounds for the weigh in that night. On his way there I got a call from Junior telling me Braulio would not be making weight! "Cesar Braulio is complaining about the weight cut. Can we have him weigh in tomorrow? He can’t make the weight tonight how about 185 in the morning?" Nick arrives in Long Beach to the news that there will be no weigh ins that night. As a professional with over 30 fights this was the final straw. The disrespect and total lack of professionalism given him convinced him he was at a circus not a professional event. At 3:20 in the morning I received a text from Junior that Braulio would in fact make the 180lbs weight class at 10:00AM. With no other option available I said fine I’ll check with Nick in the morning. At 10:00AM Braulio did weigh in at 180lbs but by that time Nick had already left.... As a Brazilian I love Brazil but not all things Brazilian. In the last decade I have witnessed Brazilian cronies running the IBJJF and making it impossible for Americans to get a fair shake when competing against their Brazilian countrymen. These cronies have instituted rules to where if you miss weight by even half a pound you are disqualified and not refunded your entry fee. They gladly keep your money and treat you like crap in your country because they can. One of these cronies (Junior) decided to bend all the rules for Braulio Estima and treat Nick Diaz like crap. Sorry that didn’t work out here. As for Braulio I still respect him as a great BJJ artist. As far as calling Nick out for a mma fight, he knows that is impossible because Nick is signed with the UFC and in mma you have to make weight when they want you to. Not when you want to. If Braulio ever finds success in mma then he can mention Nick’s name for a fight. Right now he should respect the man. Nick is not without fault by any means. His lack of communication with his team and coach was inexcusable. This will be addressed privately. Renzo and I have spoken and we are committed to continuing with this otherwise awesome event ... without the services of Junior. It should be noted that Nick paid to St Jude’s Children’s Hospitable the sum of what would have been his entire purse. For more on the Nick Diaz vs. Braulio Estima fallout be sure to click here and get up to speed. And to hear UFC President Dana White's reaction to Diaz's no-show news click here.

Posted in: diaz, mma, nick, weight, braulio

Read the full article at MMA Mania

In the wake of one of the most unusual collapses of a Brazilian jiu jitsu Superfight ever, Cesar Gracie has released a statement on his Gracie Fighter website. As usual, Cesar pulls zero shots and manages to swipe several different targets, while telling a compelling story. The statement is broken into two sections. The first, much longer piece is Cesar's story of the event's inception and how Cesar and his cousins, Renzo and Rillion became involved (and how Rillion ended up dropping out). The second, much shorter opinion piece is quite possibly the most even-handed and admirable words I have ever seen from Cesar in my short time in the BJJ/MMA world. The most crucial segment of the piece is quoted below: Despite all of this Nick was still going to compete. He brought up Kron Gracie and prepared himself. Around this time I was informed by Junior that Braulio wanted to weigh in the day before and not right before the match as is the custom in IBJJ competitions and Abu Dhabi. At the time Nick was about 186lbs so I consented to both guys weighing in at 180lbs the night before. Nick boarded a plane on Friday for Long Beach having cut 6 pounds for the weigh in that night. On his way there I got a call from Junior telling me Braulio would not be making weight! "Cesar Braulio is complaining about the weight cut. Can we have him weigh in tomorrow? He can't make the weight tonight how about 185 in the morning?" Nick arrives in Long Beach to the news that there will be no weigh ins that night. As a professional with over 30 fights this was the final straw. The disrespect and total lack of professionalism given him convinced him he was at a circus not a professionally event. At 3:20 in the morning I received a text from Junior that Braulio would in fact make the 180lbs weight class at 10:00AM. With no other option available I said fine I'll check with Nick in the morning. At 10:00AM Braulio did weigh in at 180lbs but by that time Nick had already left. After reading the full statement, this writer is left with several questions: Who is this mysterious Junior? What does the contract signed between Nick and Braulio actually say? Why was the weight such a big issue - especially when 5 pounds was at stake? And why did Cesar insist upon a weigh-in for the Nick and Braulio match, but not for the matches of Alexis Davis and Caio Terra, two Gracie Fighter grapplers who would square off against Kyra Gracie and Jeff Glover? The full statement is well worth the reading. The entirety of it is quoted below the jump. It goes into some detail about the suspicion and uncertainty that the less-than-ideal handling of the main Superfight caused and as usual, it is the Cesar Gracie truth and has to be looked at with some attention towards fact-checking. Related Bloody Elbow Links: How the Nick Diaz-Braulio Estima Situation Spiraled Out of Control | Tweet of the Day: Braulio Estima Reacts to Nick Diaz No Show | Braulio/Diaz Superfight Live Discussion Again, this is straight from Gracie Fighter.com and was penned by Cesar Gracie and reviewed by his attorney, Ross Goodman: World Jiu-jitsu Expo and Nick Diaz MAY 15, 2012 My decision to write an account of what happened this weekend is not to answer to the detractors of myself or my team, as no explanation is owed them. It is instead based on my acknowledgement and respect to our fans and supporters. I never thought I would be answering for something that happened at a grappling tournament, however with the worldwide popularity of the sport and my team increasing, I understand that our supporters need answers. Below is a compilation of events in chronological order. I included the behind the scenes problems we had to let you, our supporters, know how things deteriorated. In the month of February I was contacted by a Brazilian named Junior asking me if I wanted to participate in an Expo\Jiu-jitsu tournament. The goal was to put one of our team's stars in the event to attract sponsors and ensure it was successful. The event was not that far away and they desperately needed exposure. Junior stated that he was working with my uncle Rilion and my cousin Renzo on this project and they were in fact partners. Rilion and Renzo are 2 people that I greatly admire and respect and I was more than happy to partner up with them. I discussed the idea with Nick Diaz and he readily agreed to enter in the black belt gi division. He did not seek any reimbursement. Junior thought it better for Nick to do a super fight as he thought this would be more of a spectacle and bring in more attention. Junior asked Nick was not as enthusiastic but agreed on the condition that whoever was picked to go against him was not an mma fighter. He knew even a mediocre mma fighter would try to use a match and/or victory over him to further their career in mma. Nick believes a reputation as a fighter should only be earned in a ring or cage.I relayed this to Junior and he agreed to arrange for a strict jiu-jitsu competitor. In March I received the disturbing news from Rilion that Junior had broken his agreement with him. Rilion stated to me that Junior was registering all World Jiu-jitsu Expo names under his name alone and was no longer taking his phone calls. When contacted by me,Junior stated that he would no longer honor his financial obligations to Rilion because "Rilion was doing nothing and treats me like one of his clerks".He then went on a tirade about Rilion which I interrupted and reminded him that Rilion was my family member and I would not listen to someone speaking negatively about him. This rift left me in a dilemma. My instinct was to sever ties immediately. Rilion was my original jiu-jitsu instructor and his reputation as an honest person was impeccable. On the other hand we had already committed Diaz and Caio Terra. Our removal would destroy an event Renzo provided all of the funding for. I consulted with Rilion who advised me to move forward with the event. He was the one that had brought Renzo into this project and convinced Renzo to fund it. He also still believed in the idea of an American tournament that paid the best BJJ guys on the planet to showcase their skills. We agreed to move forward without him since at this stage Junior had entrenched himself and his removal was impossible. Lastly Rilion warned me that Junior was not to be trusted and would undoubtedly try to cheat me and Renzo. In early April I got the call from Junior asking what I thought of a Braulio Estima vs Nick Diaz matchup. I had heard of Braulio and knew he was a formidable jiu-jitsu practitioner. I was under the impression that Braulio competed in the close to 200lbs weight category.When I asked Junior he assured me that Braulio could weigh in as little as 175 lbs right before the match. I presented his information to Nick who accepted the matchup and seemed happy to go against the top BJJ player in the world at that weight. Nick started training for the match and I brought up several BJJ black belts to compliment his training. Looking through some of Estima's youtube videos, it was soon discovered that he had in fact been planning on entering upon a career in mma. We wondered if the match with Diaz was a way to create a buzz around him and get him signed with a prominent organization. I called Junior who assured me Estima would not be fighting in mma and that he had spoken with him and been assured he had given up on the idea of ever fighting. Junior reiterated, "Cesar I spoke with Braulio, the guy is in his 30′s, he has a family and doesn't want to live that type of life at this stage in his life...etc" I repeated this info to Nick.A week or so later it was all over the Internet that Braulio had joined the "Blackzillians" and was training for an mma fight. We had been lied to. Furthermore it was evident that Nick's sole condition that he not go against a wanna be mma guy was violated and this was in fact an attempt by Braulio to ignite an mma career. Nick was to have been accurately portrayed as a fighter returning to his BJJ roots. He had even agreed to give his entire purse to charity; St Jude's Children's Hospital for kids with cancer. If you know the story of Ralph Gracie's son you would understand why this charity was chosen. His name having been added to this event had saved it but now it was clear he was to be the patsy, not respected but used. Despite all of this Nick was still going to compete. He brought up Kron Gracie and prepared himself. Around this time I was informed by Junior that Braulio wanted to weigh in the day before and not right before the match as is the custom in IBJJ competitions and Abu Dhabi. At the time Nick was about 186lbs so I consented to both guys weighing in at 180lbs the night before. Nick boarded a plane on Friday for Long Beach having cut 6 pounds for the weigh in that night. On his way there I got a call from Junior telling me Braulio would not be making weight! "Cesar Braulio is complaining about the weight cut. Can we have him weigh in tomorrow? He can't make the weight tonight how about 185 in the morning?" Nick arrives in Long Beach to the news that there will be no weigh ins that night. As a professional with over 30 fights this was the final straw. The disrespect and total lack of professionalism given him convinced him he was at a circus not a professionally event. At 3:20 in the morning I received a text from Junior that Braulio would in fact make the 180lbs weight class at 10:00AM. With no other option available I said fine I'll check with Nick in the morning. At 10:00AM Braulio did weigh in at 180lbs but by that time Nick had already left. Opinion As for Braulio I still respect him as a great BJJ artist. As far as calling Nick out for a mma fight, he knows that is impossible because Nick is signed with the UFC and in mma you have to make weight when they want you to. Not when you want to. If Braulio ever finds success in mma then he can mention Nick's name for a fight. Right now he should respect the man. Nick is not without fault by any means. His lack of communication with his team and coach was inexcusable. This will be addressed privately. Renzo and I have spoken and we are committed to continuing with this otherwise awesome event....without the services of Junior. It should be noted that Nick paid to St Jude's Children's Hospitable the sum of what would have been his entire purse. Thank you, You have my apologies and my respect Cesar Gracie To cross-check this in full is an enormous task that would require the contacting of Rillion, Renzo, Cesar, Nick, Braulio and the mysterious Junior as well as any other unknown actors in this BJJ drama. However, Cesar's words regarding the weigh-ins can be looked at with a discerning eye. Braulio states on Twitter (as well as in interviews) that the weigh-ins were not delineated within the contract: @jonsweep broo I haven't got a clue where this came about. Specially that there was no weigh ins specified time or date it was pretty friendly thing More information regarding Braulio's view of weigh-in things came on Twitter. First, he replied to Layzie: It never was agreed on my side neither no one csme forwards to tell me that the weigh in would be right before the match RT @LayzieTheSavage @OhhhDaBeaver They originally asked to make weight right before the match. Not that morning. Everything was changing last minute. And then corrected Layzie on what ADCC-style weigh-ins are like: Adcc style is on day before the match btw RT @LayzieTheSavage @OhhhDaBeaver He made weight after he came forward and said he couldn't make 180 right before the match (ADCC style) like originally planned Braulio is correct in saying that ADCC style is to weigh in the day before. However, Cesar says Abu Dhabi, which usually refers to ADCC, but could actually refer to the Abu Dhabi World Pro (a recent high-level grappling tournament held by a different organization than the ADCC). The World Pro also weighs in the day before. The IBJJF is different in that the regular competitors generally weigh in right before they step on the mats. However, for Superfights, weigh-ins are vanishingly rare and usually the competitors are within the same general weight divisions. For the other four Superfights that evening, no weigh-ins were held - even with the other matches involving Gracie Fighter members. Having a difference in weights of five pounds the night before or the day of is usually not regarded as a Superfight-killing weight disparity in BJJ. In MMA, where strikes are allowed, it is a different story, but even in this event alone, several grapplers were dealing with opponents that were possibly ten to twenty pounds larger and chose to carry on. Further complicating matters, Renzo Gracie works with the ADCC, World Pro and IBJJF organizations at different times, so the lines about what rules are what can get a bit fuzzy. Apparently things got downright blurry when Junior got involved. From Cesar's account, it appears that Junior was making arbitrary decisions and trying to please both sides at once, while failing miserably at doing so for either. The exact involvement of this Junior is not publicly known, but it would be unlikely for Cesar and Renzo to criticize him without there being some validity to it. The actual weigh-ins took place at 10:00 AM PST Saturday morning and were done on scales provided by Cesar Gracie himself and witnessed by Lana Stefanac, a Gracie Fighter black belt and coach of Alexis Davis. Stefanac promptly notified Cesar of the 180 lb mark being reached and most of the competitors and BJJ world proceeded on with the assumption that the Diaz/Estima Superfight was still on. From then on, the story is mostly known - although whether Nick actually left the vicinity by 10:00 AM is unsure and his specific reasoning for the famous no show may never be known to anyone outside his trusted circle.

Posted in: nick, weight, gracie, cesar, braulio

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

submitted by JesusHadALittleLamb [link] [5 comments]

Posted in: diaz, nick, jesushadalittlelamb, camp, statement

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Keith Kizer is preparing to go after Nick Diaz for a one year suspension due to testing positive for marijuana for a second time.

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, keith, year suspension

Read the full article at Fight Opinion

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White is never one to hold back when he has something on his mind or if asked to give his honest opinion on anything, especially on a fighter and anything mixed martial arts (MMA) related. So when Nick Diaz was a no show for his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu ‘superfight’ against mat wizard Braulio Estima this past weekend (May 12, 2012) at the first-ever World Jiu-Jitsu Expo in Long Beach, Calif., you could pretty much bank on the fact that White would have something to say about it. He didn't disappoint. Commenting on his official Twitter account, White -- who claims he had no idea that Diaz was even going to be competing at the event -- says that he really isn't shocked that the shifty Stockton scrapper bailed on a commitment. He is, however, surprised that "braindead" people are shocked: "No, not shocked and I'm surprised u people are! He no showed a Las Vegas press conf to a fight he was gonna make HUGE $ and title. People are f***in nuts and braindead to be OUTRAGED and SHOCKED that Nick no showed something." Of course, White knows all too well what it's like dealing with the volatile personality that Nick Diaz possesses. After failing to appear at two press conferences to promote the highly anticipated title fight between he and UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre, White yanked the the Cesar Gracie-trained fighter from the main event and replaced him with Carlos Condit. Diaz, however, did remain on the card to take on B.J. Penn in the co-main event, which was later bumped to the headliner because of an injury that forced "Rush" off of the card all together. Though Diaz is technically not one of White's employees at the moment -- he announced his abrupt retirement after his loss to Condit at UFC 143 -- White says it isn't his problem: "that's a fight? Since when is a BJJ match a fight? Not my problem. The promoter of that shows problem. I have enough of my own." While Diaz has recently hinted at a possible return to MMA, he first has to resolve all of his issues with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). His return, however, may not be too well received given his latest shenanigans. Diaz was reportedly set to donate his entire winnings from the grappling match to charity. How about it, Maniacs. Are you among the brain dead bunch who were shocked Diaz no-showed or, like White, is it just par for the card whenever he is involved in an event? Opinions, please.

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick diaz, nick, event

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Ultimately, Nick Diaz was the one who chose to walk out of the Long Beach Convention Center without grappling with Braulio Estima, but it was the people around him that put him in a position where that seemed like a good idea. This topic has generated an astounding amount of commentary on Nick Diaz's past, present and future in combat sports, yet this might actually be the single best example of the weird echo chamber of mixed martial arts media and how that can be toxic to a fighter. Several people close to Cesar Gracie and Nick Diaz started a furor that grew beyond corralling or facts and ended up derailing the Nick Diaz/Braulio Estima Superfight at the Long Beach Spring Open. Chief among those taking up the cause against Braulio Estima and heightening the drama were two members of the MMA media, Layzie the Savage and Zeus. Over at Middle Easy, Layzie has built a genuine and strong relationship with several members of Cesar Gracie's Gracie Fighter team - the Diaz brothers being prominent among them. This has led to Layzie doing work directly for the Diaz brothers and at other times working as a "video journalist" for the irreverently-themed combat sports site run by Zeus. Layzie has the strong relationship he does with the Diaz brothers because he lives in the same region of northern California, has similar outlooks on areas of life, gets along well with them and their friends, usually has a good camera handy, a passable hand with video editing and is often vocally supporting the same things they do. With him, the line between media and friend or fan is very blurred. And that is a part of why things went wrong Friday and Saturday. @CesarGracieBJJCesar Gracie @graciemag_br @RenzoGracieBJJ I am hearing Estima won't be making weight. May 11 via Twitter for iPhone Favorite Retweet Reply Continued after the jump... The above Tweet by Cesar Gracie was sent to his cousin, Renzo Gracie, and Luca Atalla, the founder of Gracie Magazine, at 2:57 pm ET. Renzo and Luca are prominent among the organizers of the World Jiu Jitsu Expo, as well as the series of Superfights being made at the Long Beach Spring Open. Renzo's reply was clearly delivered in a joking manner "Cesar don't give me a problem before I land I miss you cousin", and Luca tagged in with "@RenzoGracieBJJ @cesargraciebjj and don't pass the problem to us haha @lucaatalla tweeting here :)". Cesar closed the public conversation with "@RenzoGracieBJJ @graciemag_br Renzo and Luca teaming up against me. This sucks. Lol". The tone of the conversation seems to be light-hearted and Renzo cracked further jokes about making Braulio run until the contracted upon weight was reached. The Twitter talk ceased at that point and undoubtedly, many phone calls and texts were being sent to various organizers, promoters, fighters and friends or media members. At 11:37 on Friday night, Middle Easy took up the story and tweeted that Braulio Estima was 9 pounds overweight, while adding a bit of snarky commentary. Layzie tweeted twenty three minutes later, "If I were @NickDiaz209, I'd make @BraulioEstima kick rocks and try to make a name of someone else. 9lbs over weight is ridiculous." In a prescient moment, Dr. Ann Maria DeMars (the judo world champion and mother of Ronda Rousey) tweeted the following to the Middle Easy account: MiddleEasy MiddleEasy Braulio Estima came in 9lbs over in his weigh-in for his match against Nick Diaz. Dude needs to cut the carbs. May 12 Favorite Retweet Reply in reply to @MiddleEasy↑ @DrAnnMariaDrAnnMaria @MiddleEasy so what happens if you're 9 lbs overweight? Do they get to beat it out of you? May 12 via Echofon Favorite Retweet Reply The long-standing International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) tradition is to weigh in the day of the competition or even just before reaching the mats. Several other grappling competitions allow weigh-ins the day before or the day of, but the Superfight tradition in this particular competition usually does not require much of a weigh-in, if one is done at all. The fighters are of such high level that anything less than fifteen to twenty pounds is apparently forgiven. None of the other athletes involved in the other Superfights (Kyra Gracie/Alexis Davis, Caio Terra/Jeff Glover, Rafael Lovato Jr./Lucas Leite, Victor Estima/Kron Gracie) were required to make a certain weight for their battles. In an unusual move, Braulio and Nick had signed contracts to perform in this grappling match and Nick publicly promised to donate all of his purse to St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Part of that contract apparently stipulated a weight both fighters had to make at some unknown-to-this-writer time prior to the grappling match. Just what that contracted upon weight was or when it was supposed to be reached is a topic of contention. There is much talk that Braulio signed a contract that said "85 kg" (187 lbs) and it was to be done on the day of the match. There is more talk that Braulio had to hit 185 lbs or 180 lbs. Which weight Braulio contractually had to hit remains to be seen, but is actually irrelevant at this point. What matters is that Braulio weighed in at 189 lbs on Friday evening and after some talking between the teams of the two opponents, Braulio ended up making weight at 180 lbs Saturday morning. The Estima weigh-in was witnessed by several people - including Lana Stefanac, a very successful BJJ black belt grappler and one time MMA fighter in the female heavyweight division and member of the Gracie Fighter team. Video of this weigh-in was taken by Stuart Cooper, a British film-maker who has been working with Braulio for some weeks and will arrive later this week. Stefanac supposedly alerted Cesar Gracie of the weight and the fight appeared to be on as scheduled. The standard weight divisions for the IBJJF are roughly every 13 or 14 lbs from 126 lbs onwards up to 221 lbs. There is a middleweight division set at 181.0 lbs (one lb above the weight which Braulio and Diaz weighed in at). To the best of this writer's knowledge, Braulio has not missed weight for a competition he has entered and has been surprisingly open about the injuries he has had over the years - including being briefly paralyzed by a neck injury sustained during MMA training. Braulio underwent surgery in 2010 and returned to submission grappling in 2011. Diaz has been overweight exactly once in his MMA career, against Muhsin Corbbrey for a catchweight bout at 168 lbs. Nick had a famously rough time making 155 lbs and his move to welterweight saw a revitalization of his career as he settled into the more natural weight class for his frame and mass. As a long time competitor, Nick is familiar with the IBJJF-style weight divisions of submission grappling and has competed in past tournaments and superfights in and out of the gi. His long Superfight with Lucas Leite (Part 1, Part 2) two and a half years ago at the 2009 Gracie Open was a statement of how good Nick's defensive jiu jitsu actually is. Leite at the time was an elite competitor, but has grown now into a consistent title threat in the middleweight division. He actually stepped in to grapple Rafael Lovato Jr. when an injury sidelined Kayron Gracie. It is worth noting that essentially none of the grapplers in any of the superfights was grappling someone exactly the same weight as themselves. Lovato Jr. mostly grapples in the light heavyweight division (one above Leite). Caio Terra gave up somewhere between ten and twenty pounds to Jeff Glover. Victor Estima is slightly larger than Kron Gracie (who is not 5'10" as the rookie commentating team mistakenly said on-air). Kyra and Alexis were visibly different in size as well. However, none of the matches were between metaphorical Davids and Goliaths and jiu jitsu weight divisions allow for as much variance as 15 pounds between the lightest and the heaviest competitors allowed within the division. The weight issue should not have been the show-stopper it was made out to be by some - but Layzie the Savage of Middle Easy took it and ran with it straight to the UnderGround forum. An extended tweet made by Layzie at 12:40 am of May 12th was used as the start to a long thread in which Layzie made clear his fuzzy hybrid role as a Diaz supporter/MMA personality: It's an opinion. I'm not sure what Estima is making but the money is unimportant. It's very minimal compared to what Nick makes for fighting so it's the principal of the fact that Nick has been training and dieting and Braulio has been eating and not dieting and expecting to come in 20-30 pounds heavier and without the energy sap of having to cut weight. That's some BS [...]Nick, himself, would never in a million years speak out about feeling that way. He would just 'fight'... because that's what Nick Diaz does... He just 'fights'... Whoever, wherever, whenever...and people know that... As a friend and as a fan, I think he's being taken advantage of. I can see where you are coming from, but that's just my opinion. Hopefully I'm wrong, and there's some reasonable excuse. After proof of Braulio making weight was posted, Layzie disappeared from that UnderGround thread. Further complicating things is the weird dynamic that the Diaz brothers have on social media. A number of supposedly fake Twitters, Facebook and YouTube accounts have been created and they emulate the real Nick and Nathan so much that the Twitter account alone has 27,000+ followers and the Facebook account 50,000+ likes. Nick has 50,000 followers on his real Twitter and Nathan has over 100,000 on his real Twitter account. The fake accounts have taken to saying the following: Promoter fails to donate the money to charity as agreed. (shady) Promoter changes rules for weigh ins to accommodate fellow Brazilian Match ain't happening Needless to say, this sent the online discussion in a whole new tizzy because the news that the fake accounts are fake has not gotten to everyone and not everyone who talks about these things verifies the source as being valid. The name of the promoter remains unknown to this writer at present, but tweets from Cesar and Renzo are illuminating. Cesar's: @CesarGracieBJJCesar Gracie Btw the promoter was NOT Renzo! It was some guy called Junior. @nickdiaz209 loves @RenzoGracieBJJ May 13 via Twitter for iPad Favorite Retweet Reply @CesarGracieBJJCesar Gracie acredito no Nick vai ser um lutao ... PS: faco o Braulio pesar antes da luta... 175 ou 180... Vc decide ... regras ... -Junior (promoter) May 13 via Twitter for iPhone Favorite Retweet Reply The above Portuguese given by Cesar translates roughly to "I believe Nick will have a great fight. P.S. I will see Braulio make weight before the fight, 175 or 180, you decide the rules." Renzo's: prettyboymarkc mark connors @RenzoGracieBJJ sounds like you were involved with some shady promoters for the bjj expo if the rumours are true. May 13 Favorite Retweet Reply in reply to @prettyboymarkc↑ @RenzoGracieBJJRenzo_Gracie_BJJ @prettyboymarkc lol there was only two people working on this Expo, me and a nut job called Junior, he is crazy. But I was there supporting May 13 via Twitter for iPhone Favorite Retweet Reply The involvement of Renzo in this leads this writer to believe that the supposedly revoked charity donation is a complete fabrication. Renzo is a fighter and a trainer who enjoys making money, but he has made his reputation as a very honest person. It would be hard to believe that Renzo would not step in to make the donation himself or find a way to make it work before letting the match fall apart. At the venue itself, Layzie was with Ronda Rousey for most of the day. He says publicly that he had little to no contact with Nick at this time and that is generally believable. Layzie was in the media scrum when Braulio was giving interviews and asking pointed, although biased questions about the weird saga. In that scrum, Braulio said in response to the question of who from Gracie Fighters witnessed his weigh-in "Lana, Lana" in his Brazilian accent. Layzie misheard this as "Ronda" and shouted "Ronda Rousey?" Braulio unfortunately said "Yes," due either to the clamor of the scrum or through his own hearing mistakes/inattention (something I am very familiar with being both deaf and from a bilingual household). Zeus and Layzie then went on to make this piece over on Middle Easy. A video featuring Ronda Rousey saying that she never saw Braulio weigh in that day and that he "obviously is a liar" is prominent in that piece. Oddly enough, this Ronda video is the single most commendable thing Layzie has done in recent memory. Although he misheard "Lana" as "Ronda", the hustle he displayed in getting Ronda to comment and to get the video up is exactly the kind of aggressive fact-checking that "old" journalism is based on. That the scoop was based on a mistake only obviates its validity - not its quality or delivery. The rant Ronda goes on is a great one and would have been entirely newsworthy if it hadn't been based upon a mistake of hearing. The problem lies in the delivery of the Middle Easy piece and further coverage beyond the video - as the piece strongly intimates that Braulio is lying regarding the weigh-in happenings and that the drama surrounding the whole saga organically made its way over to the UnderGround forum: The info spread on The Underground, fanboys created their hyper-complex conspiracy theories, then the morning after the debacle, Braulio Estima posted on his Facebook that he made weight, and that became verified fact. Shortly after Nick Diaz pulled off a no-show to his highly anticipated fight against Braulio Estima, LayzieTheSavage did some investigative reporting, fact-checked his sources and found evidence that Braulio Estima is not exactly telling the truth regarding making the agreed upon weight of 180 lbs to compete against Nick Diaz. An update was made to the piece that states that they are following up with Lana Stefanac regarding the weigh-in details and Layzie has tweeted an apology for mixing up the two. However, those updates do little to blunt the impact of Middle Easy's tweet regarding the piece, "We're pretty certain Braulio Estima never made weight in his match with Nick Diaz, and here's why...". This type of toxic misinformation was and is being thrown about with little regard or patience for facts or official confirmation. The resulting clash of narratives has made quite a few people - including high profile athletes and trainers - come out of this debacle with metaphorical egg on their faces. Renzo is now facing a barrage of Tweets, texts and e-mails from people asking about Junior, the shady promoter. That promoter is probably under a landslide of electronic media right now asking for refunds for the stream - despite four successful Superfights that would get top billing at most other submission grappling events. Ronda Rousey attended one event and answered truthfully to one question, only to end up opening a can of worms. Eddie Bravo put up a highly inflammatory pro-Nick/anti-Braulio statement on the Underground forum - but retracted and edited his comment once he found out that Braulio had indeed made weight. There is a distorted echo chamber of sorts in MMA and sussing out who is telling the truth and who is blowing smoke or hustling for their own agenda can be a chore best assigned to managers, agents and/or trusted friends. For Nick Diaz, the trust in those around him failed him on Friday and Saturday in an admittedly less high-profile manner than his UFC 137 shenanigans or the positive drug test following the Carlos Condit title fight at UFC 143. He chose to walk away and the pre-match ludicrousness of Cesar, Layzie, Zeus, the fake Diaz brothers account and the thousands of fans on the UG, Facebook, Twitter and more probably made it seem like a rational decision based in passable logic. The lion's share of the blame should be upon Nick, but it should also go towards the weird role that media members now play in many camps across the world. They are not simply friends, fans, personalities or professionals, but hybrids that establish relationships with fighters that shade more towards the parasitical than the symbiotic and somehow, a few parlay this into Internet fame and perhaps full-time paying jobs. Peter King has made a spectacular career out of this with his cud-chewing ruminations on football and baseball and it has partly ruined the mainstream discussions of the sports. In what sane MMA world is a friend and a fan like Layzie tweeting journalistic-sounding things like this, while simultaneously serving as the official videographer/editor/designated news leaker for the entire Gracie Fighter team? Furthermore, we see Layzie acting as an impromptu PR person in telling us that Nick Diaz will "pay the donation to St. Jude's out of pocket". In the end, we should take the advice of Dr. DeMars, Ronda's mother, @DrAnnMariaDrAnnMaria @RondaRousey Mom advice of the day. You have a fight coming up , just train & ignore everyone else's drama May 13 via Echofon Favorite Retweet Reply

Posted in: diaz, nick, weight, layzie, braulio

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

UFC president Dana White was asked to comment on Nick Diaz and his no-show over the weekend at the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo. As expected, White offered up a very candid explanation via his Twitter account. @evan1evan no, not shocked and I’m surprised u people are! He no showed a Las Vegas press conf to a [...]

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, dana, people

Read the full article at MMA Convert

Never let it be said that Nick Diaz doesn't keep things interesting. Quite a few fans of mixed martial arts (MMA) were exposed to the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo this past Sat., May 12, 2012, thanks to the inclusion of Diaz, who was scheduled to square off in a Brazilian jiu-jitsu superfight against Braulio Estima at the event. Except he flaked, to the surprise of no one. Well, that's not entirely true. Some were surprised that a man who lost a welterweight title fight against Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre -- and millions of dollars in the process -- for no-showing a pair of press conferences would pull his disappearing act one more time. Because he's an adult and adults are supposed to learn from their mistakes. But perhaps there's more to the story. In fact, Diaz's biggest supporter in the media, Middle Easy, has spent the better part of the past two days going to bat for him and proclaiming the promoters of the event were shady. There was also a weigh-in snafu with Estima, who apparently missed weight the day before but was able to make weight the day of the contest. And somewhere in between someone was trying to switch up the rules. Or something like that. That's what he said or she said or they said or someone said and somehow speculation became fact and vice versa and the entire ordeal is one big mess. After the jump, let's sort it out with links to all the stories coming out of Diaz's latest escapades. First, the event itself went down and paying customers were treated to an entire card's worth of jiu-jitsu action. Sure, Diaz and Estima didn't do their thing in the main event but there were five other matches worth checking out and MMAmania.com had complete coverage of all of them. Nick Diaz vs. Braulio Estima results and live match coverage Unfortunately, after fans plunked down their hard earned money to watch Diaz compete athletically (seeing as he's unable to do so in MMA thanks to a failed drug test), he no-showed the event for reasons that weren't immediately clear. Nick Diaz no shows Brazilian jiu-jitsu superfight against Braulio Estima Estima, who was left sitting on the mat waiting for Diaz while fans in attendance looked on in confusion, told his side of the story to the media and proclaimed he was just as baffled as everyone else. Braulio Estima "doesn't understand why Nick Diaz would run away" Instead of focusing solely on Diaz and his decision to split at the worst possible moment, how about checking out some highlights from Kyra Gracie's match against Alexis Davis? Also, hear more from her on a potential move to MMA, which could be coming soon. Kyra Gracie really wants to fight MMA but is focusing on jiu-jitsu career for now One of the big losers so far in all this has been the fact that Diaz had promised to give his entire purse to charity. A tweet from LayzieTheSavage, a friend of Diaz's who also works for Middle Easy, has said that Diaz will be paying the promised donation out of pocket. Of course, that's not official and should be treated as such. Ultimately, this debacle has served as yet another lesson that the only thing that's certain when it comes to Nick Diaz is that nothing's for certain. Until next time, Maniacs.

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, estima, jiujitsu

Read the full article at MMA Mania

To the best of my knowledge, there's no word in the English language to describe being ‘mildly surprised' and ‘completely not surprised' at the same time. But you can bet, if there was, you'd be reading it right now. I won't insult your intelligence with a lengthy recap because by now you already know the story, but Nick Diaz was supposed to show up to fight Braulio Estima at the World Jui-Jitsu Expo for charity on Saturday night, and, well, Nick Diaz didn't show up. I don't how we got to this point, but somehow, after years of flaky behavior and childish antics, an exhibition grappling match just served as the tipping point for Diaz's cult-like presence. If only because this latest figurative middle finger is impossible to defend. Skipping the press conferences, the f*** your mother non-apologies, those are one thing. After all, it's the actual fights that matter, and Diaz would never skip out on a fight. Or at least that's what we all said. But now he has, and even the most dedicated Diaz fans don't really have an excuse. Estima didn't make weight? See, that's wrong. Cesar Gracie said so himself. So really, all this noise is irrelevant. What it comes down to is this. Braulio Estima was at the World Jui-Jitsu Expo. Nick Diaz was not. Everyone who paid $9.95 got screwed. But I'll save the outrage for others, because right now it's flying from every direction. To me, the more interesting angle is finding out what happens from here. Like it or not, this bizarre weekend only adds to the intrigue of Diaz. Following the man is like rolling on a late-night roulette heater. Red or black, odd or even, everybody's jumping around the board hoping normalcy wins out. But after the house hits the zeros enough times, and everybody wises up to the game, what's the fallout? Does the UFC become more wary of a Diaz-headlined pay-per-view? Is this the last time we'll all get burned or just another set-up for tomorrow's disappointment? Because if we're being honest, you'll still pay to see his next fight and so will I. Maybe that's part of the problem, but it probably isn't changing anytime soon. 5 MUST-READ STORIES Nick Diaz no-shows World BJJ Expo. Retired UFC welterweight Nick Diaz no-showed the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo, leaving a furious Braulio Estima to stew about the failed charity superfight. Diaz's trainer, Cesar Gracie, was unsure about the reasoning for Diaz's absence, though is it possible we only have ourselves to blame? Weekend MMA results. Catch up on the rest of the weekend with fight results for TUF Live, Bellator 68 and the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo, plus an exclusive BJJ photo gallery and complete video highlights for Kyra Gracie vs. Alexis Davis, Kimbo Slice vs. Jesse Porter and the pitiful display that was Bob Sapp vs. Mariusz Pudzianowski. UFC on FUEL 3 dissections. Preview tomorrow's UFC on FUEL 3 action with comprehensive breakdowns of the preliminary card and Fabio Maldonado vs. Igor Pokrajac. Plans for Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix winner still unknown. The "plus-one bout" scheduled to take place after the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix continues to be shrouded in mystery, despite the fact that the tournament concludes this Saturday. Vinny Magalhaes puts M-1 championship belt on ebay. After months of tenuous back-and-forth bickering with M-1 officials, disgruntled M-1 light heavyweight champion Vinny Magalhaes was officially stripped of his title. His response -- listing the belt on ebay. WANT TO BUY AN M-1 TITLE? Current bid to buy Vinny Magalhaes' M-1 light heavyweight belt: $2,125.00 Starting bid: $0.09 MEDIA STEW It was easy to forget, but the inaugural episode of UFC Primetime: Dos Santos vs. Mir aired late on Friday night. We're always looking out for you, so here's the replay in case you missed it the first time around. Usually not a whole lot happens in a 36-second fight. But this blistering Jesus Martinez vs. Aung La Nsang clip from Bellator 68 has to be the exception. (Props to @BeauLaFave for the find.) Dustin Poirier has something special waiting for him after fight night. The headlining attraction of KSW 19 may have been a total farce, but the co-main event turned out to be the perfect showcase for one of the last great non-UFC middleweights. Seriously, check out the finish on this one. (HT: Bloody Elbow) Let's be honest here -- Nick Diaz is a masterful troll. Evidence No. 1: While Braulio Estima was busy lambasting Diaz at the Expo, Diaz was (presumably) giggling away and 'liking' the video on YouTube. (At least now we know he's a fan of MMAFighting.com.) In other news, Rory MacDonald's black eye looks straight out of 28 Days Later. (via instagram) DIAZ BEING DIAZ Man, watched/bought the BJJ SUPERFIGHT and I'm hella disappointed Nick Diaz didn't show up — Travis Barker (@travisbarker) May 13, 2012 @nickdiaz209 why do u keep self destructing your career? We want to love your swagger but you make it so hard! — Duke Roufus (@dukeroufus) May 13, 2012 If they make a Where's Waldo movie, Nick Diaz has to be Waldo — Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunsonMMA) May 13, 2012 Found this one on Facebook. #hilarious twitter.com/VinnyMMA/statu… — Vinny Magalhaes (@VinnyMMA) May 13, 2012 Still can't take the Nick Diaz fan outta me. Just hope he gets past whatever mental or emotional issue it is that leads to this behavior. — Jon Anik (@Jon_Anik) May 13, 2012 @nickdiaz209 the truth can only be told by him. For sure he has his reasons. He represents BJJ better than anyone in the fray. Let's wait — Renzo_Gracie_BJJ (@RenzoGracieBJJ) May 13, 2012 Unfortunately the so expectedsuper fight Estima vs Diaz didn't happened.I'm very sad as I did everything possib... tl.gd/hd231s — Braulio Estima (@BraulioEstima) May 13, 2012 Will have a full statement tomorrow on graciefighter.com. Today is Mother's day. Happy Mother's Day! — Cesar Gracie (@CesarGracieBJJ) May 13, 2012 SWEET REVENGE Okay ... Couldn't help tweeting this cause it felt too damn good sending this message to not share it instagr.am/p/KeSmDfBEQH/ — Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) May 11, 2012 JUST A CONVERSATION BETWEEN FRIENDS @ForrestGriffin don't try to confuse me with your word riddles. People with Elvish names are always trying to confuse us human folk. — Dan Hardy (@danhardymma) May 12, 2012 @ForrestGriffin also started grappling to cauliflower his ears because I told him that pregnant women don't find pointed ears attractive. — Dan Hardy (@danhardymma) May 12, 2012 FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS Announced over the weekend (Friday, May 11, 2012 - Sunday, May 13, 2012): - UFC on FUEL 4: T.J. Dillashaw (5-1) vs. Vaughan Lee (12-7-1) - UFC on FUEL 4: Raphael Assuncao (16-4) vs. Issei Tamura (7-2) - UFC on FUEL 4: Chris Cariaso (13-3) vs. Josh Ferguson (8-4) FANPOST OF THE DAY Today's Fanpost of the Day takes a break from the Diaz noise to look at the upcoming return of K-1, courtesy of Brent Ducharme: Five Things To Know About The K-1 MAX 2012 Final 16 1. Mike Zambidis vs. Chahid Oulad el Hadj II When they first met in the K-1 MAX 2010 tournament's round of sixteen, Zambidis and el Hadj engaged in a high-paced, back and forth affair that many kickboxing observers consider a classic. Their bout went to an extension round (which seemed to be grounded more in an understanding of potential entertainment value than actual merit), and both were put on the canvas in the course of the bout. As these two fighters prepare to meet in the round of sixteen once again, their established identities provide the sense that another memorable battle may be in store. Mike Zambidis has posted a 3-2 record in his last five fights (just as he had prior to the 2010 tournament) and there are questions regarding how long the heavy-handed Greek fighter can remain on the biggest stage in kickboxing. As for Chahid Oulad el Hadj, he is the same banger that Zambidis planted overhand rights on nearly two years ago. The 23-year-old has been outclassed by many top kickboxers in the world today, but remains committed to an all-action style that is fan friendly if not the most likely to help build a sustainable career. What's more, Mike Zambidis always has interesting bouts in the K-1 MAX round of sixteen. In 2005, he obliterated Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto with a right hand that is well worth the look. The next year, Zambidis battled with lanky Japanese standout Yoshihiro Sato. 2007 saw him defeat Gago Drago by decision following an extension round. Zambidis was on the wrong side of a knockout in the extension round when he met Andy Souwer in the round of sixteen in 2008. Found something perfect for the Morning Report? Just hit me on Twitter @shaunalshatti and we'll include it in tomorrow's post.

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick, vs, mdash

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It didn’t take long for word to spread about Nick Diaz’s decision to skip a heavily advertised jiu-jitsu match scheduled for Saturday night with the news since resulting in an overflow of opinions on how the controversial competitor handled the matter. Diaz, who was set to take on highly-touted blackbelt Braulio Estima, avoided informing anyone of his plans prior to pulling out and has yet to explain his behavior. One person whose jaw didn’t drop at the notion of Diaz flaking was UFC President Dana White, citing his own experiences with the former Strikeforce champion in a post on Twitter addressing the situation. “No, not shocked and I’m surprised u people are! He no showed a Las Vegas press conf to a fight he was gonna make HUGE $ and title,” wrote White in reference to Diaz’s actions leading up to UFC 137 where he was supposed to fight Georges St-Pierre. Diaz missed two press conferences, the latter of which was in Las Vegas, and was replaced in the bout by Carlos Condit. “People are f***in nuts and braindead to be OUTRAGED and SHOCKED that Nick no showed something,” White added candidly. Independent of his aspirations on the mat as a submission-grappler it also remains to be seen if Diaz will ever return to the Octagon. He is currently facing a possible suspension due to marijuana use and has stood relatively firm on his surprising retirement a few months back. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: ufc, saturday night, diaz, nick, press conferences

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Team Diaz is fighting to get an injunction in a Las Vegas courtroom over the indefinite suspension that the Nevada State Athletic Commission has levied on Nick Diaz.

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick, nevada state, injunction

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With Nick Diaz no showing at the World Jiu Jitsu Expo last night in Long Beach, California, he continued his habit of not being able to 'play the game', as UFC President Dana White once famously put it. Leaving his opponent Braulio Estima, the crowd in attendance and those who had bought the online Pay Per View in the lurch, Diaz continues to be unreliable as evident by his drug test failure in wake of the championship fight with Carlos Condit, as well as missing press conferences that cost him a shot at the UFC Welterweight title to begin with. Due to his unreliability and behaviour, should Submission Grappling and MMA Promoters blacklist Nick Diaz from here on out? T.P. Grant: Yes. If Diaz can't be relied on to show up for a grappling match, that in the grand scheme of things didn't mean anything, he has blacklisted himself. "Does Nick Diaz show up?" will be a question that is asked every time he is scheduled to appear on shows from here to the end of his career. The worst part is, the people around him seem to refuse that it is a problem. Cesar Gracie, as Nick's coach, mentor and teacher, should be pushing Nick to get help if his social problems are really this bad, but instead he makes excuses. I think Cesar has lost sight of the line between teacher and friend, and is no longer acting in Nick's best interests. KJ Gould: If Diaz is true to his word and stays retired from MMA, it may not be an issue promoters have to consider. Since it's often hard to believe whenever a fighter as young as Diaz retires and sticks with it, promoters are in the bind of wondering if it's worth the risk counting on Diaz even if he can bring some money in.I think MMA and Grappling promoters should blacklist Diaz, to send a universal message about what happens to those who mess about and fail to act like a professional. Of course I can't see that happening, and there will be some promoters who will take a punt and find out the hard way.Diaz didn't just let his opponent, audience and fans down, he let down a charity: the St Jude's Children's Hospital, who he was in effect representing with his purse meant to go to them. It'd be good if the promoters made the donation regardless, but it doesn't look good on Diaz and shouldn't fill anyone with confidence that he's worth the time or effort to work with in the future. Brent Brookhouse: I think the point where you no show charity events is where it becomes inexcusable. Now we're starting to hear all the excuses. If there were issues with the weigh in or worries that the money wasn't going to be donated to charity, it's not like Nick and his people don't know how to get in touch with the media ahead of time. Instead, it's more selfish nonsense where nobody matters to Nick but Nick. If it was an issue with the weights? Who cares? It's for charity and it wasn't like it was something that mattered in the long term. I know it sucks, but just talk about it before and after the fight, letting people know that it's not at the agreed upon weight. No showing is never the way to handle something like this. Read more after the jump KJ Gould: Certain things don't add up about the excuses. Braulio Estima appeared to make weight 5 hours before the match, where as Diaz supposedly made weight the day before and had eaten. If anyone was at a disadvantage going onto the mat, it was Estima, and same day weigh-ins are pretty typical of most grappling events. Day before weigh-ins are reserved for Boxing and MMA because of the striking impact issue and brain hydration, among other things. Cesar Gracie off all people knows this.Then you have Estima showing up and doing everything professionally, after international traveling through multiple time zones, while comparatively Diaz only has to come from down the road.If there is any kind of issue with the money involved, that's where lawyers come in. Diaz and his camp have a really good one fighting the NSAC at the moment, so it's not as if they don't know where to look. Even then, when a small promotion like this (compared to the UFC) is putting on a show, getting paid once the gate takings and revenues collected post-event is pretty common.I think a lot of what we've been hearing is excuse and unfounded speculation. Diaz is just a head case that's talented at fighting, but the amount of time and money invested in him is producing diminishing returns. He's no longer worth it. Fraser Coffeen: As a promoter you have to weigh the pros and cons of booking Diaz. The pros are obvious - he's a name that has a lot of interest and he'll draw eyes to your product. This weekend's show is a prime example, as we gave it far more coverage than we would have without Diaz involved. But the cons are that it creates huge troubles for you down the line. In the short term - how will this weekend's promoters respond to the requests for a refund they are sure to get? In the long term, this reflects poorly on the organization. While the blame belongs on Diaz, fans who got screwed this time won't always see that and may be hesitant to buy your product next time. To me, those cons outweigh the pros, so yes, he should not be booked. Will that happen? No way. Because smaller organizations (and maybe even that one really big organization) are willing to roll the dice. The pros are going to happen - he WILL draw interest in your show. The cons? They might happen, or they might not. Promoters will still take that gamble in the interest of viewer-ship, and Diaz will just keep burning them. Ben Thapa: The word "blacklist" is not one we should be using. That concept implies that no matter what situation arises, the person being blacklisted would never, ever be part of the deal. They are excluded in totality. Persona non grata. You cannot do that with Nick Diaz. He is too skilled, too controversial and ultimately, too popular to exclude like that. The solution rests in opening honest and constant communications with Nick himself and not with his hangers-on - for I believe this missed Superfight debacle rests squarely upon Nick allowing the hangers-on around him to make him angry and paranoid. The continually belligerent and disconnected-from-reality Tweets, comments and words of the coterie surrounding Nick Diaz are indicative of an arrangement that truly does not serve Nick well. They serve as a bizarre echo chamber that mixes some facts, large helpings of conspiracy theories and the occasional dollop of self-serving nonsense into a corrosive atmosphere that works to Nick's detriment. The echo chamber does not confound Gil Melendez, Jake Shields or Nate Diaz - for they show up and they battle their hearts out. Nick has never been one to reach out and establish honest-if-not-congenial relationships with promoters, organizers or his opponents. They come to him and the unsettling of his opponents is always a desired goal of the Diaz brothers. However, that hurts Nick because when uncertainty over weigh-in arrangements starts, he can't get a clear, coherent answer from the promoters themselves and instead trusts those around him to have a secure grasp upon the truth and his best interest in heart. That did not happen and thus the fight did not happen. Nick Diaz is a very talented combat sports enthusiast, training in sambo, Brazilian jiu jitsu, wrestling, boxing, Muay Thai, judo and more. He is perhaps a more dedicated martial artist than someone like Georges St. Pierre. But he cannot stick to a schedule that gets him the fame and fortune he wants if he keeps trusting the people around him. They won't let him. That is what separates GSP from Nick - the professionalism and the showing up come hell or high water. Nick used to have that reputation, but the UFC 137 debacle combined with this no show means Nick is sliding in a bad direction and it has absolutely nothing to do with his fighting skills or will to battle. In the end, Nick Diaz is still worth it for promoters as a draw and as a fighter to watch. KJ Gould: With Diaz's history, and with him seemingly needing a nanny more than a manager to care for him when it comes to anything 'fight business' related, exclusion in totality looks like an attractive option. No matter how talented and popular he is, promoters should be genuinely concerned about not seeing a return on their investment. If promoters constructed contracts to protect themselves and make Diaz financially accountable, because he's 'high risk', is that something they could even get Diaz to sign? Ben Thapa: One of the oddest things about Diaz's sticking point being the weight thing is that essentially none of the BJJ fights that night took place with two people of the exact same size. For example, Caio Terra gave up anywhere from ten to twenty pounds to Jeff Glover. When you only weigh 130ish pounds, those extra lbs really matter - much more so than the five to seven pounds Nick was worried about at 180ish lbs. KJ Gould: Plus it's not like Diaz has never competed in anything that high in weight before, even in MMA against guys like Scott Smith and Frank Shamrock. Steph Daniels: I find it odd that none of the other competitors on the card had to weigh in except Braulio (he was even observed by a member from the Diaz camp), and why didn't Diaz weigh in with a member of Estima's camp present? Jack Slack: I don't think that Nick needs to be blacklisted from anything, but I do believe he needs to be broken of his silly whims. He has spent the last 5 years being pampered by Strikeforce; normally one of the highest paid fighters on the card, choosing his own opponents, never having to fight a decent wrestler. The UFC didn't do much better in treating him like a normal fighter - promise of an instant title shot, then a fight with a lightweight boxer in a division stacked with top ranked wrestlers. He'll need the money again soon I'm sure, and after all the crap he's pulled, the UFC will likely try to find some way of giving him a slap in the face - perhaps a match against a tough spoiler like Mike Pierce or Jon Fitch with no promise of a title shot. We can only hope. Dallas Winston: The thought of "blacklisting" Nick Diaz in the fight business is just unrealistic. He's so freakishly talented in so many different ways and I can't imagine a unified ban specifically for him, in MMA or grappling. I'm a huge fan of Nick Diaz and accepted a long time ago that we're all just along for the ride. Yesterday, before the grappling event, I was thinking about what a win-win situation this was for NIck. If he loses or gets submitted -- so what? It's Braulio f**king Estima. If he won or was even competitive, it would drastically increase his mystique and drawing power. Unfortunately, the no-show emphasized his unpredictability. Being a complete wild card has always been a big part of his appeal, but lately it's been too much unpredictability, and without the showcase performances to compensate. Steph Daniels: And no, I don't think he should be blacklisted. I wouldn't be adverse to him being assigned a handler, though. I think certain personalities need to be guided through their commitments, and he's definitely one of those people. Missed flights, pressers, seminars and jiu jitsu charity matches all equate to one thing. He needs a firmer hand nudging him in the right direction. A PR agent or firm might be wise also, because there seems to be nobody at the wheel in that department either. T.P. Grant: I don't think nick diaz should be blacklisted either but each time he does this he hurts himself. I don't think anyone can put him in as a headliner at this point and feel comfortable about it. I don't think he will get black listed, but it will limit future oppurtunties.

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, time, nick, promoter

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Late Friday night, Orange County GracieFighter's Jason Manly stated Braulio Estima came in 9 lbs overweight in his Brazilian jiu-jitsu supermatch with Nick Diaz which was slated to go down at the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo in Long Beach, California yesterday. The info spread on The Underground, fanboys created their hyper-complex conspiracy theories, then the morning after the debacle, Braulio Estima posted on his Facebook that he made weight, and that became verified fact. Shortly after Nick Diaz pulled off a no-show to his highly anticipated fight against Braulio Estima, LayzieTheSavage did some investigative reporting, fact-checked his sources and found evidence that Braulio Estima is not exactly telling the truth regarding making the agreed upon weight of 180 lbs to compete against Nick Diaz.

Posted in: nick diaz, nick, estima, braulio, braulio estima

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Late Friday night, Orange County GracieFighter's Jason Manly stated Braulio Estima came in 9 lbs overweight in his Brazilian jiu-jitsu supermatch with Nick Diaz which was slated to go down at the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo in Long Beach, California yesterday. The info spread on The Underground, fanboys created their hyper-complex conspiracy theories, then the morning after the debacle, Braulio Estima posted on his Facebook that he made weight, and that became verified fact. Shortly after Nick Diaz pulled off a no-show to his highly anticipated fight against Braulio Estima, LayzieTheSavage did some investigative reporting, fact-checked his sources and found evidence that Braulio Estima is not exactly telling the truth regarding making the agreed upon weight of 180 lbs to compete against Nick Diaz. Update: A lot of people are claiming Braulio Estima said 'Lana,' as in Lana Stefanac, a member of Team Gracie Fighter. LayzieTheSavage asked if it was 'Ronda Rousey,' Braulio Estima confirmed it. Estima's false confirmation could be attributed to a communication barrier, or just the general noise in the place. We're going to follow up with Lana Stefanac to see what actually happened. Update: Here's what LayzieTheSavage tweeted in regards to the Braulio Estima debacle.

Posted in: nick diaz, nick, estima, braulio, braulio estima

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Even when Nick Diaz isn’t fighting, he’s hogging headlines. Last night the mercurial welterweight skipped out on a planned Brazilian jiu-jitsu super match against expert grappler Braulio Estima at the inaugural World Jiu-Jitsu Expo, a grappling event organized by Renzo Gracie. As with most everything Diaz does, this latest antic drew a lot of attention and prompted many of his peers and other figures in the MMA world to speak out. You can check out a small collection of only a few of those reactions below while you wonder, “What will Nick Diaz do next?” Diaz Brothers Promoter fails to donate the money to charity as agreed. (shady) Promoter changes rules for weigh ins to accommodate fellow Brazilian Match ain’t happening Braulio Estima Unfortunately the so expected super fight Estima vs Diaz didn’t happened. I’m very sad as I did everything possible for it to happen. I weighed in at 180lbs this morning at 10 am as agreed and asked to see nicks weighing too but I was informed by Cesar his Coach that he was 180lbs in the previous night and that he ate and is over 180lbs even though I just let it go an still showed up to fight. What pisses me off the most is that he was telling he was going to give his purse to charity for the childrens hospital and than don’t show up. What kind of person is that. Shame. Ps. I’m sorry for all the ones who stayed up to watch this fight but I’m sure the prelims fights was amazing. Thank u all for the support aways Renzo Gracie @nickdiaz209 the truth can only be told by him. For sure he has his reasons. He represents BJJ better than anyone in the fray. Let’s wait Nate Diaz Braulio didn’t show up on weight the day of weigh ins knowing he had pull? Wtf Cesar Gracie Nick is out Dana White no, not shocked and I’m surprised u people are! He no showed a Las Vegas press conf to a fight he was gonna make HUGE $ and title people are f***in nuts and braindead to be OUTRAGED and SHOCKED that Nick no showed something. Ian McCall “@eL_EV3N11: @Unclecreepymma what do u think about Nick Diaz ducking his BJJ super fight with Estima tonight?” bulls*** Siyar Bahadurzada The Nick Diaz version of “i’m gonna make you am offer you cannot refuse” will be: “I’m gonna give you a reason, you cannot understand!” Jon Anik We’ve got 24 fighters accounted for in Fairfax, Virginia and ready to put on a show Tuesday night. Movin’ on… #UFC Mark Bocek Diaz no show, very surprising, great guy for the sport… #mma #UFC   MMAFrenzy.com

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick diaz, nick, estima

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There are three things in life that are certain: 1) Death, 2) Taxes, and 3) If left to his own devices, Nick Diaz is probably not going to show up to whatever engagement he may have at any given time. Such was the case last night (Sat., May 12, 2012) at the Convention Center in Long Beach, Calif., when Diaz failed to shows up for his planned Brazilian jiu-jitsu superfight against Braulio Estima. And, naturally, Estima is pissed off about it: "I know he's supposed to be the big MMA bad guy and he's all tough, he's supposed to be showbiz, but what is this? When you make an announcement that you're going to fight for charity and you don't show up, what the hell is going on? It's not about showbiz. It's about being a good person. I don't know what is going on. ... I'm a professional athlete. I never thought he wouldn't show up. I came from the U.K., I made the weight, I made 185 pounds, I didn't expect him to not show up. I don't understand why he'd run away." There's more to the story, of course. Diaz was reportedly told the day before the event that Estima would not be able to make weight for the submission grappling match, though that ended up not being the case. His trainer, Cesar Gracie, told MMAFighting.com he had no idea where Diaz was and no one was able to locate him. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fans know all too well what it's like dealing with the Stockton slugger, who lost out on a welterweight championship opportunity against Georges St. Pierre after no-showing multiple press conferences. Not quite the same as Estima literally waiting for him on the mats in front of fans, but you get the point. Hear more from Estima after the jump, including his all but challenging Diaz to an MMA fight on his terms. Editor's note: Nick Diaz's YouTube account actually "liked" this video shortly after it went up. Take that for what you will.

Posted in: diaz, show, nick, estima, beach calif

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submitted by theomegachrist [link] [2 comments]

Posted in: show, nick, jiujitsu, theomegachrist, disgrace

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Nick Diaz was originally scheduled to face Estima in the main event of last night's World Jiu-Jitsu Expo, but to disappointment of grappling fans gathered at Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California, Diaz simply didn't show up. Today, Nick Diaz (allegedly) released the following status on Diaz Brothers official Facebook page, accusing the WJJ Expo organizers for skewing the weigh-in rules. Diaz is currently under temporary suspension for failing his post-UFC 137 drug test. Former Strikeforce

Posted in: diaz, nick, didnt show, bjj superfight, face estima

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submitted by pinkyoshi [link] [comment]

Posted in: diaz, nick, pinkyoshi link, pinkyoshi, trolling

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LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Braulio Estima had plenty to say after Nick Diaz failed to show up for their superfight at the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo on Saturday night. The three-time world champion talked about his weight issues before the fight, how upset he was with Nick Diaz and more in the video below.

Posted in: saturday night, nick diaz, nick, weight issues, braulio estima

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submitted by swampskater [link] [8 comments]

Posted in: fight, nick diaz, nick, renato, announcer

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Nick Diaz is at it again. When he didn't show up for Press Conferences in the past, Diaz got punished and even cost him a title shot against Georges St. Pierre. He says he just didn't enjoy attending "beauty pageants", but he would never ditch a fight anyway. That's exactly what he did tonight though. Diaz had a grappling super-fight against Braulio Estima set, with his entire purse was supposed to be donated to St. Jude's Children's Hospital. It was supposed to be an excellent way to keep him active during his time off from licensing issues due to his Marijuana positive test. It was supposed to be a good way to keep his name in the press, and to help a good cause at the same time. During the main event of the World Jiujitsu Expo, Braulio Estima was left alone on the mat, sitting on his knees, with Diaz no where to be found. Robert Drysdale offered to step in to face him, but Estima declined, saying "I came to fight Nick Diaz". Not only did Diaz ditch a high-profile BJJ match, he ditched a charity he promised to support. When Cesar Gracie was asked, he said he had no idea where his star pupil was or why he decided to no-show: "I don't know," Cesar Gracie told MMAFighting.com. "I know he was mad when he was told Braulio would not make weight last night," Gracie said. "No one has seen him today. Braulio ended up making weight this morning." Estima wasn't happy about the outcome. After he was left on the mat without an opponent, the BJJ legend addressed the crowd and even challenged Diaz in an MMA bout.

Posted in: diaz, nick, estima, cesar gracie, braulio

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MMA Fighting has Nick Diaz vs. Braulio Estima results for Saturday night's action at the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo in Long Beach, Calif. The Diaz vs. Estima superfight headlines a six-fight card. Other fights on the card are Caio Terra vs. Jeff Glover (no-gi), Kron Gracie vs. Victor Estima (gi), Rafael Lovato vs. Lucas Leite (gi), Bill Cooper vs. Nino Schembri (gi) and Kyra Gracie def. Alexis Davis (no-gi). This is new territory for Braulio Estima. Being one of the most decorated BJJ players in the world isn't the worst gig, though you'd probably be surprised at the lack of recognition that comes with a closet full of golden hardware. But getting wrapped-up in the Nick Diaz circus? That's a different beast entirely. The unique cult of personality that surrounds Diaz, eliciting squawks of ‘don't be scared homie' at defaced portraits of Carlos Condit halfway across the globe, is exactly why the two-time ADCC champion suddenly finds himself inundated with P.R. requests, as inquiring eyeballs flock to watch Diaz's latest exploit with half-gawking curiosity. For Estima, it is an impeccable stroke of fortune he never planned for. "This was the perfect (set of circumstances)," the 31-year-old Brazilian explained on The MMA Hour. "I was actually going to do a free seminar at the expo of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and I heard Nick Diaz was going to do a grappling match at the same expo. The first thing that came to my mind was, ‘Wow, that would be a great match-up because we have kind of the same weight and kind of the same height, and he fights with submissions, I fight with submissions. He is a legend in the MMA sport.'" In a surprising turn of events, Diaz, caught in a tenuous legal battle with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, had turned to Long Beach's World Jiu-Jitsu Expo to satiate his competitive urges. While hundreds of miles away, deep in the coastal wetlands of Boca Raton, Estima buried himself into coaching duties for the Blackzilian camp, preparing Rashad Evans for his upcoming UFC 145 title fight. Braulio Estima vs. Nick Diaz countdown video As luck would have it, the two timetables matched-up perfectly."I was training in Florida when Junior, one of the main guys for the expo, approached me and said, 'How about a fight with Nick Diaz?' Estima cheerfully recalled. "I said, 'Wow. Man, I would love to have this fight!' This will help both of us." Now, in a matter of weeks, Diaz vs. Estima has become the most heavily-publicized BJJ match in recent memory. Selling at $10 a pop, the pay-per-view has delivered a flood of new observers to the niche expo, each of whom know next to nothing about Estima and his lifetime of accomplishments. Nothing, except of course, that he's supposed to wipe the floor with Diaz. "I think people underestimate a lot, the experience that Nick has," Estima mused. "He's not an easy fight. I think because of my name, because of what I've achieved ... the pressure is all on me. Which helps him. He has nothing to lose in this match. I have everything (to lose). "He has no pressure to win this fight. He just needs to go in there and do a good job." Estima, who has won everything from the Mundials to the Pan American Championships, admits he won't be 100 percent for the match because of how abruptly the opportunity arose. But as he puts it, the unusual set of circumstances could become an interesting nuance that makes things "a little bit more even." "I'm coming off of a break since Abu Dhabi, and haven't been training as hard as I was for ADCC," Estima confessed. "I had to lose a lot of weight to make this fight at 180. I will be coming from Thailand which is like 14 hours of difference. The jet lag is going to be great." So if this match feels different, it's probably because it is. In more ways than one, apparently. With more eyeballs come more expectations, and for Estima, a rather tough spotlight to be thrust into. But when the time comes, and he and Diaz look eye to eye, none of that will matter. He's been here his entire life, and this moment, just like all the others before it, is going to feel right at home. "I can't wait to put my feet on the mat and start grappling," Estima concluded with a grin. "I really want to be the first guy that ever taps him."

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick, vs, estima

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For all the BElitists around the world, this is your formal invitation to chit-chat with your brethren while watching a star studded BJJ card, featuring a superfight that makes me want to bite my knuckles in anticipation. The much talked about match between UFC welterweight contender, Nick Diaz, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu master, Braulio Estima, is finally upon us. In 30 short minutes, the pre-show will kick off, and at 10 pm EST, the card itself will begin. You can get your pass to watch via http://mobileblackbelt.tv/ for only $9.95. If you're thinking to yourself, 'Do I want to part with 10 bucks for this event?', keep in mind that a portion of the proceeds from the PPV stream will go to charity. The card in it's entirety is as follows: NICK DIAZ vs. BRAULIO ESTIMA (NO-GI)KAYRON GRACIE vs. RAFAEL LOVATO (GI)VICTOR ESTIMA vs. KRON GRACIE (GI)NINO SCHEMBRI vs. BILL COOPER (GI)KYRA GRACIE vs. ALEXIS DAVIS (NO-GI)CAIO TERRA vs. JEFF GLOVER (NO-GI) This event is part of the debut of the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo, taking place at the Long Beach Convention Center in California. As reported here on Bloody Elbow, Nick Diaz will be donating his entire purse to St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Hope you guys enjoy the show.

Posted in: diaz, nick, vs, estima, bjj card

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The Diaz brothers didn’t pick up facial warfare at Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, it was handed down from several previous generations of the Diaz bloodline. Mean-mugging is not something you learn to do after being bullied in grade school it’s hereditary.  Last week, Nate Diaz used his trademarked 209 war face to demonstrate that he was the number one contender for the 155lb UFC championship, and tonight, Nick Diaz will grapple one of the finest BJJ practitioners in the world.  It wouldn’t feel right if there wasn’t controversy, so to spice things up, Braulio Estima arrived overweight by nine pounds yesterday.  Knowing that Nick Diaz ‘ain’t scared, homie,’ today (according to his facebook page.) he reached the agreed weight of 180lbs and the match can take place.  Wasting no time, Estima rehydrated and began the first round of interviews with the media where he explains that Nick Diaz will not taunt him like he does his other opponents, and he expects this match to end within 4 minutes, by triangle.  The festivities kick off live on PPV at 9:30pmEST/6:30pm PST. [Source]

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, ’t, braulio estima

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The Diaz brothers didn’t pick up facial warfare at Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, it was handed down from several previous generations of the Diaz bloodline. Mean-mugging is not something you learn to do after being bullied in grade school it’s hereditary.  Last week, Nate Diaz used his trademarked 209 war face to demonstrate that he was the number one contender for the 155lb UFC championship, and tonight, Nick Diaz will grapple one of the finest BJJ practitioners in the world.  It wouldn’t feel right if there wasn’t controversy, so to spice things up, Braulio Estima arrived overweight by nine pounds yesterday.  Knowing that Nick Diaz ‘ain’t scared, homie,’ today (according to his facebook page.) he reached the agreed weight of 180lbs and the match can take place.  Wasting no time, Estima rehydrated and began the first round of interviews with the media where he explains that Nick Diaz will not taunt him like he does his other opponents, and he expects this match to end within 4 minutes, by triangle.  The festivities kick off live on PPV at 9:30pmEST/6:30pm PST. [Source]

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, ’t, braulio estima

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Counsel for Nick Diaz has responded to the Nevada Athletic Commission’s opposition of its motion for an injunction against the fighter’s temporary suspension.

Posted in: nick diaz, nick, fighter ’s, counsel, injunction

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This is new territory for Braulio Estima. Being one of the most decorated BBJ players in the world isn't the worst gig, though you'd probably be surprised at the lack of recognition that comes with a closet full of golden hardware. But getting wrapped-up in the Nick Diaz circus? That's a different beast entirely. The unique cult of personality that surrounds Diaz, eliciting squawks of ‘don't be scared homie' at defaced portraits of Carlos Condit halfway across the globe, is exactly why the two-time ADCC champion suddenly finds himself inundated with P.R. requests, as inquiring eyeballs flock to watch Diaz's latest exploit with half-gawking curiosity. For Estima, it is an impeccable stroke of fortune he never planned for. "This was the perfect (set of circumstances)," the 31-year-old Brazilian explained on The MMA Hour. "I was actually going to do a free seminar at the expo of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and I heard Nick Diaz was going to do a grappling match at the same expo. The first thing that came to my mind was, ‘Wow, that would be a great match-up because we have kind of the same weight and kind of the same height, and he fights with submissions, I fight with submissions. He is a legend in the MMA sport.'" In a surprising turn of events, Diaz, caught in a tenuous legal battle with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, had turned to Long Beach's World Jiu-Jitsu Expo to satiate his competitive urges. While hundreds of miles away, deep in the coastal wetlands of Boca Raton, Estima buried himself into coaching duties for the Blackzilian camp, preparing Rashad Evans for his upcoming UFC 145 title fight. Braulio Estima vs. Nick Diaz countdown video As luck would have it, the two timetables matched-up perfectly."I was training in Florida when Junior, one of the main guys for the expo, approached me and said, 'How about a fight with Nick Diaz?' Estima cheerfully recalled. "I said, 'Wow. Man, I would love to have this fight!' This will help both of us." Now, in a matter of weeks, Diaz vs. Estima has become the most heavily-publicized BJJ match in recent memory. Selling at $10 a pop, the pay-per-view has delivered a flood of new observers to the niche expo, each of whom know next to nothing about Estima and his lifetime of accomplishments. Nothing, except of course, that he's supposed to wipe the floor with Diaz. "I think people underestimate a lot, the experience that Nick has," Estima mused. "He's not an easy fight. I think because of my name, because of what I've achieved ... the pressure is all on me. Which helps him. He has nothing to lose in this match. I have everything (to lose). "He has no pressure to win this fight. He just needs to go in there and do a good job." Estima, who has won everything from the Mundials to the Pan American Championships, admits he won't be 100 percent for the match because of how abruptly the opportunity arose. But as he puts it, the unusual set of circumstances could become an interesting nuance that makes things "a little bit more even." "I'm coming off of a break since Abu Dhabi, and haven't been training as hard as I was for ADCC," Estima confessed. "I had to lose a lot of weight to make this fight at 180. I will be coming from Thailand which is like 14 hours of difference. The jet lag is going to be great." So if this match feels different, it's probably because it is. In more ways than one, apparently. With more eyeballs come more expectations, and for Estima, a rather tough spotlight to be thrust into. But when the time comes, and he and Diaz look eye to eye, none of that will matter. He's been here his entire life, and this moment, just like all the others before it, is going to feel right at home. "I can't wait to put my feet on the mat and start grappling," Estima concluded with a grin. "I really want to be the first guy that ever taps him."

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick, estima, expo

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Posted in: nick, vs, estima, countdown, áulio

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This weekend, UFC contender Nick Diaz will be taking on BJJ legend, Braulio Estima in a grappling super-fight. The match will headline the World Jiu Jitsu Expo, along with 5 other matches and will be available for viewing online at $9.99. As reported earlier, the proceeds from the purse Nick Diaz will be getting, will be donated to the St. Jude's Children's Hospital. BJJ Film maker Stuart Cooper has created an in-depth preview of the match from the point of view of Braulio Estima, where the BJJ champion talked about the match against Diaz, cutting weight, and using this as a prelude to his future MMA debut. Check out the video below: Braulio Estima: "I'm not gonna go there playing easy. I'm going to play my best game, and I will try to be the first guy to submit (Nick Diaz)." "This is a once in a lifetime thing. Getting one of the top ones in MMA, and getting one of the top ones in BJJ, fighting together, for all the world to come and see. It's going to be amazing." Related: How Will Nick Diaz Vs. Braulio Estima Go This Weekend The 15-minute video is executed very well, so if you're even slightly interested in the match, I do suggest watching it. You can read the rest of the key quotes after the jump. A lot of people consider him as the underdog... But he's a very tough guy. Very flexible. He has a phenomenal gas (tank). He's a triathlon guy so you know stamina is not his problem. I'm coming back from a big break, which makes this thing even. I will be cutting a lot of weight... Which is a challenge that I want to give a go anyway, because I'll be fighting MMA in the lower weight, which is the same weight as Nick Diaz. So I want to start to feel how to fight at that lower weight class. I am the favorite, and everyone expects me to go there and annihilate him. Which, if it happens, then good. But I am not going to underestimate him. I think he's a great fighter, and this brings a lot more pressure. The guy is a special guy. It's going to be a tough match. I'm not expecting nothing easy. I'm not gonna go there playing easy. I'm going to play my best game, and I will try to be the first guy to submit him. He doesn't care about points. He cares about submissions. And I'm going to go there too. I'm going there to beat him by submission. This is a once in a lifetime thing. Getting one of the top ones in MMA, and getting one of the top ones in BJJ, fighting together, for all the world to come and see. It's going to be amazing.

Posted in: diaz, guy, nick, estima, im

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Neither Diaz brother believes much in downtime. While challenging his suspension for a positive drug test, Nick Diaz signed up for a no-gi grappling superfight against Braulio Estima to be held on May 12, 2012. To couch this in terms of a metaphor, it is as if an Olympic decathlon contender decided to challenge Usain Bolt to a 400 meter run on live TV. This grappling match is unusual because it is now rare that someone on the level of Diaz, a title contender in the comparatively more lucrative world of MMA, would participate in a grappling match against Estima, one of the twenty best Brazilian jiu jitsu grapplers on the planet right now. There is little in the way of mega-publicity headed Diaz's way for this match as it takes place outside the UFC - unlike the appearance of Brock Lesnar in the pro wrestling circuit. There is no financial reward - as Diaz is donating his expected purse to charity. All that is left is the purposeful choosing of an immense personal and technical challenge for Diaz that is worth respecting and bringing attention to. Can Nick shock the world and bring more glory to 209? For Estima, this is a chance to show MMA fans what he can do and to make further connections within the MMA world. If he loses, his reputation takes a bit of a dent and his prospect wattage dims considerably. His training partner Roger Gracie has already taken that dent after a loss to Muhammad Lawal and is now going to make a new weight class his home. Will the same fate befall Braulio? Hit the jump for a look at the styles of Diaz and Estima, as well as an overview of the other matches at the World Jiu Jitsu Expo in Long Beach, California on May 12, 2012. Related Coverage: Nick Diaz to donate entire purse to St. Jude's Children's Hospital | Stephie Daniels interviews Braulio about impending MMA debut | Ben Thapa previews the ADCC 2011 Superfight between Jacare and Braulio | Ben Thapa on ADCC 2011 Results (the significance of Braulio's victory against Jacare) Braulio spoke with our own Stephie Daniels for a short time while in Abu Dhabi on a dying phone regarding the Diaz super-fight and about Andre Galvao, a future opponent in yet another super-fight: It is good for him to fight someone in BJJ because he cannot fight in MMA at the moment. He can take his fitness levels from MMA and transfer them here. This is going to be huge. It will be difficult to beat him and I'm actually very excited. I've also got a sponsor who is excited about this and is allowing me to fight him, which is great too. Regarding an MMA rules fight with Andre Galvao subsequent to their upcoming ADCC super-fight in 2013: I don't think so, because we are friends, and when you add punches to the face, that puts a strain on any friendship. NICK DIAZ vs. BRAULIO ESTIMA (NO-GI) Diaz battled Carlos Condit for the UFC interim welterweight title, but came up short on the judges' card and was subsequently suspended from fighting due to a positive drug test for marijuana metabolites. His talent and achievements within MMA are unquestioned and Nick built his very solid grappling game under the tutelage of Cesar Gracie, a notoriously difficult instructor in terms of handing out belts. The nine, often spectacular submission victories Diaz holds in his MMA career show his dangerous finishing abilities in the context of no-gi grappling. He gives almost everyone he meets fits on the ground, but Braulio Estima is not a regular run of the mill grappler. Braulio Estima was at the absolute pinnacle of the sport of Brazilian jiu jitsu in 2009. He won every major tournament he entered and his ADCC 2009 run was magnificent. His double gold in the 88 kg and the Absolute divisions were both won by a rare submission called the inverted triangle. Unfortunately, the brilliance of the 2009 campaign dimmed in 2010, as Braulio dealt with nagging injuries in between then and the 2011 ADCC. Like the sprinter Bolt, his dominance was hampered by these injuries, but Braulio's victory over Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza in the ADCC Superfight showed he was back and that he was grappling at a very high level. The 4-0 points victory does not reflect the extreme frustration Jacare experienced trying to pass Braulio's guard and the lightning-quick back take Braulio had off an unusual transition. Braulio wins again and again in and out of the gi. Both fighters stand to gain little in their respective niches from this battle. If Nick wins, he gains little in the MMA world, but jumps considerably in the BJJ world. If Braulio wins, he's lived up to expectations, yet his MMA career isn't helped much. However, both should gain respect from the fans for agreeing to match each other as the headliner to what will be an entertaining superfight card. Braulio's guard is immensely difficult to solve. He submitted Marcelo Garcia after a tiny grip-based mistake, submitted Andre Galvao in 2009 with an inverted triangle and caused Xande Ribeiro (a much bigger grappler) to quit due to injury after applying another inverted triangle. His back take on Jacare in the ADCC 2011 Superfight was very impressive and he should be able to do much more to Nick. The two grapplers should be of roughly similar size, but Braulio will probably be the stronger of the two on the ground and much more able to take advantage of transitions after Diaz tries something. Both Diaz brothers have a tendency to expose their backs or chill out in turtle until they spin out and grab a limb. However, Braulio is too good to fall for that and will probably run up the score a good deal on a very game Nick after taking him down. Due to this being no-gi, a submission is difficult to predict, but Braulio probably can secure Nick's back after a while and get the RNC. RAFAEL LOVATO JR. vs. LUCAS LEITE (GI) Lucas Leite is a threat to win any gi tournament he enters. He recently reached the finals of the 2012 Abu Dhabi World Pro against Claudio Calasans and lost a points victory. Lovato Jr. is also a threat to win these tournaments, but hasn't quite cracked through to the gold medal since his victory over Rodolfo Vieira in the no-gi 2011 World Pro. Rafael took third in the same Abu Dhabi tournament, losing by an advantage to one of the finalists in a controversial match. Both men are probably going to engage in an extremely intense, pressure-based battle to get grips and sweeps. I suspect that this one will be decided by an advantage or two. VICTOR ESTIMA vs. KRON GRACIE (GI) This match actually happened at the 2012 Pan Am and Victor was disqualified for an illegal knee reap. The rules are the same and Kron is again the favorite to win. Victor loves pulling guard and then working for guillotines or sweeps. Kron does not care where he ends up and hunts submissions from all over, often to his detriment in a point-based decision. NINO SCHEMBRI vs. BILL COOPER (GI) Nino is perhaps the best innovator in the sport that the Americans overlook. He was playing around with omoplatas, twisters and all kinds of other unusual tactics in the '90s. His competition record is absolutely stellar and some of his matches could feature in a hypothetical Top 100 BJJ Matches of All Time list. Unfortunately, he is facing Bill "The Grill" Cooper who will push the pace higher and higher until neither grappler can go any further. Cooper's match against Finfou a couple years ago remains my favorite spirit-breaking-through-pace-pushing moment ever. Bill actually has fought on the Strikeforce undercard a couple times and is 2-1 in his pro MMA career. Look for Bill to move through all the angles possible to attack and for Nino to follow, hunting a submission on the dangerous Cooper. Nino could get a finish, but it is unlikely. Look at their previous match in 2010 for a clue of what this insanity will look like: KYRA GRACIE vs. ALEXIS DAVIS (NO-GI) Kyra has an injured foot, but is still game for this. She lost the finals of the 2012 Abu Dhabi World Pro to Michelle Nicolini by footlock as she stuck it out at a bad time and couldn't tough it out enough to escape. If Davis is smart, she goes after that foot and wins. If not, Kyra will probably control her and slowly whittle her down until Davis wises up and attacks the foot. CAIO TERRA vs. JEFF GLOVER (NO-GI) Caio usually wins every competition he enters as a roosterweight - or loses in the finals to Bruno Malfacine. Glover is 20ish pounds heavier and a very strong submission grappler. If this were gi, I'd pick Terra in a heartbeat, but Glover finished Robson Moura, a legendary grappler in his own right, at the last ADCCs. Glover probably wins a controlled fight here.

Posted in: world, diaz, mma, nick, braulio

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Posted in: nick diaz, nick, pierre, st, cajart

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The last few years of watching Nick Diaz fight lead you to believe there is no way of really beating him. It’s like one of those Zynga games on Facebook; you could play for years, but you can’t really win despite how many missions you complete in FarmVille. Nick Diaz and Zynga automatically make you losers by standing in their vicinity. The main difference is that on May 12, the superfight between Nick Diaz and Braulio Estima is going to be contested purely in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and Braulio is arguably the best grappler in the world. We could spend the remaining time we have left before the sun melts the Earth debating that, but by then, Braulio would probably win an additional dozen grappling tournaments, further supporting that line of reasoning. Here’s a video courtesy of Stuart Cooper of the Brazilian preparing for Nick Diaz.

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, braulio, braulio estima

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Longtime mixed martial arts (MMA) veteran and all around Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) wizard. Renzo Gracie, has not seen action inside a cage or a ring since his loss at the hands of Matt Hughes at UFC 112 two years ago. That, however, hasn't stopped him from keeping busy in the MMA world---Jiu Jitsu to be exact. In fact, the sixth-degree black belt created and is the president of the first-ever World Jiu-Jitsu Expo, which is set to go down on May 12, 2012 in Long Beach, California. The expo will feature many of today's top jiu-jitsu practitioners from all over the world who will convene in Long Beach to see who indeed is the slickest submission artist of them all. The inaugural show will feature a very intriguing "superfight" as former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion and recently retired Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) contender Nick Diaz will take on one of the best Jiu-Jitsu players in the world in second degree black belt, Braulio Estima, at 180 pounds. Estima, who is currently preparing for his MMA debut later this year with the help of UFC Light Heavyweight contender Rashad Evans and the rest of the "The Blackzillians" down in Florida, is one of the most decorated grapplers in the sport today. Estima has won the prestigious Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) championship twice, and is a three-time world champion with 13 gold medals in total while competing at the Pan American Championships, European Championship and Nogi Pan American Championships. Basically, he's an all-around certified submission badass. Though he doesn't have quite the same credentials as Estima, Diaz, who is a black belt under Cesar Gracie, is no slouch when it comes to the submission game. Nick currently has nine victories via submission under his belt, though he has proven that the stand-up game is his preference. So how did his match-up with Braulio come to be? Appearing on the most recent edition of The MMA Hour, Renzo reveals that Diaz himself asked for the bout, stating that he wanted to be matched up against the best and Gracie goes on to say that the match will be a very tough test for the Stockton slugger. Check it out: "It's going to be a tough fight, especially under those rules of just jiu-jitsu, a very tough fight. If the fight was an MMA fight, it would be different ball game, but, the fact that it is just jiu-jitsu, it's going to be a real test for Nick because Braulio is the best out there. He is one of the best. You know, the funny thing is that Nick picked this fight, he wanted to fight the best. He didn't want to fight the second or the third you know? So that is how this match-up ended up happening. And to be honest, even I am interested to watch that very much." Diaz is currently engaged in a battle with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) over his UFC 143 post-fight drug test which came back positive for marijuana metabolites, and hasn't seen action since coming up short in capturing the UFC's interim 170-pound strap against Carlos Condit on Feb., 4, 2012 at UFC 143. After his unanimous decision loss to "The Natural Born Killer," Diaz declared he was done fighting and would walk away from MMA. Though Renzo states he's never touched pot in his life, he doesn't believe that Nick's marijuana use should be considered a performance enhancing drug (PED). In fact, Renzo says it's the complete opposite and his issues with the NSAC will not interfere with his participation in Nick's grappling match with Estima: "Not at all, not at all. My man, smoking pot is legal in California, you know, what can I do? I never smoked pot in my life, never, never touch it. To me, you know, I see a lot of people getting drunk you know, and I see a lot of people defending the flag of Bob Marley. Man, every time I see someone smoking pot, I see them lying on the couch and they don't want to move. So, I don't think this is a performance enhancing drug. I think it's a slow down drug. The guys, all they do is they smoke and eat and they sleep." Diaz can truly lay claim to being one of the best grapplers in MMA, but is he in over his head taking on someone the caliber of Estima? Or will the bad boy from Stockton surprise the Jiu-Jitsu world and defeat "Carcara" at his own game? To learn more about the first ever World Jiu-Jitsu Expo, click here.

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick, estima, jiujitsu

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Nate Diaz wouldn't be fighting tonight (May 5) in New Jersey if not for older brother Nick. When Nick Diaz began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) to avoid the rough and tumble gang life many youths in Stockton find themselves in, Nate followed him. When Nick decided to parlay his training into a career in mixed martial arts (MMA), it wasn't too long after Nate was also making his cagefighting debut. Even after the former Strikeforce champion discovered and fell in love with triathlons, an activity to keep him occupied and fit in between bouts, Nate sure enough grabbed some goggles, a bike and a pair of New Balance sneakers. It's safe to say Nate idolizes his older brother. In a world he feels is always against him, in a world full of chaos and uncertainty, Nick is his only constant. Nick was, is and will always be there for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight. Despite this, Nate has been living -- and fighting -- in Nick's shadow for the entirety of his career. It's not hard to believe when one considers Nick made his Octagon debut at 20 years of age, his penchant for trash talking before, during and after a fight, his highly publicized suspensions for marijuana use and his seemingly inability to have a boring fight. Nick, for as much as he shies away from it, always finds himself in the spotlight. But tonight comes Nate's opportunity to step out of his older brother's shadow. At UFC on Fox 3: "Diaz vs. Miller," Nate can become his own man. With a win over Jim Miller, Nate will secure a lightweight title shot against either current champion Ben Henderson or the man "Smooth" usurped, Frankie Edgar. While Nick is already a former Strikeforce champion and got a crack at UFC gold when he faced off against Carlos Condit at UFC 143, a chance for Nate to contend for the lightweight strap would do a lot to shed him of the stigma he's not as good a fighter as his older brother. Despite winning the fifth season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), the talent-rich 155-pound installment which restarted the division, Nate's always been viewed of as a lesser version of Nick. They share the same strengths -- excellent boxing and BJJ -- and are both prone to get manhandled on the canvas by any wrestler worth their salt. They look, talk and fight alike except Nick seemed to just be better at all of it. With the welterweight brother apparently retired following his loss to Condit, Nate remains a mixed martial artist, ready to carry the Diaz banner into the Octagon. He holds an 8-3 record at lightweight in the UFC including his two most recent victories against former lightweight kingpin Takanori Gomi and World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) standout Donald Cerrone. While the way he disposed of "The Fireball Kid" was impressive, it was Diaz's performance against "Cowboy" at UFC 141, which opened eyes. Many expected the bout to tear the roof off the MGM Grand Garden Arena and while it was a spirited affair and won Fight of the Night honors, Diaz dominated his opponent from bell to bell and put an abrupt halt to Cerrone's six fight win streak. It's the type of performance Diaz needs tonight if he hopes to defeat Miller, who has only been stopped short by future champions and title contenders. Can Diaz fit that description and fight for the title? Can he win it? Can the TUF 5 winner finally become his own man, apart from his older brother and his many accomplishments? It all depends on tonight. How the MMA history books will look back at Nate Diaz all depends on tonight.

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If you want to understand anything about the Diaz brothers, you should probably get yourself to Stockton. If you want to understand the important differences between Nick and Nate Diaz, and how the latter’s life might have turned out very differently if not for the former, you should probably go twice.That’s how it worked out for me, anyway. In retrospect, I’m actually kind of glad it happened that way. But only in retrospect.The first time I went to Stockton was in the summer of 2009, when I was sent there to do a cover story on Nick for Fight Magazine. I was there for three days, and I never even saw the man. Not once. Not even after I waited all afternoon one Sunday in a Mexican restaurant with a photographer who wanted to know if all MMA fighters were this difficult (they aren’t). Not even after I staked out his gym in downtown Lodi literally all the next day, only to have one of his blue belts flash me a confused look when I asked if he was expecting Nick to show up at any point."I wouldn’t think so," he said, as if the question itself was slightly ridiculous. I left yet another voicemail for Nick, then the next morning I left Stockton without my story. I thought about that failed venture every time I heard Nick complain that nobody would put him on the cover of a magazine. I thought about it when he insisted that no reporters would dare come to Stockton and see the world from his point of view. You better believe I thought about it when the UFC Magazine wanted to send me back there to do a story on Nick’s younger brother a little over a year later. No thanks, I thought at first. I got a good look at that Mexican restaurant the first time. What reason was there to think that Nate would be any easier to work with than Nick had been?I found out how wrong I was almost as soon as I got to town. Nate had just finished training for the evening, he told me via text as I made the drive from the Oakland airport into Stockton. Did I want to meet him and some friends of his for smoothies? After briefly considering the possibility that smoothies was slang for a crazy type of weed I didn’t even know about, I told him sure, I could drink a smoothie. When I showed up at the smoothie place and he was actually there, as promised, I knew we were already off to a better start.We drank our smoothies outdoors on a warm October night and Nate explained to me why he hated the UFC’s practice of making fighters who might one day have to face each other in the cage share time and space at media appearances and in airport shuttles. The way he saw it, this was intentional. It was the UFC’s attempt to make professional fighting "like some sport," when, at least in his mind, there was nothing sporting about trying to break other people’s limbs and faces on live TV. To pretend otherwise was to buy into an illusion, which Nate seemed to believe would only harm his performance. Better for his opponent to assume he was a psycho hell-bent on destruction, he explained, than for the guy to get comfortable in his presence. The tradeoff was that it made him out to be a madman or a thug in the eyes of public, and he knew it."People can think what they want, but if you hang out with me, I’m chill," he said. "The only time people see me is when I’m on TV fighting, and that’s when I’m at war. That’s not how I am all the time."And that seemed true enough. We spent that night driving around Stockton in his souped-up Chevy Silverado with a Tupac CD as our soundtrack (the entire time I was with him, from the car to the gym, I don’t recall him listening to anything but Tupac). Nate explained how the Stockton I was seeing was a gentrified (my word, not his) version of the one he grew up in. These days it was strip malls and chain stores (though it was still on the verge of being named the most "miserable" city in America by Forbes magazine), but it had been much worse in the years prior. Growing up here, Diaz learned a certain tough guy code before he learned anything else. He learned how not to stare at people, and yet how not to look away. He learned when trouble was about to start up, and how to make other people believe he was ready for it.But Nate will tell you now that it wasn’t until high school that he really learned to fight. Even then it was more Nick’s doing than his. Nick was the motivated one, the focused one. Nate was just the kid who wanted to tag along with his big brother. At first, Nate admitted, he wasn’t terribly interested in jiu-jitsu. He also wasn’t very good. What kept him coming back was that, after practice, the older guys in the class would usually buy he and his brother a burrito from the food truck that pulled up near the gym each night."That was actually the main reason I wanted to go train," he said. "I didn’t have any money. At home we didn’t have s--t. I was starving all day. So if I went to train I’d get something to eat. Sometimes I’d be sitting at home and it was like, well, if I go train with Nick I’ll get something to eat afterwards. If I don’t I’ll just sit here and be hungry. ...I was going for burritos and dinner, and hey, I wanted dinner every day. Before I knew it I was a blue belt."As he got better at jiu-jitsu and went from being the tappee to the tapper, he also discovered a side effect he didn’t expect: happiness. The endorphins from the exercise briefly made him forget the anger and hopelessness he’d come to regard as normal. He wasn’t any good in school, and teachers were always telling him that the best he could hope for was staying out of prison, and they didn’t seem too optimistic about his chances of accomplishing even that. But after following his brother to the gym night after night, suddenly he had a skill worth cultivating. He had something resembling a future. And because Nick fought in local MMA events, it seemed completely reasonable that he should too. It wasn’t even much of a choice. Next thing he knew, he was a pro fighter.Here’s where it’s difficult to overstate the influence that Nick Diaz had on his brother. Without him to funnel Nate’s energy into something productive, who knows what would have become of him. The same was true even after Nate had a career to focus on.For instance, he said, there was the time the WEC wanted him to fight Hermes Franca for its lightweight title. At the time, Franca had more than 20 pro fights, whereas Diaz had about six. To make matters worse, when he showed up the week of the fight, the promoter had a few changes in mind that didn’t seem beneficial to Nate. He didn’t know better, so he was ready to agree to whatever the WEC management suggested. Then Nick stepped in. If they wanted his brother to fight, he told them, they needed to up his pay. After a little back and forth on the exact sum, Nick had argued the price all the way up from two grand to show and another three to win, to $12,000 -- win or lose.As Nick put it when I asked him about it later, "They changed all the rules for that fight. ...We decided he needed to get paid as much as I get paid."Nate remembered trying to keep a straight face throughout the last-minute negotiations, but internally it was a different story."I was just like, are you kidding me?! I couldn’t believe it. I thought, man, I’m going to be a thousandaire. I’m going to buy a house!"He lost that fight, but he wouldn’t lose another one until Clay Guida took a close decision over him at UFC 94, nearly two and a half years later. By then, he was well on his way to becoming a seasoned pro and a UFC lightweight contender, and all while he was still less than a decade removed from being the kid who had only showed up to jiu-jitsu in order to get fed.Does any of that happen without a big brother like Nick there to guide him and push him? Probably not. Probably something much worse happens instead. Probably most of us never learn Nate Diaz’s name, or at least not for any positive reasons. It’s easy for us to think about them as two halves of the same mean-mugging whole, as if they’re more or less interchangeable. We think about Nick’s legacy as a fighter and a genuinely fascinating, but also baffling figure in the MMA world. But when we think about him only as a fighter, we forget what he’s already accomplished as a brother.The closest I came to getting a true glimpse of the importance of that relationship came just before I left Stockton for the second time. I’d spent all Saturday in their Lodi gym, though this time they were both there, for several hours. When they finally wrapped up a marathon training session I got to sit with Nate in the locker room and show him an old photo of him, his brother, and -- according to Nate -- their sister, which had been floating around the internet for the last few years.Nate instantly recognized the photo when I brought it out, but it seemed as if he hadn’t looked at it in years. He certainly didn’t seem aware that it was on the internet, or that it had been passed around so much by fans who had become enthralled with the legend of the Diaz brothers and their life in the 209."We were like third grade or second grade here. It’s crazy," he said, his eyes misting over. "Man we grew up in poverty, in the ghetto, just a really s----y environment. Like right here, we lived in a hotel. Us and my mom, just living in a hotel."Back then, he explained, his big brother was his guide to the whole world, just like he would later become his guide to the world of MMA. Their mother, he said, tried to keep them out of trouble and focused on the positive things in their lives."We were pissed off kids, but she’d say, ‘No, people are good,’" Diaz said. "But growing up, Nick was older, he knew everything was bad. He knew other people weren’t like this, they had good stuff and nice houses. We’d be sitting in the motel waiting for my mom to get off work. My sister and I didn’t know any better. As long as cartoons were on, we were fine. But Nick, he knew. People would always mess with Nick. He’s always been like that."What are you supposed to say to these guys now that they’re grown men, living under the microscope of a sport that doesn’t always know what to make of them? How are you supposed to get them to play nice, to work well with others, after they spent most of their lives learning the opposite lessons? Maybe the answer is that you don’t. It’s hard enough just to get the vaguest idea of who they are and what they mean to one another. Even to get that, you’ve got to go all the way to Stockton. You might even have to go twice. In retrospect, you’ll be glad you did. But only in retrospect.

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NEW YORK CITY - Nick Diaz's camp won't find a vote of confidence from UFC president Dana White in their recent challenge to the Nevada State Athletic Commission. "I get the whole thing they're going for - the metabolites or whatever it is," White said. "Nick can't smoke marijuana leading up to a fight. You just can't do it." While fans and pundits have debated the merits of the drug's legality and the state's case against Diaz, White said he respects the rule of the commission.

Posted in: diaz, nick, thing theyre, states case, drugs legality

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Despite Nick Diaz‘s recent statement regarding a return to the ring if the Nevada State Athletic Commission wipes the slate clean of punishment pertaining to a failed drug test for marijuana metabolites it appears the enigmatic Diaz is no closer to fighting again today than he was a month ago. While he himself has remained fairly quiet on the issue in public, letting teammates and lawyers do the talking for him, those who know him best have a good idea of his true intentions. As such, the one individual worth listening to above all others is the scrapper’s younger brother, Nate Diaz, who recently updated the world on his sibling’s status when asked about it while promoting his bout this weekend against Jim Miller at UFC on FOX 3. Details of Diaz’s Lawsuit Against the NSAC “Most people retire but they don’t got sh*t to do. They’re going to get fat, they’re going to get bored, they’re going to sit at home. Nick’s competing in a jiu-jitsu tournament next weekend. He just did four triathlons in the last two months, and he’s having fun, man. Staying busy,” said the 27-year old Diaz in a conversation transcribed by MMAFighting. “The way things have been going since forever, I don’t think he’s interested. He’s not interested in fighting, but who knows what’s going to happen in the future.” While Diaz left the door open with his final statement it appears his brother is in a good place and happy to remain there. His next outing will come in a grappling superfight against Braulio Estima. PHOTO CREDIT – DIAZBROTHERS.COM Tweet

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The debut of the World Jiu Jitsu Expo kicks off with a bang on May 12, featuring a superfight that can only be defined as epic. UFC welterweight contender, Nick Diaz will be facing off against ADCC superstar, Braulio Estima in Long Beach, CA. Diaz has been on hiatus from the UFC pending the outcome of his hearing with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. The date of that hearing has yet to be set, due to some legal back and forth between Diaz' attorneys and the commission. An HD stream of the entire card, which is a very strong card, even without the superfight, will be provided by mobieblackbelt.tv and will cost $9.95. A pre-show will begin at 630 pm Pacific and the fight card will kick off at 7 pm. The full fight card is as follows: NICK DIAZ vs. BRAULIO ESTIMA (NO-GI)KAYRON GRACIE vs. RAFAEL LOVATO (GI)VICTOR ESTIMA vs. KRON GRACIE (GI)NINO SCHEMBRI vs. BILL COOPER (GI)KYRA GRACIE vs. ALEXIS DAVIS (NO-GI)CAIO TERRA vs. JEFF GLOVER (NO-GI) Mobile Black Belt will be donating 10% of the PPV proceeds to charity, and Nick Diaz will also donate his entire purse to charity. Diehard jiu jitsu fans will be able to purchase the event for 30 days after the live stream, so if you happen to miss it live, you've got a month to get your fix. Tickets to the live event are also available via mobilblackbelt.tv

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With a win over Jim Miller Saturday on Sportsnet, Nate Diaz could surpass his older brother Nick Diaz in terms of his pedigree in MMA.

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NEW YORK CITY - A temporary suspension in Nevada has not prevented Nick Diaz from obtaining a second's license in New Jersey. Diaz was approved this past week to corner his younger brother, Nate Diaz, in the main event of UFC on FOX 3, which takes place Saturday at IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J. "Had [the suspension] been finalized, we may have looked at it differently," New Jersey State Athletic Control Board legal counsel Nick Lembo today told MMAjunkie.com. "But at this point, the matter is under review."

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NEW YORK -- It's been three months since Nick Diaz fought, three months since his forced exile from MMA following a UFC 143 post-fight drug test that came back positive for marijuana metabolites. While Diaz's legal team is currently embroiled in a lawsuit with the Nevada state athletic commission regarding a suspension, he's back home in Stockton enjoying some of his other athletic passions, including jiu-jitsu and triathlons. And judging from the comments of his brother Nate, he's not spending much time pining for a return to the octagon. "The way things have been going since forever, I don’t think he’s interested," Nate said. "He’s not interested in fighting, but who knows what’s going to happen in the future."Nick (26-8, 1 no contest) moved to the UFC in mid-2011 and was expected to face welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre for the title before skipping two press conferences and being yanked from the bout by UFC president Dana White. Diaz's actions were costly, because though he beat BJ Penn at UFC 137, he dropped a close unanimous decision to Carlos Condit just three months later, moving him out of top contender status. That's a spot his brother could reach this weekend with a win.While Nate continues making final preparations for his UFC on FOX 3 main event matchup with Jim Miller, Nick has been training for a jiu-jitsu superfight with vaunted grappler Braulio Estima at the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo on May 12 in Lon Beach, California.Nick also helped Nate prepare for this fight. As of Wednesday afternoon, Nate was not sure if Nick would make it to East Rutherford, New Jersey to support him on fight night, but if he makes it, he will be one of his cornermen for the bout. It's just one of the many things Nick has going on right now. Far from missing fighting, Nick might make fighting miss him."Most people retire but they don’t got s--- to do," Nate said. "They’re going to get fat, they’re going to get bored, they’re going to sit at home. Nick’s competing in a jiu-jitsu tournament next weekend. He just did four triathlons in the last two months, and he’s having fun, man. Staying busy."

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NEW YORK -- One of the biggest misconceptions in MMA is that there is no depth to the Diaz brothers. They've been mistakenly characterized as thugs, brawlers and misanthropes, when the reality is that both are motivated, diligent workers who hold their inner circle as family, and have little need for those on the outside.While welterweight Nick Diaz is the bigger star of the two, he's also sidelined due to a suspension handed down by the Nevada state athletic commission. That leaves 27-year-old Nate Diaz as the flag-bearer of the family.There are many similarities between them. They look alike. Both are southpaws. They speak in a similar style and cadence. Neither is particularly comfortable in front of a bank of cameras, either. Indeed, it seems as if the Diaz brothers are at their best while competing. But there is also evidence that both are at least slightly warming up to their public roles. Say what you will about Nick, but he's an absolutely riveting interview when he chooses to engage the media. And now, so too is Nate coming into his own in public speaking.On Wednesday at the Church Street Boxing Gym in downtown Manhattan, Diaz was in many ways just what we have come to expect, but in other ways completely different. He showed up over one hour past his scheduled workout time, which was perfectly Diaz of him. But then he threw a couple of curveballs. At one point, he asked the assembled media if they would stop filming the last part of his workout, the words "please" and "thank you" punctuating his request. Later, he apologized for being late and for making the media wait for him.And in between, he was genuinely engaged. Without question, there was media in that room who had previously been wondering if the wait was worth it. He's going to show up when he wants, answer a few questions, and leave, you figured.But that wasn't the case at all. Diaz (15-7) stood in front of the horde and thoughtfully answered every question that came his way.One thing he made clear: he respects his Saturday night UFC on FOX 3 opponent Jim Miller. The Diaz boys have been vocal in the past about their dislike of conservative fighting styles. They come to scrap, and they expect the same of whoever steps in the cage with them. When he looks at Miller, he sees someone who brings the same kind of intensity he does."Yeah, I can respect that he fights people," he said. "There’s these guys who come out and do a lot of boring s---. I’m like, 'What are we watching here?' I think they favor the wrestler a lot in this sport. And I think that anybody who comes down, throws some punches, does some jiu-jitsu ... I’m not hating on anyone though. You’ve got to do what you've got to do to win. If you have to hold on tight for your life or run around the ring, that’s what you've got to do. You’ve got to get paid, but I can respect a guy who’s going to come in there and fight with you a little bit."That's the Diaz way, with engaging a must, and going for the finish a cardinal rule. For this camp, he had Nick alongside of him everyday in practice, looking over him, evaluating, adjusting. In fact, he said the best part of Nick's retirement is the fact that there is more time to spend with him, saying he was receiving extra attention from "the best fighter in the world."But he also shows plenty of thought past the obvious. Like when he noted that this break was good for Nick in "letting him have some spare time to just think about other stuff, other than fighting."Nate, though, hasn't reached the point yet where he needs a similar break. Indeed, UFC president Dana White said on Wednesday that if Diaz won, he would find himself in line for a crack at the UFC lightweight championship after Ben Henderson and Frankie Edgar settle their newfound rivalry.That's just fine with Diaz, who feels long ready for the opportunity."I think that I can keep up with probably anybody in the UFC, titleholder or not," he said. "I think it’s just how you’re going to perform on the day. But on my best day, I think I could beat anybody in the division."He may soon get the chance. Miller (21-3) is a venerable opponent, having gone 10-2 during his octagon run. All three of his career losses are to either former UFC lightweight champs (Edgar and Henderson) or No. 1 contenders (Gray Maynard).Diaz hopes to make it four, because that will mean that he gets to the level where he can challenge for a championship. The Diaz brothers may not voice their feelings very often, but this one comes down to family pride."I hope I can perform well because I feel like I perorm for both of us," he said. "I don’t want to let my team down, my brother down. He helps coach me, and I hope I can go out there and do good, and make everyone look good."

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Round 5 on Monday announced the release of its "Ultimate Collector" Series 9 figurines, featuring Nick Diaz, Chris Leben, Jason "Mayhem" Miller, Don Frye, and Benson Henderson. Retweet this Share on Facebook • Email • StumbleUpon • Reddit • Digg • Technorati • Instapaper • Tumblr • Google Reader • LinkedIn

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Nick Diaz's lawyers filed a lawsuit against the Nevada State Athletic Commission last week for failing to hold a hearing over Diaz's suspension. Diaz tested positive for marijuana metabolites following his loss to Carlos Condit, since that time we've been treated to a lot of legal nonsense about why it should be okay that Diaz tested positive for substances you're not allowed to test positive for. The NSAC responded to the Diaz lawsuit via a letter, effectively killing the entire basis of Nick's legal action. MMA Fighting got their hands on the letter and here's a bit of what it contained: "No Notice of Summary Suspension was ever served on your client," Masto wrote. "In this matter, Mr. Diaz was properly served with a 'Notice of Hearing on Temporary Suspension' and he failed to appear at the hearing. The Commission temporarily suspended Mr. Diaz's license at the hearing. Neither Mr. Diaz nor you objected in any manner to the temporary suspension." The letter effectively indicates that because Diaz was not given a "summary suspension," his case does not fall under Nevada code NRS 233B.127, which requires a hearing within 45 days. A separate code, NRS 467.117, indicates that the commission can " continue the suspension until it makes a final determination of any disciplinary action to be taken against the licensee or holder of the permit." That final determination still hasn't been made, in part because the commission requested to see Nick's medical marijuana card over a month ago, yet no one on Nick's side has presented it. In the end, Diaz's defense has always kind of been nonsense. I get that people like Nick and that marijuana being illegal to begin with is silly. But it's not like the testing procedures are particularly murky for the NSAC. Fighters are aware of what substances are and aren't allowed to pop up in your urinalysis. And if you think one may because you're using it for a legitimate reason, there are procedures you are supposed to follow to disclose it and request an exemption. Diaz never followed any of that, instead bragging for years about how easy it is to beat the test. I've said it before, but his behavior didn't exactly reflect someone who was looking to handle the situation in the best possible way. He acted like a little kid sticking his tongue out at authority because they couldn't prove he did anything wrong. Now he has a legal team stumbling around and doing things that seem to be really on point, but that's usually because we don't have a deep legal understanding. All the stuff about NRS 233B.127 seemed like they were on to something, but that's because no one dug through the codes to see that NRS 467.117 effectively destroyed the "due process" argument. And the commission has made no secret for the past month that they're waiting on Diaz's team to show them his medical marijuana card so that they have all available information before deciding on his punishment. Why has no one provided that yet? The whole situation is a mess and, frankly, kind of embarrassing. Count me among those excited for it to just be done already.

Posted in: diaz, nick, suspension, commission, hearing

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submitted by BlueWg [link] [comment]

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I could've sworn the UFC Spring Break was over, but here we were again with a weekend where no UFC or Strikeforce event was being held. That doesn't mean there was no MMA action. There was. In fact, there was pretty good MMA action courtesy the all-women's card for Invicta FC's inaugural event. Some of the fights early on the card were fairly lackluster, but towards the main event things heated up nicely. Jessica Penne stood out with a strong performance, Young vs. Smith was tons o' fun, Randi Miller proved she's pretty green but pretty mean and Marloes Coenen put Ronda Rousey on notice. There's also a UFC event this coming weekend. More specifically, a free UFC event, which are in many ways the best kind. I've long felt this event was booked as something more than a FX card, but less than one for pay-per-view. I'm not sure that's the optimal balance, but it's the one we got and there are strong, important fights to be enjoyed. For now, though, let's catch up on the results you may have missed, the odd interview of UFC welterweight Georges St. Pierre on CNN, Tim Kennedy being Tim Kennedy and much more. 5 MUST-READ STORIES Coenen Victorious at Invicta FC, Calls Out Ronda Rousey. The biggest fights of the weekend took place on an all-women's fight card. Catch up on what happened and what could be next. Dana White Says UFC Will Not Put On Shows in California If CSAC Bill Passes. The UFC's head honcho says if a controversial law is passed, that could be the end of the UFC in the Golden State. Daniel Cormier's gold medal loss is MMA's gain. The Strikeforce grand prix finalist tells MMA Fighting if he had won the Olympic gold medal, he probably would never have entered professional MMA. Fedor Emelianenko talks Pedro Rizzo. What does the greatest heavyweight of all time think about Pedro Rizzo and M-1? Click to find out. Luke Rockhold Readies for Tim Kennedy, Wants to Fight Anderson Silva. The Strikeforce middleweight champion speaks to our own Mike Chiappetta about what's next in his career. MEDIA STEW Tim Kennedy + Masterpiece Theater = What? Georges St. Pierre talks about being bullied on CNN. Oh, and also answers the worst questions ever: The Nick Diaz story is well known. Ahead of UFC on Fox 3, it's time for Nate's story to be told (HT: MMA Mania): Current TUF Live coach and former WEC champion Urijah Faber has a new book coming out (HT: Bloody Elbow): UFC Octagon girl Arianny Celeste poses for FHM in the Philippines. You can tell it's Filipino with words like "Bhoy" and "Tayo" on the left side of the cover (HT: ABS-CBN News). RONDA ROUSEY'S DELICIOUS BREAKFAST Ugh, every morning I have to eat a handful of fresh parsley... And every morning green projectile vomit is a distinct possibility... — Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) April 29, 2012 INVICTA GETS DAPS Congratulations to InvictaFC for a really great first show, unbelievable fights! — Bas Rutten (@BasRuttenMMA) April 29, 2012 Thank you loved the first edition @InvictaFights@shanknapp I felt at home. I was very happy indeed now the wmma is being valued. — Cris Cyborg (@criscyborg) April 29, 2012 BRIAN STANN AT A LOSS FOR WORDS Haha, How do I even respond to this? RT @TimKennedyMMA: #IfTwitterHadAPromIdTake @BrianStann — Brian Stann (@BrianStann) April 30, 2012 FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS - Brian Stann vs. Hector Lombard, TBA - Thiago Silva vs. Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua, TBA - UFC 150: Luiz Cane vs. Yushin Okami - UFC 150: Thiago Tavares vs. Dennis Hallman - Invicta FC 2: Shayna Baszler vs. Sara McMann FANPOST OF THE DAY Today's Fanpost of the Day comes courtesy Luke Nelson who forecasts how UFC welterweight Rory MacDonald would fare in fights against the division's top eleven contenders. Here's his sense of MacDonald vs. Nick Diaz: 3. Nick Diaz Strengths: Boxing, Offensive Guard, Cardio, Aggression, Toughness. Some people don't really consider Nick to be a boxer, as he tends to just crowd his opponent against the cage and unleash flurry after flurry, something that looks like boxing but doesn't incorporate the nuanced movement that a true practitioner of the sweet science would have. Either way, he's beaten a bunch of noted strikers with that strategy, so whatever you call it, he's good at it. He has one of the most dangerous guards in the division, although he hasn't used it too much recently, preferring to keep fights standing. He never gets tired, can take a helluva shot and his gameness is pretty much unquestioned. Weaknesses: Strength, Wrestling, Fight IQ. In his first stint with the UFC, Diaz had a tough time keeping his fights standing, although he has said on multiple occasions that he would not have taken the bottom and played from his guard so readily if he had known the judges would treat the top guy as having the advantage, despite it being something he probably should have been aware of. In his fights since, no one has succeeded in taking him down and keeping him there but he also hasn't fought a vaunted take down and top control fighter of the calibre found in the upper echelon of the UFC`s welterweight division. He admits to not being as strong as his peers, but he also doesn't want to be, preferring to rely on his superior cardio and a volume striking approach to win his fights. How a fight with Macdonald would look: Rory rag-dolled Nick`s younger brother Nathan en route to a three round decision in his biggest UFC victory to date. He landed three suplexes in the final round against Nathan, showcasing a decided strength advantage that he would also hold on Nick. Rory also out-struck Nathan for a good portion of their fight, but it wouldn't be a good idea to try to stand up with Nick, so this fight would likely come down to how much damage Rory could do from inside Nick's guard. It seems likely that this fight would go into the third round and if Rory ran out of gas in the same way he did against Condit that would spell trouble against Nick. Found something perfect for the Morning Report? Just hit me on Twitter @SBNLukeThomas and we'll include it in Monday's post.

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UFC welterweight Nick Diaz has filed suit in Nevada District Court against the Nevada Athletic Commission, requesting relief from his ongoing suspension and any future disciplinary action by the NAC.

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, commission, nevada

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Despite having his issues with another state athletic commission, Nick Diaz has no problems with New Jersey’s athletic commission, as the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board will allow Diaz to corner his brother Nate at UFC on Fox 3 in East Rutherford on May 5th. Nate is fighting in the main event against Jim Miller in a five-round affair to determine the number one contender in the lightweight division. Nick Diaz is currently under suspension with the Nevada Athletic Commission following a failed drug test after UFC 143 in February. However, the NJSACB will not hold that against Diaz, as they have issued a corner’s license for next weekend’s fight. This was first reported by MMAWeekly. This news comes just hours after Diaz and his representatives announced that they are suing the Nevada Athletic Commission due to the way the commission has handled Nick Diaz’s case following his suspension. Diaz was originally set to meet with the NSAC at the scheduled meeting on April 24th, but the NSAC denied that opportunity. UFC on Fox 3 takes place next Saturday in East Rutherford, New Jersey. For complete coverage, stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick, commission, control board

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It appears retirement is not something Nick Diaz plans on sticking to. Recently, Diaz announced that he has filed a lawsuit against the Nevada State Athletic Commission following his post-fight drug test that came back with traces of marijuana in his system. NSAC has yet to hold a hearing for the test, so Diaz feels [...]

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, nevada state, system nsac

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Nick Diaz may not be fighting in the Octagon any time soon, but that doesn't mean he isn't looking for a fight. Retweet this Share on Facebook • Email • StumbleUpon • Reddit • Digg • Technorati • Instapaper • Tumblr • Google Reader • LinkedIn

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Retired UFC welterweight Nick Diaz is looking for his day in court. Diaz's lawyer, Ross Goodman, on Tuesday filed suit against the Nevada State Athletic Commission seeking relief for his client against a temporary suspension the camp feels is unlawful. The lawsuit was first reported by MMAFighting.com.

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, nevada state, nevada

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Apparently suspended fighter Nick Diaz is sticking to his guns and staying away from the Octagon, according to his brother, UFC Lightweight challenger Nick Diaz. After dropping a razor-thin decision o Carlos Condit for the UFC Interim Welterweight championship in February, Diaz as found to have marijuana metabolites in his post-fight drug screen. A much-publicized legal battle has ensued between Diaz' legal team and the NSAC, but Nate Diaz reported that is brother would not be interested in an MMA fight

Posted in: diaz, nick, nate diaz, welterweight championship, brother ufc

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UFC welterweight Nick Diaz is currently suspended indefinitely by the Nevada State Athletic Commission because of a positive test for marijuana metabolites following UFC 143. It was expected that his case would be heard when the commission meets on April 24th, and Diaz's lawyer Ross Goodman even submitted a letter demanding to be on the agenda on that date: "In discussions with Mr. Kizer, following the Summary Suspension Order, Mr. Kizer informed me and others that this matter would be placed on the NAC’s agenda," Goodman wrote. "Our client was and is confident that there is no basis for disciplinary action against him and therefore did not object to a delay beyond the required 45-day time limit as long as the matter was heard and determined in April." However, his case will not be heard. Why? The commission wants to see his medical marijuana card first: "On several occasions, you told me and Mr. Kizer that Mr. Diaz had a medical marijuana card," Eccles wrote. "You agreed to produce the card prior to the disciplinary hearing. I’ve waited for more than a month for the card. As a result, I issued a Request for Production for the card and other information regarding Diaz’s case. You have chosen not to provide the requested documents, including Mr. Diaz’s card. If Mr. Diaz does not have the card, simply confirm that in writing. As to the relevance of the of the documents I requested for production, it is the Commission that will ultimately decide what is relevant." According to Nick's friend though, there is a plan in place. Check it out after the jump. @LayzieTheSavageLayzieTheSavage Nick Diaz gave his medical marijuana card to his attorney over a week ago. Ross Goodman knows what he's doing. Don't worry, guys. ;) Apr 19 via Twitter for Android Favorite Retweet Reply I'd suggest reading both statements to gain a clearer understanding of the argument and the rebuttal. Even if Goodman does know what he's doing though, it seems like it will be a while before we find out the fate of Stockton's Finest in terms of MMA. Nick is keeping busy though, and will face Braulio Estima in a BJJ match next month.

Posted in: diaz, nick, card, mr, marijuana

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It appears that Johnny Bedford is out of his UFC on Fox 3 bout, and a fellow TUF 14 cast member will be stepping up to fill in for him. Canadian Roland Delorme will face Nick Denis on May 5th. Delorme confirmed the switch on his Facebook page: I am very pleased to announce that I will be fighting nick Denis on fox 3 in two weeks in new jersey. Nick come and get your love Delorme (7-1) was the last pick of Team Miller on the show, and lost his first bout to T.J. Dillishaw. His first official UFC bout was at the TUF 14 Finale, where he won by third-round submission to Josh Ferguson. Denis made quite an impression in his UFC debut at UFC on FX in January when he knocked out Joseph Sandoval in 22 seconds with a barrage of standing elbows. The bout is expected to take place on the preliminary card. SBN coverage of UFC on Fox 3: Diaz vs. Miller

Posted in: ufc, nick, fox, delorme, nick denis

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If I had a dollar for every video MiddleEasy has discarded over the years, then I could afford a better intro to a Top Ten list. Throughout the years, we literally have terabytes of archived footage we've never used on the site. We can't explain it, we just love to shove a camera in the face of people in the MMA industry and hopefully capture some rare multimedia gem. This generally ends up with hours of LayzieTheSavage unintetionally pointing the camera to the floor while he talks about something that happened in Stockton, California that no one cares about. Seriously, if I have to go through another video of him talking about 'the homie that's in prison' then I'll -- well I'm not sure what I'll do. If it happened right now, I would probably go to bed because I'm pretty tired. In any other case, I would do something drastically different that I can't quite figure out at this moment. Regardless, there is no such word as irregardless. People that use the term should be stabbed in the forehead with a plastic fork regardless of time or location. Those same people are also not allowed to check out our new list of The Top Ten Unreleased MiddleEasy Videos You've Never Seen...Because They're Unreleased. I know that you know that we know we have an enormous amount of unreleased footage gathered over the years. Some of this stuff was intentionally buried, others were just forgotten in the infinite expansion of time and space. Therefore we felt to manifest a new top ten list to compile these lost wonders. Enjoy -- and remember to brush your teeth twice a day. Thank you. Don't be jealous, homie. LayzieTheSavage has a plethora of sweaty male groupies that love to make physical contact with him whenever he's in their vicinity. It's like Layzie is a magnet for Nick Diaz superfans that scream at inappropriate times. I've personally witnessed the bromance from MMA fans across the world when they encounter the videographer formally known as 'Michael Mardones.' It's undoubtedly a sight to witness. Generally I stand just behind him and check out the hysteria he creates whenever he walks down a crowded hallway before and after MMA events. Keep in mind that Layzie isn't even an on-camera interviewer and he gets more dudes wanting to hug him than -- well, than me. That's cool. I'm dating a chick. She's Canadian and is far more attractive than the dudes in this video captured after the UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit weigh-ins.   The first time I met Vinny Magalhaes, I completely ignored him at a dinner table. It was one of the most unintentional gangsterish thing I've ever done. I blame it on a horrendous level of light at the restaurant we were dining at. That entire statement is a lie. The first time I met Vinny Magalhaes, he slept on my sofa in Las Vegas with one of my friends way back in the day. Wait, not that way folks. Well maybe that way. You're going to have to ask the 2011 ADCC champion on Twitter because that's not a topic I'm getting into. It goes without saying that we love Vinny Magalhaes on MiddleEasy. We're not sure why, but we just do. We love Magalhaes like kids love to climb on a sofa and pretend the floor is a never-ending pit of lava. Coincidentally, we also love Mike 'The Joker' Guymon -- especially when he use a MiddleEasy shirt to videobomb an interview with Vinny Magalhaes in this clip captured at an M-1 Global event in Orange County, California back in 2011.   We've spotted Gilbert Yvel on two separate occasions in two different areas of the country and both times we ran up to him like fat kids running up to a stranded ice cream truck. Ever since MiddleEasy started, we've talked about Gilbert Yvel like some demigod living on a cloud, occasionally coming to earth to procreate with our human women. We assume Yvel would also try to reproduce with Targzissian women if he had the chance, but they just seem a little difficult to locate in our galaxy. We caught up with the Dutch consciousness collector at some random MMA event and decided to pick his brain, before he devoured ours with some fava beans. Yvel told us that above else, some promoter burned him in an upcoming fight and apparently he wanted to inform the entire planet of this severe lack of respect.   Sometimes people get rocked and you sit back and say 'Oh yeah, I saw that coming'. Occasionally there's a punch that drops a fighter in such a spectacular fashion that you can't help but kick every piece of furniture in your living room. UFC 107 was one of those scenarios. I think we all incidentally threw our bottle of Red Stripe half-way across the room when Kongo went down from that frate trane of a punch Mir landed on his dome. Seconds later, Mir climbed off his unconsciousness body, threw his hands up in the air and at that exact moment we all knew the final transformation of Frank Mir was complete. Whatever humanoid Frank Mir was before Brock Lesnar made his face into an incomplete cherry pie was dead. He was resurrected as some 265lb megalodon that still had beef with Brock Lesnar. I'm not sure what demons haunt Frank Mir, but whatever they are, they have to be better than the ones in that 'Paranormal Activity' movie. I watched it because the people in the commercial were jumping out of their seats in the movie theater. Paranormal Activity just made me realize people in commercials that jump out of their seats are idiots. It's as if Brock Lesnar accidentally pushed the 'I will never stop obsessing over you' button on the back of Frank Mir's head. LayzieTheSavage caught up with Frank Mir in the hallway of local Las Vegas MMA show a couple years ago and asked him what exactly his beef is with the former UFC heavyweight champion. Mir admitted that -- well maybe you should just watch this video coming in at number seven of our Top Ten Unreleased MiddleEasy Videos You've Never Seen...Because They're Unreleased.   Scott Coker referring to Georges St. Pierre vs. Nick Diaz is like watching a commercial for a new Atari 2600 system. Both entities are antiquated technologies that were pretty cool at the time, but now about as entertaining as going into beast-mode with a pair of nunchucks in the comfort of your living room. It's the fight that everyone wanted, but as we slowly crawl into 2013, it appears to be an impossibility. Sort of like folding a single piece of paper in half more than seven times. However, you can't tell past-tense Scott Coker this. Check out this interview we conducted with the (former) Strikeforce head honcho regarding a bout the MMA world will never see.   This video was captured shortly after Nick Diaz put on what some consider fight of the year in 2011. It seems like just yesterday when the entire MMA community proclaimed that 'if Nick was smart, he won't trade strikes with Paul Daley.' Apparently all of you arm-chair strategists out there that urged Diaz to take Daley down as soon as possible have nothing on Cesar Gracie, a guy that actually called Nick would win by a knockout in the first round. Nick Diaz is a fighter known to take boxing to a boxer, bring grappling to a submission artist and in this unreleased clip, he brings paranoia to an already paranoid LayzieTheSavage.   We have a ton of video of Jay Hieron that will never be released on MiddleEasy. Let's just say the dude loves to have a great time. Back in 2009, I broke the news to him via phone text that Marius Zaromskis got a Strikeforce welterweight title shot against Nick Diaz over him and, well that's the last time Jay Hieron and I really texted. He was beyond angry, and justifiably so. We caught up with Hieron at the 'It Ain't Chemo' charity event in Las Vegas this year shortly after his title bout against Ben Askren. As always, Jay held nothing back in regards to the judging of the Bellator title bout -- and then he drops a story about how he fought God. Yeah, we're not making this stuff up.   In all of our years on MiddleEasy, we don't think we've ever been totally disregarded from an MMA clothing company as much as we did with RevGear. In the Summer of 2011, we thought we would get a clothing company on board with the site and feature a short ad in the beginning of all of our videos. We approached RevGear because they seemed to be interested in the idea. The response we received from the owner of RevGear seemed positive, but he needed to wait on his business partner to get back into town before making any decisions. 'That's fine' we thought. In the meantime, we actually took the initiative and created a small video in which we got a crew of MMA fighters to sign the same piece of RevGear and we were going to present the clip along with a media package to the owner of RevGear. The video was completed, so we shot an email back to the company. We received a response from his business partner stating the owner of RevGear was now out of town. The optimists that we were, we developed an entire RevGear sponsored contest in which we would give away the signed gear to one of our lucky readers. Contest was ready, proposal was sent -- and nothing. Seriously, that was the last time anyone at MiddleEasy heard from the guys at RevGear. Sure we sent them an influx of emails, but they didn't respond to a single one. After we finally realized that we were burned, we just ate our losses and gave up on the entire concept. In fact, I think LayzieTheSavage sold the signed RevGear shorts on eBay last year. Egh, whatever. Let this be a lesson to all budding MMA websites out there, don't do what we did -- but watch our failed RevGear pitch video anyway.   Some of you remember the infamous Nick Diaz/Mayhem Miller hallway altercation that spawned an entire movement. A movement that was ultimately never fulfilled. You've undoubtedly heard the story before, but I'll give all you MMA newcomers a little rundown on Strikeforce lore. After Nick Diaz grabbed a unanimous decision over KJ Noons back in 2010, he made his way to the dressing room only to cross paths with Mayhem Miller. Now it would have been smart of me to preface the entire Mayhem Miller vs. Nick Diaz history before I got to this part of the story, but I'm listening to MGMT's Electric Feel as I write this, and it's really funky so I apologize for my brain not operating in a sequential order. Funky as in good, obviously. Anything that band puts out is stunning. Prior to the encounter, Mayhem Miller claimed Nick Diaz's 'hood' antics were getting old and he felt that he needed to 'mature.' Miller then called out Nick Diaz to a superfight middleweight bout. It was now time for Nick to make his move, so he accepted the challenge but only at a catchweight between middleweight and welterweight. Mayhem Miller claimed he couldn't cut anymore to make the catchweight and then stated it would be easier for Nick to put on a few pounds. Nick Diaz, being the Strikeforce welterweight champion at the time, proclaimed that it was ridiculous that a guy who he felt was 'irrelevant' was essentially trying to talk his way into a fight 'he didn't deserve.' Now jump to 2010, minutes after Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons wrapped up at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. When Nick saw Mayhem in the hallway, he slung a full water bottle directly at Mayhem Miller's head. It clipped Miller near the eyebrow, exploded, then splashed over Mayhem Miller's manager. Immediately, Strikeforce personnel and HP Pavilion security got in between the two. Mayhem Miller appeared to be shocked, but Nick Diaz started yelling 'Come on you fat [expletive], fight me!' (referring to Mayhem's inability to cut weight). After the two were separated, Nick made it to the post-fight press conference where the entire incident was somewhat ignored. The reason why I know the details is because I saw the video of the entire altercation the night of the fight. We didn't film it, but the people that did capture the incident are in our video below. We tried everything to get the footage, folks. Money, theft, trades -- nothing worked. This video represents the minutes leading up to the altercation. In fact, at the end of the clip, Nick Diaz walks down the hallway where he has the incident with Mayhem Miller. The reason this video is deemed illegal, is because it was. Media were instructed not to film backstage, and LayzieTheSavage is obviously the living incarnation of the Honey Badger in this video.   Imagine traveling 24+ hours to the other end of the planet in order to make one YouTube video -- and it gets rejected. Speaking from experience, there's nothing you can really do except hop on the next plane back to the US and smack yourself on the forehead repeatedly while you nearly circumnavigate the globe. Over a year ago, I flew to Singapore in order to get the jump on the MMA industry and be the first site to thoroughly cover an emerging gym called 'Evolve MMA.' No one really knew much about it aside that it appeared to be a slice of Beverly Hills nestled deep in the South Pacific. Back in 2009, MiddleEasy broke the news about the grand opening of the gym and served the MMA world with some of the first pictures of the facility. In early 2011, I took the pilgrimage to Singapore and met with Evolve MMA owner, Yodchatri Sityodtong. If you're an avid MiddleEasy reader, then you probably remember the first article I composed on the gym with a tour of the Evolve MMA facility. Shortly after that feature was published, I promised all of you a second video which covered fighters actually training in the second Evolve MMA gym, also located in Singapore. Unfortunately, that video never surfaced -- until now. When I finalized the video, I sent it over to Yodchatri to get his opinion on the piece. Within seconds, I received an email with something along the lines of 'Dude, don't release this!' Apparently, Yodchatri felt the video didn't really do justice to the talent Evolve MMA truly had to offer. I guess he felt that a flying armbar performed by Shinya Aoki just wasn't impressive enough. I think I responded to his email with 'Look, we don't have to release it, but it would be an incredible waste of really good hip-hop.' There was no budging, so the feature was hacked, slashed and murdered on the MiddleEasy editing room floor. Well, here's the video that took me 48+ hours of traveling planet Earth just to complete. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's pretty damn slick.

Posted in: diaz, mma, nick, video, middleeasy

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submitted by SpaceG [link] [1 comment]

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You know in Avatar when the military went to Pandora to harness the energy from that unobtainium stuff? Well Braulio Estima already beat them to it and it looks like he used it solely for purpose of putting people to shame with his Gracie Barra jiu-jitsu. If Braulio Estima ever appeared in a Playstation game, Sony would have to throw a few extra buttons on their controller. The guy has received more golden bling around his neck than a mid-90s Slick Rick and now he's signed to compete in a Brazilian jiu-jitsu super fight against Nick Diaz. That's right, Nick Diaz is not scared of a three-time ADCC champion...homie. The date is May 12th and it all goes down in Long Beach, California (affectionately referred to as 'The LBC' by Snoop Dogg). Nick Diaz and Braulio Estima will compete at the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo in the 180 lb division in a grappling match of epic proportions. LayzieTheSavage caught up with Cesar Gracie in the 209 this weekend to get his opinion on Diaz's superfight along with an update on Nick's NSAC debacle.

Posted in: diaz, nick, estima, braulio, braulio estima

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Welcome back to another edition of “MMA Link Club”, Five Ounces of Pain‘s weekly smorgasbord of offerings from our brothers and sisters in the MMA community. Enjoy… Highlights from Chael Sonnen’s Recent Q&A with Fans (Fightline.com) Nick Diaz’s Attorney Issues Second Statement to NSAC (5thRound.com) Who are the Pros Picking in the Upcoming Title-Fight Between Jon Jones-Rashad Evans? (TheFightNerd.com) Ten Questions with Martin Kampmann (HeavyMMA.com) A Look at Five Possible Opponents for Brian Stann (BleacherReport.com) Jim Miller Signs Sponsorship Deal with TapouT (MMAPayout.com) Things Getting Messy for FEG in Japan (FightOpinion.com) Conference Call Audio from the Recent Sitdown with Jones-Evans (MMAConvert.com) Ed Soares Thinks Sonnen is an “Idiot” (LowKick.com) One-Handed Fighter Nick Newell Remains Undefeated with Win at XFC 17 (MMAMania.com) PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

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Nick Diaz may still be awaiting to find out his fate in MMA from the Nevada State Athletic Commission, but that doesn't mean the Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu student can't stay busy in other areas.

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, nevada state, jiujitsu

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Ross Goodman, the attorney of UFC Welterweight contender Nick Diaz, has filed a new complaint letter with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). Diaz has been suspended since UFC 143 when he failed a post-fight drug test after losing a decision to Carlos Condit in an interim title bout. Goodman's new claim is response to an allegation by the NSAC that lied on his pre-fight questionnaire (pdf), by not listing marijuana as a prescription drug he was using and checking "no" on a box asking about prescription drug use. Diaz has a doctor's recommendation that he use medical marijuana to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Medical marijuana is legal in Nevada and California. Goodman further claims that the NSAC complaint "does not allege any facts supporting that Diaz violated a rule"and that "after the fact allegations impugning Diaz's character serve to distract from the core issue that Nevada does not prohibit inactive marijuana metabolites." More On Nick Diaz Nevada Rebukes Nick Diaz Suspension Defense, Claims He Lied On Pre-Fight Questionnaire Nick Diaz Hires Lawyer, Challenges Suspension | Nevada Temporarily Suspends Diaz' License, Open To Medicinal Marijuana Request | NSAC Explains Nick Diaz Could Have (But Didn't) Requested Exemption For Marijuana Use | Nick Diaz' Coach Shocked By Drug Test Failure | No Disciplinary Sanction Warranted For Nick Diaz Under A Principled Interpretation Of NAC 467.850 | In Defense of Diaz's Weed Habit | Diaz Is to Blame, But So Are Meaningless Marijuana Tests | Diaz Should Be Released By The UFC | Diaz' Drug Test Failure Was Inevitable |White: 'I Am Beyond Disappointed' | Fighters React to Diaz's Positive Drug Test | Nick Diaz Tests Positive For Marijuana That means that the presence of inactive marijuana metabolites does not indicate marijuana use immediately prior to competition -- ie there is no evidence that Diaz fought stoned. This line of argument was first publicly raised by Vancouver Athletic Commission member Jonathan Tweedale here at Bloody Elbow. Goodman also contends that his client's drug use should be considered "out of competition" as it was stopped eight days before for the fight and that marijuana metabolites do not qualify as "drugs of abuse" -- nor are they listed as a prohibited substance. Goodman's complete response to the Nevada State Athletic Commission is here. (PDF)

Posted in: diaz, nick, drug, marijuana, nevada

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Nick Diaz's lawyer Ross Goodman has filed new paperwork answering charges that his client lied to the commission on a pre-fight questionnaire.

Posted in: diaz, nick, claim, lawyer, paperwork

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Nick Diaz is back and he's about to face a world champion. A few months ago that sentence would have caused half of the MMA community to spontaneously combust, but since then the whole retirement/suspension thing has dampened that excitement. Still, even if Diaz is considerably outmatched (which he is), his BJJ super-fight against Braulio Estima proves one thing. Nick's thirst for competition is still strong. Cesar Gracie can say we haven't seen the last of Diaz all he wants, but the best evidence is seeing with our own eyes. And now we have. 5 MUST-READ STORIES Nick Diaz, Braulio Estima agree to BJJ super-fight. Nick Diaz will meet ADCC gold medalist Braulio Estima in a 180-pound BJJ super-fight at the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo on May 12 in Long Beach, California. Rashad Evans looks back on the way things were. UFC 145 headliner Rashad Evans reflected back on his relationship with Jon Jones and the team at Jackson-Winkeljohn, remembering the moment when it all changed. UFC on FUEL 2 Facebook dissection. Dallas Winston returns with a comprehensive breakdown and analysis of Saturday's entire UFC on FUEL 2 Facebook preliminaries. TUF ratings continue to drop despite live format. Ratings for The Ultimate Fighter Live on FX hit a new low last week, leading to speculation of the reason behind the declining numbers. Eric Prindle vs. Cole Konrad moved to Bellator 70. Bellator 65's heavyweight title fight, Eric Prindle vs. Cole Konrad, has been postponed until May 25, 2012 after Prindle suffered a broken right hand in training. MEDIA STEW MMA law requires us to use the 209 news as an excuse to revisit Diaz's greatest moment of in-fight grappling wizardry. Besides, has anyone ever said the phrase, "Na, I don't feel like watching Nick Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi right now?" Randy Couture is probably the toughest 48-year-old on the planet right now, so if you disagree with his rankings of MMA's top pound-for-pound fighters, we encourage you to take it up with him. (HT: Reddit) You will never see a UFC 145 promo more worthy of the Van Damme name. (HT: Middle Easy) Joe Rogan, Bas Rutten and Josh Barnett engaged in some grappling shenanigans on HDNet's Inside MMA, with Rogan demonstrating a super-slick way to take someones back from half-guard, only to be immediately shown up by Barnett's ninja prowess. Par Barry's haircut is coming along rather nicely, don't you think? (via @HypeOrDie) MAYHEM AND CHAEL, PART II I love the MMA media's obsession with Fael. After the Brazilian kicks his head in, I'm going to end his career. — Jason Mayhem Miller (@mayhemmiller) April 10, 2012 JUST MAKING SURE @gspufc2011 he will fight 100% — Dana White (@danawhite) April 10, 2012 FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS Announced yesterday (Tuesday, April 10, 2012): - UFC 149: Thiago Alves (19-9) vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-5, 2 NC) - Bellator 65: Eric Prindle (7-1, 1 NC) vs. Cole Konrad (8-0) postponed until May 25 at Bellator 70 - ONE FC: Destiny of Warriors shifted to June 23, 2012 at Kuala Lumpur's 8,000-seat Stadium Negara FANPOST OF THE DAY Today's Fanpost of the Day is an remarkably extensive thesis from Bloody Elbow's Mike Riordan: A Theory On Successful Wrestling Translating To Successful MMA Wrestling It would be nice to have an imaginary world where we could reliably predict a wrestlers success in MMA by watching to see how they blast through double leg takedowns again and again. However, we live in the real world and that simple reduction of the difficult crossover process of a very complex set of skills does not work. The problem is that at the moment, we have many different wrestlers-turned-MMA-fighters that exhibit many different styles and experience varying degrees of MMA success. Outward signs of "physicalness" or aggression as a wrestler are not enough. Whether clearly demonstrated or not, a wrestler achieves elite levels collegiately or internationally possesses more than adequate "physicalness" to succeed in any martial art and it is their processes and set-ups that lead to success that is more important. As a result, watching a wrestler use a double leg again and again successfully in a wrestling match does not mean that he would be a good fit for MMA. This is relevant to American folkstyle and freestyle wrestling and perhaps to the future of MMA talent evaluation. What style of wrestler will translate in the best MMA fighter? This question untrimmed and unqualified is impossible to answer. Few wrestlers can be reduced to a style or type, and most elite wrestlers have risen to their place in the sport through a level of refinement that leaves them completely anomalous. What I want to do is begin a live discussion of, if not an answer to, a more manageable question. What sort of wrestling attack style will yield the best offensive wrestling results in MMA? Found something perfect for the Morning Report? Just hit me on Twitter @shaunalshatti and we'll include it in tomorrow's post.

Posted in: world, diaz, mma, nick, wrestler

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A seriously dedicated fan celebrates his man-crush on Nick Diaz by getting his submission over Takanori Gomi tattooed on his chest. Thanks to Middleeasy for the find.

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As you read this, Ronda Rousey and Mr. and Ms. LayzieTheSavage are in the 209 getting ready to train at Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu with the Diaz brothers and film the entire thing exclusively for MiddleEasy. Actually, they took a road trip from Los Angeles to Stockton, California and on the way they all stopped by NeoCell to scoop up a surplus of Collagen Sport supplements. What Ronda Rousey and LayzieTheSavage didn't do is stock up on permanent ink and finely-tuned needles in order to reproduce Nick Diaz submitting Takanori Gomi in Pride 33. Leave that to 2000dwrecked, otherwise known as the greatest Nick Diaz fanboy in the history of fanboys. Sorry LayzieTheSavage, but your card has officially been revoked. Props to Aydden Blayze for the find.

Posted in: diaz, nick, takanori gomi, ronda rousey, layziethesavage

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My mother always wanted me to go to law school.  It’s a bummer I didn’t listen to her.  I’d almost certainly have an high paying job by now.  Instead, I walk around in my boxer shorts in a studio apartment rummaging the refrigerator at 5:00am because I’m too busy playing video games to sleep.  If priorities had an Olympics, I’d probably fail to get my physical conducted in time to register for the competition.  However, if MMA had an Olympics, Nick Diaz should be the 170lb athlete that represents America; and according to his attourney, Ross C. Goodman, there’s no way an international anti-doping committee would recognize the NSAC’s bogus drug test results. “Nick Diaz tested for the presence of its metabolite, called “THC carboxylic acid,” which is an inactive ingredient of marijuana metabolite, which can stay in your system stored in your fat tissues for weeks, up to months, after use of marijuana. Most people understand that [the] psychological effects of marijuana after smoking it wear off within two to six hours. That is what the commission, the regulatory agencies, are concerned about because you don’t want somebody fighting under the influence or impaired by a psychoactive substance. Once that active ingredient wears off within two to six hours of use, then all that’s left are the residual metabolites from the metabolism of the marijuana stored in somebody’s fat tissues, which is not a controlled substance, which is not psychoactive, which is simply an inactive metabolite which has no impact on an athlete.Of course, it’s directly related from marijuana use, but the point is this: it’s not only Nevada, the World Anti-Doping Agency and most other regulatory bodies only prohibit the active ingredient of marijuana in-competition and not out-of-competition. So that’s an important distinction that I think everybody has to make, and, again, Nick Diaz didn’t test for marijuana, only marijuana metabolite and marijuana metabolite itself, it’s not prohibited, both in Nevada and by the world Anti-Doping Agency, which is the international organization that monitors and regulates sports competitions. Nick Diaz did not violate any rule by having an inactive metabolite in his post-fight urine test.It’s as simple as that. If you’re under the influence of marijuana, which everybody agrees an athlete shouldn’t be in-competition, then it would show when you take a post-fight urine test. It would show for THC, for the active ingredient of marijuana, as opposed to residual metabolites, which could come from consuming marijuana weeks, if not months, before the fight. Because marijuana is one of those substances which has such a long detection window, longer than almost any other drug that we know, and because it’s water soluble and it has the capacity to just stay in your fat tissues, there’s no rational basis to prohibit somebody, especially in this case, when you legally consume it weeks before the fight. And it has no effect whatsoever on that athlete’s performance, and it’s not considered a prohibited substance. And, so, that was the basis of our response to the Nevada athletic commission.” I now know more about Marijuana than I did before I started writing this article, and that means that today is not a total waste.  Unfortunately, Marijuana is still illegal in a majority of the country, and my souvenir medical marijuana license from California is about as useful to me as an all expense paid trip to Kabul, Afghanistan.  I’m sure it’s nice this time of year, but I’d rather be in California picking Ross Goodman’s brain about making it illegal to wear sunglasses indoors. [Source]

Posted in: diaz, nick, marijuana, metabolite, marijuana metabolite

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When it was revealed that Nick Diaz planned to appeal his marijuana suspension, a lot of people wondered what the point was. Not only were his chances of winning slim to none, wasn't he also retiring or something? Well, now I'm starting to get excited. Because if Nick's lawyer Ross Goodman is half as slick in real life as he appears to be on the internet, then Diaz might be instrumental in overturning the stupid way pot is dealt with by athletic bodies around the world.  That may be a kumbaya pie in the sky justice prevails way of looking at things, but check out some Goodman quotes from Sherdog's Rewind radio show and tell me this guy doesn't have some good arguments: The psychological and physiological effects of marijuana last upwards of six hours, but if you test within 24 hours or 48 hours, it can still show for the active ingredient of THC (formal name is delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol) and that’s what sports agencies and regulatory commissions prohibit -- marijuana “in-competition.” So a post-fight urine test could show for marijuana, the active ingredient, if you smoke it 24 hours before the fight....So that’s an important distinction that I think everybody has to make, and, again, Nick Diaz didn’t test for marijuana, only marijuana metabolite and marijuana metabolite itself, it’s not prohibited, both in Nevada and by the world Anti-Doping Agency, which is the international organization that monitors and regulates sports competitions. Nick Diaz did not violate any rule by having an inactive metabolite in his post-fight urine test. He's also got answers in his back pocket for the 'Nick Diaz lied on his commission paperwork' accusation:(the rest after the jump)  read more

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, hour, nick, marijuana

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submitted by MattyBlayze [link] [1 comment]

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Nick Diaz, the controversial UFC Welterweight and former Strikeforce ww champ, has been suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission since failing a post-fight drug test after losing an interim title bout to Carlos Condit at UFC 143. Diaz will appeal his suspension next month and has retained Las Vegas lawyer Ross C. Goodman to represent him. Goodman spoke to Sherdog in advance of the hearing. The thrust of the case appears to be whether or not Diaz was under the influence during the fight or not. The metabolites that were found in his urine at the post-fight drug test do not indicate intoxication, merely use at some point in the recent past. More On Nick Diaz Lawyer: Nick Diaz Didn't Lie About Marijuana 'Prescription' | In Defense of Diaz's Weed Habit | Diaz Is to Blame, But So Are Meaningless Marijuana Tests | Diaz Should Be Released By The UFC |Diaz' Drug Test Failure Was Inevitable |White: 'I Am Beyond Disappointed' | Fighters React to Diaz's Positive Drug Test | Nick Diaz Tests Positive For Marijuana | Diaz: 'I'm Outta This S**t', Retires From MMA Goodman addresses this point: In this case, Nick Diaz tested for the presence of its metabolite, called "THC carboxylic acid," which is an inactive ingredient of marijuana metabolite, which can stay in your system stored in your fat tissues for weeks, up to months, after use of marijuana. Most people understand that [the] psychological effects of marijuana after smoking it wear off within two to six hours. That is what the commission, the regulatory agencies, are concerned about because you don't want somebody fighting under the influence or impaired by a psychoactive substance. Once that active ingredient wears off within two to six hours of use, then all that's left are the residual metabolites from the metabolism of the marijuana stored in somebody's fat tissues, which is not a controlled substance, which is not psychoactive, which is simply an inactive metabolite which has no impact on an athlete. In anticipation of this argument from Diaz, the NSAC has lately been more focused on the issue of Diaz not applying for a Therapeutic Use Exemption or listing his medical marijuana prescription on his pre-fight forms. Goodman has an answer for this argument as well: Yeah, but Nick Diaz wasn't using it in-competition, so it's completely inapplicable here. What you're talking about are prescribed medications that an individual needs to continuously use and therefore uses during competition. Nick Diaz has a general practice of discontinuing marijuana use eight days before a fight, so he wasn't under the influence and he wasn't consuming an illegal substance -- whether you want to call it prescription medication or medical marijuana -- in-competition. So there was no need for him to seek a therapeutic use exemption. And again, that's why Nevada and the World Anti-Doping Agency say, "We don't care about your marijuana use before the fight. We only care about it in-competition." And Nick doesn't use it in-competition. It would be foolish for him to use it in-competition. It's good to see that Diaz will have legal representation at his hearing, whether or not Goodman can persuade the commission to lift the suspension early is a different matter.

Posted in: diaz, nick, test, marijuana, use

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Ross Goodman, attorney for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight Nick Diaz, is taking the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) to task for trying to "knock" his client prior to their upcoming disciplinary hearing. Diaz tested positive for marijuana metabolites following his five round unanimous decision loss to Carlos Condit at UFC 143, which was held on Feb. 4, 2012 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The NSAC is claiming Diaz lied on his pre-fight questionnaire (click here to see a copy), by checking "no" on a box asking if he took or received any prescription medication two weeks prior to weighing in. The presence of marijuana metabolites would argue otherwise, but technically, the former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion was telling the truth. Diaz has a prescription for medical marijuana after being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which is legal in both Nevada and his home state of California. But since a doctor is unable to legally prescribe pot, the line of questioning could be subject to interpretation. And as Goodman argues (via Sherdog.com), that's the commission's fault, not his client's: "The point is that he’s not being untruthful about it; he’s not lying about it. But if it is a concern, then the athletic commission needs to be more progressive and modify the rules, instead of, after the fact, trying to find something to blame Nick Diaz on because they have a losing argument right now. Why don’t you be proactive? Why don’t you be responsible and why don’t you write questions that are reasonable and clear for somebody to understand and say, 'Have you taken medical marijuana in the last two weeks? Have you done this? Have you done that?' Instead of, after the fact, try and suggest that he was untruthful because he didn’t identify with prescription medication as a form of medical marijuana? ... The burden is on the state, the regulatory agency. The commission’s trying to find whatever they can to knock Nick Diaz, but Nick is just a fighter. It’s up to them to craft better questions on their pre-fight questionnaire; it’s up to them to do better testing if that’s what they want to do. Nick’s not responsible for any of this. If they want to be more accurate, if they want to have better pre-fight questionnaires, then it’s up to the athletic commission, the governing body, to do it, not a fighter." Goodman also contends that his client's drug use should be considered "out of competition" as it was stopped eight days before for the fight and that marijuana metabolites do not qualify as "drugs of abuse" -- nor are they listed as a prohibited substance. No date has been determined for Diaz's upcoming disciplinary hearing but he's currently enjoying a self-imposed retirement, one his brother Nate expects to last indefinitely. We'll see if the results of his hearing have any influence on that decision. Stay tuned. For more background on Diaz and his UFC 143 drug test click here. To read Goodman's response to the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) in its entirety click here.

Posted in: diaz, nick, commission, marijuana, goodman

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Nick Diaz's lawyer totally curveballed the Nevada State Athletic Commission by pointing out pot metabolites = out of competition usage = legal, so the commission decided to change their tack and use those metabolites to prove that *gasp* NICK DIAZ LIED ON SOME FORMS! And just in case you were wondering, yes that sounds just as petty in legalese: 6. The day before the Contest, on February 3, 2012, DIAZ completed his Pre-Fight Questionnaire, attached hereto as Exhibit 1, wherein he answered “No” to each of the following questions:Do you have any serious medical illnesses, conditions?Have you taken / received any prescribed medications in the last two weeks?Have you taken / received any over the counter medication / products in the last two weeks?DIAZ signed his Pre-Fight Questionnaire directly below the statement: “I hereby attest that the above information is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge.”By answering “No” to one or more of the questions referenced in paragraph six, DIAZ provided false or misleading information to the Commission or a representative of the Commission....20. Marijuana Metabolites are not drugs approved by the Commission.21. NAC 467.886 provides in pertinent part as follows:1. A person licensed by the commission shall not engage in any activity that will bring disrepute to unarmed combat ….22. By testing positive for Marijuana Metabolites, DIAZ has violated NAC 467.850 and 467.886.23. By providing false or misleading information to one or more questions on his Pre-Fight Questionnaire, DIAZ has violated NAC 467.885 (3). Isn't it fun watching Nick Diaz get railroaded for pot use while testosterone replacement therapy is A-OK? I'm glad the system makes sense and has its priorities straight.

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, commission, prefight questionnaire

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submitted by MMABurner [link] [1 comment]

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Keith Kizer & Nevada have amended their complaint against Nick Diaz over his drug test failure for marijuana.

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submitted by tekprodfx16 [link] [comment]

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"I can't present an argument for why (Nick Diaz) should be cool to have marijuana in his system," said Dana White on Tuesday, but he doesn't want Diaz to retire.

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A rematch from Ultimate Fighter season 11 is headed to Calgary as Nick Ring will face Court McGee on the UFC 149 card.

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Not many people understand the inner workings of someone as complex as Nick Diaz. His trainer, mentor, and friend, Cesar Gracie, however, is one of the few who does at least as well as anyone else. Fans have not heard much from Diaz since his loss to Carlos Condit and ensuing retirement speech inside the Octagon after the defeat. Originally, the majority felt like Diaz was just upset about how the judges’ decision went. Yet, with his failed drug test for marijuana adding to the mix, it seems more possible than ever MMA has heard the last from Diaz. Fortunately, if taking what Gracie had to say when stopping by Sherdog Radio as gospel, all hope may not be lost in terms of seeing Diaz back inside a cage in the near future. “He’s sick of politics, the whole marijuana thing, the judges…it’s kind of a weird thing, but let’s face it; I’m not going to let that guy quit,” Gracie said. “I just don’t see that happening. He’s too good and he’s too important in this sport, I think. If it’s up to me, there’s no way that’s going to happen.” As far as Diaz’s present demeanor, Gracie explained, “He’s pretty relaxed actually. He’s not stressed out about anything. I was with him last night. He did a few rounds boxing. Nick’s a martial artist. He’s always in some kind of training. It drives him crazy not to be. He’s always doing jiu-jitsu. He’s always doing a little something. Mentally, he’s doing great right now.” Diaz is 1-1 in his last two fights, having defeated B.J. Penn prior to falling to Condit. The 28-year-old’s next move independent of his fighting future should come in front of the NSAC in a month when his temporary suspension for smoking pot is formally addressed. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE/UFC

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, gracie, sherdog radio

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Former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz shocked many MMA fans with his decision to retire after his UFC 143 loss to Carlos Condit. Diaz's failed post-fight drug test certainly didn't help things (he tested positive for Marijuana), and the Stockton native has...

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, mma fans, cesar gracie

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submitted by SublimeOwnzzz [link] [2 comments]

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Cesar Gracie doesn’t believe Nick Diaz is done fighting.

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In this clip not even the goal is safe from the ensuring scrum after the Buffalo Sabres’ Travis Turnbull and Minnesota Wild’s Nick Johnson decided to go at it in front of the net. The fight even carries over to other players who go at it as well. Tweet

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Middleweight hostilities will commence on June 22nd in Atlantic City, and a New Jersey native will be front at center. Nick Catone will fight in his home state for the second time in a row when he faces off with a TUF 11 contestant at UFC on FX 4. MMA Diehards has the fight info, which has not been confirmed by the UFC as of yet: Bob Badders confirmed for MMADieHards.com that Chris Camozzi and Nick Catone are set to meet at UFC on FX 4 on June 22 at Revel Casino in Atlantic City, N.J. Catone (9-2) has competed five times in the UFC but has been out for over a year with a torn achilles tendon. He last stepped into the cage at UFC 128, where he defeated Constantinos Philippou by decision. He is currently on a two-fight winning streak. Camozzi (16-5) won his last outing at UFC on Fox 2 by defeating Dustin Jacoby with a guillotine in the third round. SBN coverage of UFC on FX 4

Posted in: ufc, nick, fx, camozzi, catone

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After Nick Diaz's lawyers put forward the defense that marijuana metabolines != marijuana and Diaz is technically allowed to smoke out of competition, the NSAC responded with "Nick Diaz is a liar because he didn't include pot on his pre-fight paperwork." Neener neener try and get around that, Mr Slick Pants Lawyer guy! "In order for you to have a false official statement, it has to be sworn to," Goodman said. "It has to be under oath. If you found something contradictory in an affidavit that is sworn to under penalties of perjury, then that's where you really have a claim of false official statement. Here, you have none of that. You have a one-page, pre-printed questionnaire that was simply signed. There was no witness to attest to it, it wasn't done under penalty of perjury, (and) it wasn't sworn to." Yeeeeeaaaaaah. I don't know about that one, guy. "The second issue, which is really the main issue, is that he was truthful in responding to that question. He didn't take prescription medications in the last two weeks (prior to the fight)."A key point of contention, he said, is the attorney general's implication that Diaz has a prescription for medical marijuana."The way that you become a medical marijuana patient is ... that you have a doctor," Goodman said. "A doctor doesn't prescribe to you marijuana. A doctor recommends that that would be an approved use for whatever diagnosis somebody has. In [Diaz's] case, [attention deficit hyperactivity disorder]. So nowhere is there an actual prescription for marijuana. It would be illegal for any doctor to prescribe marijuana." That one sounds kinda crazy too, but it's apparently true: "Since marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug by the federal government, it cannot legally prescribed by a physician nor dispensed by a pharmacy. However, physicians can recommend the use of medical marijuana for their patients and those that have received such a recommendation can legally use marijuana in accordance with certain laws." So once again, Nick Diaz's lawyer has just jumped through another NSAC flaming hoop like Evel Knievel on a motorcycle made out of technicalities, throwing double birds and screaming "DON'T BE SCARED OF MARIJUANA, HOMEY!"

Posted in: diaz, nick, marijuana, official statement, lawyer

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Ross Goodman, the lawyer for suspended UFC fighter Nick Diaz, says Diaz did nothing wrong and should have never been disciplined.

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The saga continues. Earlier in the week, a lawyer representing Nick Diaz issued a formal challenge to the marijuana suspension handed down to Diaz by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. A NSAC representative immediately responded, branding Diaz a "liar" based on his answers on a UFC 143 pre-fight questionnaire. The main bone of contention was the 11th question, which asked if Diaz had "taken/received any prescribed medication in the last 2 weeks". Diaz answered no. This contradicted the lawyer's challenge, which stated that Nick had stopped his marijuana consumption eight days before the fight. There's one major sticking point to this though: Did Nick Diaz actually have a prescription for marijuana from a California physician?The lawyer, Ross Goodman, responded to the NSAC accusation in a conversation with MMA Junkie late last night, and said that Nick's medical marijuana card doesn't constitute a prescription. This apparently means Nick didn't lie on the form. Here's what he said: "The way that you become a medical marijuana patient is ... that you have a doctor," Goodman said. "A doctor doesn't prescribe to you marijuana. A doctor recommends that that would be an approved use for whatever diagnosis somebody has. In [Diaz's] case, [attention deficit hyperactivity disorder]. So nowhere is there an actual prescription for marijuana. It would be illegal for any doctor to prescribe marijuana." Diaz submitted an affidavit (Exhibit A) with the original challenge that stated the following: "I have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ("ADHD"). My physician, Robert E. Sullivan, approved the use of marijuana to treat ADHD." So, no one actually said that Nick was "prescribed" the marijuana by the doctor, right?. So far so good for that defense. Well, until you look a little closer and see the affidavit submitted in the original challenge by the doctor, John Hiatt, who is Goodman's medical expert in regards to the effects of marijuana. Point 11 of his statement says the following: "If an individual has a valid medical prescription for marijuana in some form, then in view of all the uncertainties associated with interpreting the meaning of the presence of THC metabolite in urine, it is not reasonable to reach any conclusion in regard to a persons ability to compete in an athletic contest." But he didn't have a valid prescription according to Goodman, so I guess that argument is out the window. In addition to that, Junkie points out another prescription reference made by Goodman in the challenge, and references Cesar Gracie's comments on the issue: Yet in his challenge to the NSAC, Goodman cites a statute originally intended to address driving that defines a prohibited substance as any for which a person doesn't have a "valid prescription." And in previous interviews, Diaz's manager, Cesar Gracie, has said Diaz carries a prescription for medical pot. So no one is on record saying that Nick specifically had a prescription (other than Cesar), but multiple statements in the challenge make reference to the need for one. Muddied waters. After the jump you can see how Nick's lawyer responded to this, and read what Keith Kizer had to say regarding Nick's test. Goodman's response? NSAC isn't addressing the real issues, apparently: "So what are we talking about? I don't think the Nevada State Athletic Commission knows how to address that issue now because we brought the actual rules to light. So now I think that they're first reaction was, 'Well, shoot, we do have some potential issues,' so what else can we say was wrong here? Oh, there was a pre-fight medical questionnaire that's asking for prescription medication? That was untruthful.' "Maybe instead of attacking him and blaming him for something that's completely ridiculous, they should have a special category (on the questionnaire) that says, 'Are you a medical-marijuana patient?'" In the article, Keith Kizer also confirms the actual ng/ml numbers from the first test: The levels of all marijuana metabolties in Diaz's system were above an acceptable limit of 50 nanograms on his first test, according to NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer, and 10 nanograms above an acceptable limit of 15 nanograms of the carboxylic acid metabolite on the second test. There're a lot more to it, and this is all very convoluted and complicated. I'd recommend reading the whole Junkie article to get the full picture. And if you'd like more information about California's rules regarding medical marijuana, here's what Prop 215 has to say on the issue. I think it's pretty obvious that we're going to be hearing about this a lot more over the next few months though.

Posted in: diaz, nick, marijuana, prescription, goodman

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submitted by muayguy [link] [3 comments]

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Nick Diaz's disciplinary hearing in front of the Nevada Athletic Commission for allegedly failing a post-fight drug screen after his loss to Carlos Condit on Feb. 4 in Las Vegas at UFC 143 figures to be a doozy. The hearing … Continue reading →

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Nick Diaz and his attorney showed their hand yesterday. Today, the NSAC showed theirs. Despite having what sounds like a pretty strong argument, it looks like Diaz’s lawyer, Ross Goodman, is going to face a little resistance from the commission when he gets the opportunity to plead Diaz’s case. The NSAC has heard their response and they don’t seem too impressed. None of the actual commissioners have spoken on the record yet, however NSAC public information officer Jennifer M. Lopez relayed their stance to Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole. Christopher Eccles, a Nevada deputy attorney general who represents the state athletic commission, referred telephone calls and email messages to public information officer Jennifer M. Lopez. In a written statement, Lopez said, “Not only did Nick Diaz violate the law by testing positive for marijuana metabolites, but he also lied to the Commission on his Pre-Fight Questionnaire when he swore that he had not used any prescribed medications in two weeks before the fight.” To clarify the last part, Goodman claims that Diaz stopped smoking his medically prescribed marijuana eight days prior to the fight, however since Nick checked “no” on the Pre-Fight Questionnaire next to the question that asked whether he had used any prescribed medications two weeks prior to the fight, the NSAC contends that Diaz “lied” or didn’t disclose his medical marijuana use. Goodman still believes they have a strong case, however it remains to be seen if he’ll be able to convince the commissioners of that. Regardless, Goodman believes a little common sense tells you that Diaz didn’t actually do anything wrong. “WADA prohibits marijuana in-competition because they don’t want people fighting, or doing [expletive] under the influence of marijuana,” Goodman said. “Nobody can say – not the athletic commissioner, not [executive director] Keith [Kizer] – nobody can say Nick was impaired or under the influence of marijuana. Nobody. “So let’s just talk street. Let’s just talk common sense here. Why do you want to punish him, basically for a metabolite that resulted from legal use eight days before the fight? Why? What did it do that you guys [the commission] are so concerned about, because contrary to what Keith is saying, we know it didn’t create a safety issue because everybody knows … that it’s out of your system in a couple of hours.” That’s really what’s so frustrating about this. If Nick wasn’t high during the fight, then what difference does it make? Image via Esther Lin for MMA Fighting

Posted in: diaz, nick, marijuana, nsac, goodman

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If you were wondering what the Nevada State Athletic Commission thinks of Nick Diaz's pot defense, this might give you a little clue of what's to come: Christopher Eccles, a Nevada deputy attorney general who represents the state athletic commission, referred telephone calls and email messages to public information officer Jennifer M. Lopez.In a written statement, Lopez said, “Not only did Nick Diaz violate the law by testing positive for marijuana metabolites, but he also lied to the Commission on his Pre-Fight Questionnaire when he swore that he had not used any prescribed medications in two weeks before the fight.” INCORRECT PAPERWORK, MOTHERF*CKER! YOU'RE GOING DOWN!

Posted in: diaz, nick, commission, fight ”, christopher eccles

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Yesterday, an attorney representing Nick Diaz formally challenged Nick's marijuana metabolites suspension by submitting a response to the Nevada State Athletic Commission. But it appears that the NSAC has already rebuked the defense by claiming Diaz lied on his pre-fight questionnaire (via Yahoo Sports): Christopher Eccles, a Nevada deputy attorney general who represents the state athletic commission, referred telephone calls and email messages to public information officer Jennifer M. Lopez. In a written statement, Lopez said, "Not only did Nick Diaz violate the law by testing positive for marijuana metabolites, but he also lied to the Commission on his Pre-Fight Questionnaire when he swore that he had not used any prescribed medications in two weeks before the fight." Along with the article is an unverified document claiming to be a copy of Diaz's pre-fight questionnaire where he checked "no" to "have you taken/received any prescribed medications in the past two weeks". Here is a link to that document. Nick's attorney, Ross Goodman, stated in his report that Diaz stopped using marijuana (which is prescribed to him by a California physician for his ADHD) eight days before his UFC 143 bout with Carlos Condit. Will this change anything in regards to how the situation is handled? We'll have to wait and see.

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, prefight, prefight questionnaire

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submitted by xKrazExMNUx [link] [5 comments]

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Nick Diaz was famously suspended for elevated marijuana metabolites following his UFC 143 loss to Carlos Condit, and is facing a one year suspension as a repeat offender in Nevada. Nick's lawyer Ross Goodman talked to ESPN about the defense, which is strikingly similar to what Vancouver Athletic Commission chief Jonathan Tweedale posted on BE a few weeks ago. Here's what Goodman had to say: "Marijuana is the only substance that is prohibited; not marijuana metabolites," Goodman told ESPN.com. "The basis to discipline Mr. Diaz is that he tested positive for a prohibited substance. We know he didn't test positive for marijuana. So, you look to see at WADA whether marijuana metabolites are prohibited. They do not prohibit it in any category." According to the affidavit submitted with the response, Nick was prescribed medical marijuana by his physician for his ADHD, and that he stops using the substance eight days before fights. They (his defense team) consider that "out of competition" and not subject to punishment: According to Goodman, the substance Diaz tested positive for was THC-Carboxylic Acid, an inactive marijuana metabolite. NSAC executive director Keith Kizer was unavailable to comment on that claim Monday. The response filed to the commission, therefore, challenges that Diaz merely tested positive for an inactive metabolite, which is not listed as a prohibited substance. "You have to test positive for marijuana, as opposed to this inactive ingredient Nick did," Goodman said. "If there's nothing in the rules prohibiting marijuana metabolites, why are we here?" One major question that has been asked is - why didn't Nick get a Therapeutic Use Exemption? The lawyer explains that too: Goodman says Diaz did not take that measure because he discontinues use eight days before a contest -- long enough for the effects of the active compound in marijuana, THC, to wear off. The filed document also points to the "long detection window" of marijuana in one's system as a potential reason why WADA does not include metabolites on its banned substance list. Diaz's legal team argues that since marijuana is not prohibited to athletes out-of-competition per commission standards, it would be unreasonable for its banned substance list to contain marijuana metabolites. "Why punish Nick, or anybody else for that matter, for a metabolite?" Goodman said. "We're not talking about a cocaine metabolite. We're not talking about something illegal. We're talking about a metabolite that stays in your system for weeks or months." Diaz was originally scheduled to have a hearing in April, but that could be delayed now because of this filing.

Posted in: diaz, nick, marijuana, substance, metabolite

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I used to have a set of foam-padded nunchucks when I was a kid taking martial arts classes. I actually became quite proud of my nunchucking skills. I feel that somehow, Nick Diaz would have been impressed too; if he wasn’t busy mean-mugging the rest of the kids in his elementary school at the time. It’s my deepest regret that I never moved on to master the art of wheeling a samurai sword. Not sure how it would be useful in today’s society, but if the zombie apocalypse went down tomorrow, Nick Diaz would be prepared with this skill-showcase he just uploaded to his YouTube channel of him slicing an apple in mid-flight. If that apple metaphorically represented a member of the undead trying to bite him, the end result would be a zombie with half of a cranium, rendering it unable to harm anyone else in the 209. Residents of Stockton, California should be thankful to have Nick Diaz as their neighbor.

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, wasn ’t, end result

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Nick Diaz's lawyer has fired off a response to his recent suspension by the Nevada Athletic Commission questioning his suspension for marijuana metabolites.

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Nick Diaz's lawyer has fired off a response to his recent suspension by the Nevada Athletic Commission questioning his suspension for marijuana metabolites.

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Nick Diaz's lawyer has fired off a response to his recent suspension by the Nevada Athletic Commission questioning his suspension for marijuana metabolites.

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Nick Diaz's lawyer has fired off a response to his recent suspension by the Nevada Athletic Commission questioning his suspension for marijuana metabolites.

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Nick Diaz's lawyer has fired off a response to his recent suspension by the Nevada Athletic Commission questioning his suspension for marijuana metabolites.

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Oh, there's another Nick Diaz article on MiddleEasy. Now let's see who the first schmuck will be to complain about it in the comment section. Here's a heads up random person that complains about stuff on MiddleEasy: In reality, we really don't care. Sure you can express your belief, but in the end, it means nothing. You're not making a significant impact on the world. No third-world children will be fed from your actions nor will people be enlightened by your opinion. You're just spreading hate. No one cares about you, regardless of the amount of times you hop from message board to comment section and type your idiotic opinions. Contrary to popular belief, you are a unique snowflake. Unfortunately for those people that have the same IQ as a warm jar of mayonnaise, you are a snowflake that was created from the water droplets that collect around elephant dung. Damn, this article got off to an angry start. Quick, someone give me a Disney film to watch. Sure, I may be pissed off at the majority of the world this morning, but my anger still pales in comparison to the discontent Nick Diaz has for the Nevada State Athletic Commission. They're the same guys that claim marijuana is a performance enhancing drug -- which essentially means all of my old college roommates were genetically reversed-engineered super-human athletes. Now Nick Diaz's lawyer, Ross Goodman, has officially filed a complaint against the NSAC ruling on Nick Diaz testing positive for marijuana on the basis that Nick Diaz is a medical marijuana patient and the presence of marijuana metabolites isn't prohibited under 'out-of-competition' circumstances. Check out the first two pages of the complaint below compliments of MMAFighting.

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After a controversial decision loss to Carlos Condit resulted in a frustration-fueled retirement speech, Nick Diaz's fighting future was further complicated when news broke that the former Strikeforce champ had tested positive for marijuana metabolites following UFC 143.

Posted in: nick, carlos condit, strikeforce champ, decision loss, marijuana metabolites

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Nick Diaz's legal team is taking a page out of the Vancouver athletic commissioner's playbook when it comes to attacking Nick's marijuana suspension.

Posted in: diaz, nick, marijuana, attorney, commissioners playbook

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Don't be scared, Toney. The pudgy pugilist is still making news in mixed martial arts (MMA) circles thanks to his newfound association with the Cesar Gracie fight camp out in California. As tweeted by Gracie himeself, James Toney is in town to spar with Nick Diaz and company, despite the fact that Diaz is facing a one year suspension for a failed drug test at UFC 143 for marijuana. He's also still flirting with the idea of retiring, with his brother Nate going so far as to say he doesn't think Nick is ever coming back. We'll see. In the meantime, why not get some training in with a world class (ahem) boxer? Check out another pic of Toney hitting the mitts after the jump.

Posted in: diaz, nick, toney, gracie, drug test

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submitted by xKrazExMNUx [link] [comment]

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Cesar Gracie might have the most intriguing job in mixed martial arts, acting as the manager of the man UFC Primetime recently called "the most enigmatic fighter in the UFC", Nick Diaz. Or should I say he used to have the most intriguing job in mixed martial arts? After all, Diaz stated that he would be retiring from the sport following his unanimous decision loss to Carlos Condit at UFC 143 last month, and if Nick is no longer going to fight, there isn't really any point in having Gracie continue to act as his representative. The reality is that no one really knows what Nick is going to do at this point. In an interview with Ariel Helwani just this past week, Nick's brother Nathan stated that he believed Nick was going to remain retired. Ariel Helwani: After the fight he retired. Do you think we'll ever see him back?Nathan Diaz: Right now I don't think so, you know. He's big on uh, like I said, staying in shape, just being healthy right now, not worrying about it (fighting) thinking about it. I think he's retired you know? He hasn't been into this whole fighting thing for some time, you know, since everything that goes on with the funny wins and losses, for not just him, for me, for people on our team, so I think he's just relaxed right now and just, you know, he's pretty set on his retirement. As for Cesar, well, when he spoke with Ariel following the fight, he was optimistic that Nick would return to the game, explaining that he felt Nick needed some time away from the sport to re-charge his batteries and would eventually want to continue in his pursuit of Georges St. Pierre. Yesterday, Cesar continued to feed the fire, sending out a tweet that should give hope to all the Diaz fans out there who want to see Nick compete in the UFC again: @nickdiaz209 @ufc we will be getting some great sparring. James Toney is a fan twitter.com/CesarGracieBJJ… — Cesar Gracie (@CesarGracieBJJ) March 10, 2012 It seems that James Toney is a bit of a fan of Nick and Nate and has come to the Cesar Gracie academy to train with the brothers as Nate prepares to fight Jim Miller. Normally this wouldn't be much of a story; after all, Toney could be there primarily for Nate, but the fact that Cesar tweeted at both the UFC and Nick, with no mention of Nate at all makes me think it's a little bit more curious than that. There is no doubt that Cesar wants to see Nick continue to fight. Nick is the best fighter at the camp and currently represents the best opportunity for a Cesar Gracie trained fighter to win a UFC championship. He also stands to make a good paycheck every time Nick fights. So either Nick has been away from the gym and the tweet was a way to entice him into coming back for some sparring or he's been at the gym all along and the tweet was meant to keep him in the public eye while reminding the UFC that he's staying in fighting shape. I'm going to go with the latter, since Nate told Helwani that Nick has been helping him prepare for Miller. On top of that Cesar is a fairly crafty manager who always seems to ensure things come up roses for Nick, making this type of public relations maneuver par for the course. So what does Nick think about all of this? Does he already know that he'll be coming back next year? Is he waiting to see how triathlon season goes to make a final decision on his sporting future? The only thing you can say for sure is that the ongoing Nick Diaz saga never fails to provide intrigue and whenever it does, Cesar Gracie never seems to be far away.

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick, gracie, cesar

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Ariel Helwani caught up with Nate Diaz at the UFC on FOX 3 press conference and asked him some stuff about his fight with Jim Miller. Yeah, that's gonna be a scrap and a half, but you know what we wanna hear: Does Nate think his brother Nick is seriously gonna stay retired? Triathalon season is starting so he's getting ready, getting in shape for that and concentrating on being in shape, being healthy and helping me out and coaching me for this fight [against Jim Miller]. Right now, I don't think [we will see him back inside the Octagon]. He's big on, like I said, staying in shape and just being healthy right now. He's not worried about it. I think he's retired. He hasn't been into this whole fighting thing for some time ... since everything that goes on with the funny wins and losses. And not just for him, but for people on our team. So, I just think he's relaxed right now, you know? I think he's pretty set on his retirement, though. I kind of agree with him [about his decision]. It's hard to say -- he's my brother. I'm not going to tell him to go fight somebody. I think he's doing the right thing. He made enough money to just chill back, sit back and relax. People don't understand: Nick never had nothing. He came from not much, so when he complained a lot about not making a lot of money it's because there were so many people making more money than him and he works 10 times hard than them. So, they definitely paid him enough money to not have to anything. He doesn't need to fight. Jake Shields has said he thinks Nick is probably just burned out (heh) and will probably be back, but Jake doesn't know Nick the way Nate does. Nate's the one that busts into Nick's bedroom and kicks him out of bed when he sleeps through plane flights and press conferences. He's got 26 years worth of experience being Nick's little brother, so I'd put more stock in his answer than Jake's. Then again, Nate probably also knows it's not his place to say "Yeah Nick's still saying he's retired but between you and me he's probably full of sh*t." Which would be my choice for truest statement concerning Nick Diaz's retirement.

Posted in: nick, money, nate, brother, he

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In part 2 of our interview with the UFC welterweight champ, Georges St. Pierre updates us on his injury, says he's got a renewed passion for MMA and that the sport needs a guy like Nick Diaz.

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Nick Diaz’s brother, Nate Diaz, and his biggest rival, Georges St. Pierre, give their latest thoughts on Nick now that the dust has settled in these pair of interviews with MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani and Heavy.com’s Dave Farra. Nate believes that Nick really is going to retire now that he’s earned enough money not to worry about it anymore. That’s certainly not what GSP wants to hear though. He thinks MMA needs a guy like Nick Diaz and still badly wants to fight him. Interestingly, GSP also noted that he doesn’t believe marijuana is a performance-enhancing drug and thinks Nick probably needs it to handle his anxiety issues, especially when he has to make public appearances.

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Nick Diaz claimed to be retiring in the ring after he felt he was robbed following his UFC 143 loss to Carlos Condit. Many didn't believe that the retirement would stick, but one who does think Nick's days in the UFC are done is his brother Nate Diaz. Nate was asked about the status of his brother's career by MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani and had this to say (as transcribed by MMAmania): Triathalon season is starting so he's getting ready, getting in shape for that and concentrating on being in shape, being healthy and helping me out and coaching me for this fight [against Jim Miller]. Right now, I don't think [we will see him back inside the Octagon]. He's big on, like I said, staying in shape and just being healthy right now. He's not worried about it. I think he's retired. He hasn't been into this whole fighting thing for some time ... since everything that goes on with the funny wins and losses. And not just for him, but for people on our team. So, I just think he's relaxed right now, you know? I think he's pretty set on his retirement, though. I kind of agree with him [about his decision]. It's hard to say -- he's my brother. I'm not going to tell him to go fight somebody. I think he's doing the right thing. He made enough money to just chill back, sit back and relax. People don't understand: Nick never had nothing. He came from not much, so when he complained a lot about not making a lot of money it's because there were so many people making more money than him and he works 10 times hard than them. So, they definitely paid him enough money to not have to anything. He doesn't need to fight. While Nick missed out on his shot at UFC gold, Nate will be fighting in the UFC on Fox 3 main event against Jim Miller with the winner of that bout expected to face the winner of the rematch between Ben Henderson and Frankie Edgar for the UFC lightweight championship. Video of the interview after the jump... Interview via MMA Fighting:

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Following his loss to Carlos Condit at UFC 143, Nick Diaz implied that he would be leaving the sport of MMA. The legitimacy of that claim was put into question when his drug test came back with marijuana metabolites, earning him a temporary license suspension pending a hearing with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Nick’s brother, Nate took part in the UFC on FOX 3 press conference this week and spoke about Nick’s potential retirement. “I’m not going to tell him to go fight

Posted in: nick, carlos condit, drug test, license suspension, nick ’s

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NEW YORK -- Watch below as Nate Diaz talks about his upcoming UFC on FOX 3 fight against Jim Miller, the love he received at Tuesday's press conference, why he thinks his brother Nick Diaz will remain retired and whether he will convince him to come back to MMA.

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Immediately after the Strikeforce event, the usually quiet Nick Diaz was active on his twitter account, posting a series of tweets in reference to the finish of the main event between Ronda Rousey and Meisha Tate: The refs are just as bad as the judges in this sport sad to see that go to far because of the ref — nick diaz (@nickdiaz209) March 4, 2012 Lol no one is acknowledging the ignorance — nick diaz (@nickdiaz209) March 4, 2012 From the first tweet, it seems that Nick is of the opinion that the fight should have been stopped well before Meisha herself chose to tap out. After a few of his followers responded with "what if you were in an armbar and didn't tap and the ref called a fight?" Nick followed up with the second tweet, suggesting that there was a lack of understanding of the rules. Given the (unfair, in this author's opinion) reputation that Nick has gained for being a complainer, some people might dismiss the tweets out of hand. But a quick review of the unified rules found on John McCarthy's website shows that Nick is indeed correct: The fight should have been stopped long before Tate begrudgingly submitted. You`ll have to follow the jump to find out why. Rule number 9 in the unified rule set that all Zuffa events are contested under covers the situation Tate was in: INJURIES SUSTAINED BY FAIR BLOWS AND FOULS: A) Fair Blows: If injury is severe enough to terminate a contest, the injured contestant loses by TKO. (I chose to bold the selected sentence)Tate clearly had suffered a severe injury to her arm before she submitted. The referee in question, Mark Matheny, had a duty to step in on her behalf to protect her from suffering a more serious injury. We've seen this happen before, when Herb Dean stopped a bout for the UFC Heavyweight championship between Frank Mir and Tim Sylvia, after Dean correctly noted that Mir had broken Sylvia's forearm with an armbar. Sylvia complained instantly and it is likely that had Matheny called a stop to the contest between Rousey and Tate, Meisha would also have complained. Such complaints shouldn't be surprising to anyone and they also shouldn't have anything to do with whether or not Matheny (or any referee in that situation) should have called the fight. Adrenaline has phenomenal pain-masking abilities and considering Tate was involved in a championship prize fight there is no doubt that she was fully immersed in the effects of the hormone. (After the fight she stated that her arm was "a little sore", which many took as a sign of her heart and toughness. I'm sure that she was singing a different tune backstage as the adrenaline wore off.) I suspect it is for this exact reason that this rule is in place: to protect fighter's from themselves when they are not able to do so. Like any good critic, Nick doesn't just stop at pointing out the mistake; he provides a solution: fighters should vote for refs Or have them all learn from big jon, get a blue belt train jiujitsu it's not that hard to learn basics — nick diaz (@nickdiaz209) March 4, 2012 It's a fairly reasonable suggestion. After all, a lot of mixed martial arts, and specifically submission grappling, requires first hand experience in order to fully grasp what is taking place. If you don't know what a particular hold looks and feels like, how could you know when an injury has taken place? We've seen countless fighters be rendered unconscious due to choke holds well before the referee realizes that they are out (Sheila Bird vs Kim Couture comes to mind). We've also seen referee's step in well before they should have (Mac Danzig vs Matt Wiman, for example). It takes a bit of dedication for one to become a blue belt in jiu jitsu, for most people at least a solid year of training. While that might seem like a lot of work just to be eligible to become a mixed martial arts official, when you consider the years of training and on the job practice required to become an official in other professional sports leagues, it really seems like small potatoes. When you consider the fact that not only are MMA referee`s responsible for conducting bouts in a fair manner, they are in control of the fighters physical well being, it seems like a no-brainer. A quick review of the current system for certifying MMA officials reveals that there is no standardized training system. In order to certify officials, you must simply gain permission from the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) to do so. John McCarthy`s C.O.M.M.A.N.D. course is recognized by the ABC, as is Herb Dean`s MMARS (Mixed Martial Arts Referee School). I found various other courses that were recognized by the ABC as well, including some that were done entirely online. Each course states that you must have martial arts experience but there is no hard and fast guidelines for how much experience, or in what kind of art. So the certification of officials is left up to the individual running the course. Now, I do not doubt that Dean and McCarthy are able to identify whether or not an official is ready to work MMA matches, but I have no idea if I can extend that faith to the people running the other courses. Either way, the time has come for the ABC to standardize the training of MMA officials into one system. I have no idea how well Herb Dean and John McCarthy get along, but as the two most recognizable officials in mixed martial arts if they were to combine their courses into one, complete with concrete metrics as far as experience and knowledge go, I`m sure they would have no problem getting the ABC to recognize it as the golden (and only) standard for MMA officiating. Until this happens, we`ll probably continue to see spotty work by the in-cage officials and remember, Nick Diaz won`t be around forever to remind us.

Posted in: diaz, nick, official, art, course

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"I see the same thing every time. Her trying not to blink and trying to look tough, but this time she actually had the audacity to touch her forehead on mine and I had to pull out my inner Nick Diaz and push back. Thank God Scott Coker was there because I was about to, you know, ruin this from the beginning you know. So good thing we avoided the fight at the weigh-ins and were actually going to fight when were supposed to. They can expect the best damn women's fight they have seen in their lives." -- "The Bad Girl from Venice?" It doesn't have quiet the same ring to it as, "The Bad Boy from Stockton," but it seems that after a couple of training sessions together, a little bit of that Nick Diaz attitude may be rubbing off on Ronda Rousey. The Olympic judo bronze medalist says she had to pull out her inner Nick Diaz after Miesha Tate decided to get a little too up close and personal with her at a yesterday's (March 2, 2012) weigh-in festivities as the Strikeforce Woman's Bantamweight champion literally bumped heads with the "Rowdy" one. Not one to step down, Rousey pushed back, forcing Strikeforce President Scott Coker to intervene to prevent the altercation from escalating further. With just a few hours until showtime, the time for talking and head butting will soon come to an end as the two headline this evening's (March 3, 2012) event, Strikeforce:"Tate vs. Rousey" from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. If you weren't pumped enough for this fight, how about now?

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick diaz, nick, ronda rousey

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Anthony Perosh defeats Nick Penner by TKO (referee stoppage). The stoppage came at 4:59 in the first round. Nick Penner landed a huge right hand but was countered by Anthony Perosh. Penner's left eye was damaged early from one of Perosh's strikes. Perosh took the fight to the ground but was swept by Penner. Penner ended up in mount and and landed several punches before Perosh was able to regain his feet. Perosh shot for a takedown against the fence and was able to get the fight to the ground. Perosh landed some short elbows from half guard as he passed to mount. Perosh heavy from the top landing punches to the face while Nick Penner covered up. Perosh sunk in a head-arm choke and and Penner defended well. With one second left in the round the referee waved off the fight. The replays show that the referee gave Nick Penner opportunities to fight back and waved off the bout right before the horn. Anthony Perosh entered the fight with two submission victories in the UFC. He is now 3-1 in the UFC and 13-6 overall. Nick Penner was making his UFC debut. He is now 0-1 in the promotion and 11-2 overall. SBN coverage of UFC on FX 2

Posted in: fight, nick, perosh, penner, nick penner

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One-armed mixed martial arts (MMA) phenom "Notorious" Nick Newell (6-0) will look to keep his undefeated streak intact when he takes on Chris Coggins (5-1) at XFC 17: "Apocalypse" from the Oman Arena in Jackson, TN, airing live on April 13, 2012, via HDNet.

Posted in: nick, art, phenom, jackson tn, oman arena

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MiddleEasy.com videographer Layzie the Savage has released a stellar video of Nick Diaz showcasing the Stockton fighter's "Message to the Establishment" in response to his drug-testing turmoil with the NSAC.

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submitted by tekprodfx16 [link] [comment]

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Before I created the title of this article, I threw 'dilemma' into Wikipedia and found a variety of definitions -- all of which applied to Nick Diaz's current situation with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. First there's the 'Morton's Fork' dilemma which states one has to deal with two equally undesirable choices that both yield the same result. It's the equivalent of being force to choose between an Ubereem right knee to your brain, or an Ubereem left knee. In both scenarios, your friends will have to mop your consciousness off the floor. There's also 'Hobson's Choice' which forces a person into a 'take it or leave it' situation, the dilemma of choosing an undesirable 'something,' or nothing at all. Finally there's 'Zugzwang,' a term mostly defined in combinatorial game theory -- put your thinking caps on for this one. Zugzwang is being forced to make a move against one's opponent in a scenario in which that person would choose not to make a move. The fact that the person is forced to make a move in a situation that one normally would choose not to, automatically places that person at a disadvantage. Therein lies the dilemma of Nick Diaz. Cesar Gracie, Cynthia Vance and LayzieTheSavage brainstormed how to effectively convey Nick Diaz's tumultuous transition back into the UFC. From proving his talent across the world, getting an instant title shot against Georges St. Pierre, being stripped of that opportunity, to being granted another title fight...I think you guys know the story by now. Throughout the years, Nick Diaz has made MiddleEasy his preferred choice of MMA sites. Therefore it only makes sense that we've teamed up with Cesar Gracie to present a video so rawesome, it will make your eyeballs do back flips inside your head in sheer excitement. Enjoy.

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Jake Shields is back in action for the first time since getting quickly KO'd by Jake Ellenberger back in September. He'll be welcoming Yoshihiro Akiyama into the sharktank that is the UFC's 170 pound division, and most people are expecting him to make short work of the Japanese star. Our sister-site MMA Training has Jake Shields talking about that fight, and it also has his thoughts on how his teammate Nick Diaz did against Carlos Condit: “It was definitely a close and controversial fight,” opined Shields. “To be honest with you I really thought Nick won the fight. I don’t think you can win a fight by running for five rounds the way Condit did. The judges and Joe Rogan thought differently and although Condit landed more strikes most of them were leg kicks that inflicted little to no damage. Diaz was the aggressor and controlled the pace of the fight. It’s just one of those fights that everyone has their own opinion on. I’m not sure if he’ll fight again, he’s a good friend of mine and I certainly hope he’ll come back. He does what he wants to do and it’s is his choice. He’s young and he’s a great fighter, but he does things on his own terms.” When pushed for an opinion on if he thought Nick would return: "He's calmed down, I think he's gonna fight again. He's been a little burned out. They've been fighting him like crazy, keeping him busy. I think he needs a little break. Unfortunately he'll probably be suspended for a little while but I think the time off will make him love the sport again and make him wanna get back in there." Nothing like a year long suspension to make your heart grow fonder for the sport you've abandoned. Fortunately, Nick's pot-smoking ways seem to be his built in coping mechanism for burn-out. Every couple of years it gives him a well-earned vacation.

Posted in: fight, jake shields, shield, jake, nick

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No surprise, but the NSAC issued Nick Diaz a temporary suspension today for testing positive for marijuana following his interim welterweight title fight against Carlos Condit at UFC 143. Diaz will be under the temporary suspension until he appears in front of the commission at a formal hearing which has yet to be scheduled. Diaz will have the opportunity to present his case at that time, which the commission fully expects will include a request for a retroactive medical marijuana exemption. It also sounds like the commission will have some arguments of their own against that should Diaz’s attorney bring it up. “I also have some information, as far as from a legal research perspective, to bring on that,” NSAC commissioner Pat Lundvall said of the possible issue. It’s unknown what length of suspension Diaz will get, but Keith Kizer noted that previous repeats offenders were given 12-month suspensions. Whatever happens, Diaz’s close friend and training partner Jake Shields believes Nick will be back. He told Kimura.se that he thinks Nick is “burned out” and needs some time away from MMA to recapture his “love” for fighting. Image via Esther Lin for MMA Fighting

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The Nevada State Athletic Commission has temporarily suspended Nick Diaz on the heels of his positive marijuana test after UFC 143.

Posted in: nick diaz, nick, nevada state, marijuana, marijuana test

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Following his decision loss to Carlos Condit at UFC 143, Nick Diaz' drug screening came back positive for marijuana metabolites. This is the second time that Diaz has tested positive for marijuana in Nevade with the first time following his fight against Takanori Gomi at Pride 33 in 2007. He was suspended for six months and fined twenty percent of his fight purse. The win was also overturned to a no contest. A temporary suspension of his fight license has been handed down to Diaz on the Wednesday meeting following his UFC 143 positive test. The request was made by Christopher Eccles, the Nevada deputy Attorney General and the commission unanimously agreed on the motion. A follow up disciplinary meeting will be scheduled where Nick Diaz will be able to defend his usage of marijuana. Nick Diaz was not on the call Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday's pre-hearing was overseen by commission chairman Skip Avansino, who requested that documentation from the 2007 hearing be made available as well as any disciplinary actions handed down from other commissions. Diaz had prior issues with the California State Athletic Commission while in Strikeforce. Diaz' case is unique as marijuana is prescribed by a doctor to help him with his ADHD in the state of California. He will likely request exemption for medicinal marijuana usage. This is without precedent as there has never been another case of a fighter asking for marijuana exemption. There is also a possibility that Diaz would request a retroactive exemption which could possibly change the No Contest back to a win. Diaz could face up to a year suspension as well as a financial fine. The commission requested his financial earning from UFC 143 which would put not just his purse but any bonuses received at risk. His base salary was $200,000 though it is very likely that he also received undisclosed "locker room" and PPV based bonuses as well. SBN coverage of UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick, commission, marijuana

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Former Strikeforce Champion Jake Shields, who will look to get back in the win column against Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 144, discusses his opponent, as well as his training and preparation for the bout. Shields also talks about his Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu teammate, Nick Diaz, explaining that, though "The Stockton Bad Boy" is a little "burned-out," he is unlikely to retire.

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The Nevada State Athletic Commission on Wednesday levied a temporary suspension against Nick Diaz after testing positive for marijuana for his fight with Carlos Condit at UFC 143.

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, carlos condit, nevada state

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Funny thing about the Nick Diaz weed situation ... NSAC head Keith Kizer says if Nick's camp had applied for a therapeutic use exemption, he might have actually gotten it: Given that Diaz’ coach and manager, Cesar Gracie, has made a point of saying that Diaz has a legal right to use marijuana in California since a doctor prescribed it to him, one would have expected Diaz to have applied for the exemption with the commission.But that did not happen Kizer explains, as no one from Diaz’ camp has ever attempted to explain any mitigating circumstances to him about the fighter’s marijuana use or tried to contextualize it to attempt for Nick to granted a therapeutic exemption. “I have no idea what [Diaz’s] marijuana situation is,” Kizer told CagePotato on Thursday. “No one from his camp has ever come to me or the commission and tried to explain it.” Cesar Gracie deserves a nice chunk of Nick Diaz's money for babysitting him through the oh so complex world of ultimate man fightin', but this is one of those cases where you have to ask where he was on this one? Where he was those times Nick didn't get on the plane to hit up those press conferences? There have been several key moments where a little managerial manipulation would have helped Diaz greatly. Then again, I think on a week to week basis there are often a dozen key moments, and if Cesar misses one or two now and then it's because he's only human and he probably expects Nick to be able to wipe his own ass from time to time. Probably a mistaken assumption, but as Cesar himself has said in the past, Nick is a grown man.There's also the very real chance that if Nick's camp had submitted the exemption, it might have screwed things up even worse. You never know how a commish is gonna react to something new, and trying to do 'the right thing' could have resulted in some crazy decision from them that would have ruined the fight before it even happened. Better to just drink a lot of water and hope for the best.

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The middle finger is a form of currency in the 209. If arthritis ever hit Stockton, California, the entire economy would collapse. In the 209, commodities are purchased with either one middle finger, or two -- depending on the value of the item. If you purchase anything in Stockton, California that's more than two middle fingers, people will automatically assume your first name is 'Goro' and you're defending the Netherrealms from Stockton. If the economy did collapse in the 209, there would be no 'Great Depression' -- only a greater depression. The term 'Dust Bowl' would also have an entirely new meaning. What we're trying to tell you is things operate just a little bit differently in the hometown of Nick and Nate Diaz. Therefore, the middle finger shouldn't be received as an insult. Not at all. More along the lines of a cautionary measure to denote 'whatever you just tried, didn't work.' By that definition, my car gave me the middle finger when I tried to start it up this morning. Check out the Top Ten Greatest Diaz Brothers Middle Fingers in MMA History, only at MiddleEasy.com. How tragic is it that in LayzieTheSavage's greatest picture with the Diaz brothers, his face is completely covered up by a middle finger. The middle finger giveth, and the middle finger taketh away. You better thank your lucky stars no one talks like that anymore -- because that's just ridiculous. I could never imagine living in a universe in which Nick Diaz trash talks in Old English. It makes my head itch just thinking about it. Most of you wish you had a picture like this in your personal collection. LayzieTheSavage and the Diaz brothers have some mysterious 209 bond that no one can fully understand. There's no other person on this planet that can enable a picture like this to be taken. From one amazing picture to another, we believe this moment was the turning point for LayzieTheSavage and his unprecedented coverage of the Diaz brothers. Check out this Diaz brothers middle finger moment coming in at number ten.   Whatever activity you engage in today, just please don't forget that Elite XC actually existed. The promotion brought MMA to thousands of casual fans across the country through their primetime CBS platform. While YouTube may be credited for giving birth to Kimbo Slice, Elite XC undoubtedly marketed the street fighter to such an incredibly high point that his fight against James Thompson was the most watched MMA event in history until FOX aired Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos in 2011. In Nick Diaz's final fight with the promotion, he took on Thomas Denny on the televised portion of the card. Both fighters made it blatantly apparent the fight would be nothing less than a playground scrap fest -- and it lived up to the hype. After trading strikes for the entire duration of the bout, Nick Diaz outscrapped Denny Thomas and watched as his body literally collapsed on the Elite XC mat. To celebrate, Nick gave a resounding double middle fingers to the crowd in Stockton, California. They understood the sentiment and praised the fellow 209er with a standing ovation. If you're interested in the video of the bout, notice the cameras actually cut away from Nick just as he was saluting the crowd in the Stockton Arena with double middle fingers.   We know the Diaz brothers smoke the 'ganja' because they make it widely apparent that they do. We're not exposing any ground breaking news here. There's been a synonymous relationship with the Diaz brothers and medical marijuana for years now. I would even venture to say that Nate and Nick Diaz have a fascination with non-medical marijuana too. Like Joe Rogan and Eddie Bravo, the Diaz brothers would not deny they occasionally take part in the herbal sacrament. Therefore, this picture is only evidence of their appreciation of marijuana. Check out Nate Diaz giving the middle finger, along with Nick Diaz on the far right in what appears to be the backseat of a car.   Remember that one time when you thought Shinya Aoki was some playful, Japanese Carebear hybrid that always wore silly seizure-inducing pants and came out to fun, whimsical music? Remember that one time when you fronted like you knew what 'whimsical' meant until you Googled it like five seconds ago? Well all those preconceived notions of what Shinya Aoki was came crashing down when he broke Hirota's arm at Dynamite!! 2009 and repeatedly gave him the finger and then proceeded to fly around the ring like he just got an extra 30 minutes in elementary school recess. Dude is the alpha male, the pants are just a decoy. It's wildly known that Shinya Aoki has been a massive Nick Diaz fan since the early days of Elite XC. Why else would he rock that cool limited-edition TwoThree shirt. So we're suggesting Shinya Aoki was actually 'possessed' by the soul of Nick Diaz on that night in the Saitama Super Arena back in 2009. After the fight, Aoki told the press that he should apologize for breaking Hirota's arm and his post-fight antics -- but he doesn't. "After my fight, I was excited, and so I did something rude that I should apologize for. But that showed just how excited I was over that fight." "When I had his arm behind his back, I could feel it popping. I thought, 'Well, this guy's pride just won't let him tap, will it?' So without hesitation, I broke it. I heard it break, and I thought, 'Ah, there, I just broke it.' I was stopped afterward, but even if I hadn't been, continuing to break it more would have been fine by me." "Dream got a solid win [with my victory over Hirota], so that was good, but we finished off Sengoku. Although Sengoku was already finished from the very beginning." "When Sasahara tells me to go and do something, I do it, and that's how I live my life. If Sasahara tells me to go to Strikeforce and take them out or 'Go and kill that guy,' I'm going to do it. Even if he tells me to go take out Tanigawa, I'd do that too." Like him or hate him, Shinya Aoki can still break your arm. Check out the disgusting arm-break in all of its glory below, along with the middle finger antics.   LayzieTheSavage informed me that the middle finger Nick Diaz gave when he walked out for his UFC 59 fight against Sean Sherk was the 'turning point.' Layzie didn't elaborate on this, but he expects me to fill you in on what he means. Well the jokes on Layzie, I'm not even going to talk about the Sean Sherk walkout. I'll use this time to show you a really cool Nick Diaz picture we published on our official Tumblr page. It's from the Pride FC videogame that was released on Playstation 2. See, Pride never die, homie.   The only reason I vividly remember this fight is because the night before this match went down, two thieves stole all of my bags as I slept inside Gatwick Airport in London, England. I had all of my belongings on a trolley and I stupidly wanted to 'rest my eyes' for a few minutes. An hour later, my bags were jacked, and all I had to look towards in life was a Nate Diaz fight the next day. It was rough returning to the US without a single possession, but this triangle sub over Kurt Pellegrino at UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Lauzon quickly got my mind off my entire world collapsing. Although you can't see it in the .gif, when Nate sinks in the triangle and extends his hands, he gives a double middle finger just before he flexes for the audience. Sure we could show you the actual fight, but we're not trying to jump into a ZUFFA lawsuit, folks.   Back in the day, Frank Shamrock was Nick Diaz before Nick Diaz was Nick Diaz. He was the bad-boy of MMA until Nick Diaz showed up just to remind everyone that he is in fact from the 209. At Strikeforce's infamous 'New Era of MMA' press conference, Nick Diaz thought it would be appropriate to give Frank Shamrock the finger instead of shaking his hand before their 2009 middleweight bout. This moment will forever go down as one of the most awkward press conferences the world has ever seen. We've also provided a .gif of the moment so you can see Frank Shamrock's weird and ill-placed response to a Nick Diaz middle finger. It wasn't offensive, but just weird that Frank Shamrock grabbed his crotch in retaliation. I can't be the only one that found that somewhat bizarre.   What can be said about Nick Diaz that hasn't already been said about the kid who used to steal your lunch money in third grade? If you're a guy that likes to mean mug the peeling off an orange and is an obvious master of nunchuks then Nick Diaz is the perfect role-model for you. However, if you're looking for someone who doesn't drop the F-bomb four times in a course of nine seconds, Nick Diaz may not be the guy you want to emulate your life after. Back in July 2010, HDNet's Michael Schiavello interviewed Mayhem Miller and brushed on the topic of Nick Diaz. Mayhem had some choice words for the 209er, which warranted this in-car vlog from Nick Diaz himself. After it was published, Nick removed it from YouTube, but fortunately we saved the clip and re-published it on our YouTube page. In retrospect, I'm pretty bummed that 'We were talking about chocolate when you made fun of me' never made it to the land of internet memes. Check out the double-middle finger opener from Nick Diaz in this clip.   Sure we saw the introduction of Alistair Overeem to the UFC and the retirement of Brock Lesnar from the sport of MMA. However, we must not forget that Nate Diaz gave Cowboy Cerrone a double middle finger just before the third round at UFC 141. Out performing Donald Cerrone by over 150 strikes was just not enough to fulfill whatever void resides deep within the Stockton native. It's the equivalent of dominating a six-pack of Heineken and then systematically breaking every bottle against a brick wall and igniting the remains as a sign of sheer disrespect. Press row was set up just behind Cerrone, but I managed to catch Nate Diaz initially give Cerrone the middle finger and then switch to a double middle finger solely because he didn't feel like one hand had the ability to express how much he loathed Cerrone. Just really think about that. The psychological process that went into that is phenomenally complex. The duration he held up both hands towards Cerrone was much longer than what you guys saw on the UFC 141 PPV. As you can see in this .gif by ZombieProphet, Nate Diaz gives Cowboy the finger and then the camera cuts to Cerrone acknowledging it. While Cerrone is nodding his head, Nate Diaz is still giving him the double finger and became nearly motionless at this point. The crowd inside the MGM Garden Arena exploded and then Herb Dean signaled for the start of the final round.   You remember how your friends told you they have a friend that knows a guy that can get marijuana? Nick Diaz probably knows that same guy. Nick Diaz openly admits that he smokes weed and that fact alone should automatically place him in your ‘List of fighters I want to see Ice Age 3 with stoned’. He actually says that smoking weed is all 'part of his plan' and judging by his MMA record, the green leafy substance seems to be working. However, the previous statement brings us to the crux of the argument: Is marijuana a performance enhancing drug? Surely the Nevada State Athletic Commission believed it to be an enhancement when they stripped Nick Diaz of one of the slickest submissions in arguably the greatest MMA fight in all time when he took on a very game Takanori Gomi at Pride 33. After sinking in only the second successful gogoplata submission in Pride FC history, the NSAC changed the fight to a 'No Contest' and suspended Diaz for six months with a 20% purse deduction after he tested positive for marijuana. The threshold for THC count within a fighter is 150 on some incredibly complex scale that we fully don't understand. Apparently Nick Diaz's THC levels registered at 175, which seems to be 'off the charts' based on the NSAC's initial response. A couple years after the Gomi ordeal, Nick Diaz gave the proverbial middle finger to the Nevada State Athletic Commission and anti-marijuana legislation by publicizing his marijuana usage within an interview from the LA Times. "I'm more consistent about everything being a cannabis user. I'm happy to get loaded, hear some good music . . . I remain consistent. And I have an easy way to deal with [the drug tests]. "I can pass a drug test in eight days with herbal cleansers. I drink 10 pounds of water and sweat out 10 pounds of water every day. I'll be fine." Keith Kizer's justification as to why marijuana is a banned substance stems from the belief that a fighter is actually putting their body in danger by indulging in the barbiturate. The NSAC believes that if a fighter is under the influence of marijuana he/she will perform under their athletic standard, which consequently places them in danger. It's sort of a reach for an explanation, however to ensure that athletes are performing at the top of their game, then the NSAC should make every fighter have mandatory training days up until their fight. Both actions work on the same principle of the NSAC playing the role of 'coach' instead of an athletic governing body. Earlier this month, the Nevada State Athletic Commission issued a press release stating Nick Diaz tested positive for 'marijuana metabolites' leading up to UFC 143. The ruling prevented UFC from assembling a very lucrative (and justifiable) rematch with Carlos Condit at some point in 2012. Days after the ruling, Dana White publicly criticized the commission, stating the only consistency with the NSAC is their inconsistency. It all comes down our culture's demonization of marijuana and the rise of pharmaceutical giants that have control over our political system. Even though I easily could write a few paragraphs that illustrate the hypocrisy in America's medically psychotic 'War on Drugs,' I won't take up your time. Instead, I will say the only method in which we can fix our political system is to take money out of politics. That's it. After the NSAC Nick Diaz ruling, I think my grandmother said it best in a text message she sent to me: "Sorry to hear about Nick Dias I hope his mma days aren't over. What B.S. over a little pot. What's next, cerveza."

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UFC president Dana White has long pleaded with Nick Diaz to play the game just "this much." The fighter from the 209 is now facing a drug test failure, but White doesn't think it's the final straw.

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Georges St. Pierre sat down with Jon Anik on FUEL TV’s Ultimate Insider to talk about Nick Diaz, Carlos Condit and his knee injury. It may be a long ways off before it can happen, but GSP still badly wants to fight Nick Diaz one day. He even looked into the camera and asked Diaz not to retire so they can fight one day.

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, jon anik, knee injury

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Two bouts featuring competitors from the 14th season of The Ultimate Fighter have been added to the May 5th UFC on Fox 3 card at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Featherweight runner-up Dennis Bermudez will square off against another TUF alum, Pablo Garza, while bantamweight semfinalist Johnny Bedford will face Canadian, Nick Denis, according to UFC.com: Nick Denis put the rest of the bantamweight division on notice with a devastating 22-second KO of The Night debut in his first UFC outing, while TUF 14's Johnny Bedford won a landslide victory in his last fight at the series finale. Now, these two have verbally agreed to clash at the UFC on FOX event May 5. In the featherweight division, TUF 14 finalist Dennis Bermudez has agreed to take on Pablo Garza, known for his dynamic fighting style that's seen Octagon finishes via flying knee and flying guillotine. The proud owner one of MMA's most unique nicknames ("The Ninja of Love") and more unusual fighting styles ("cuddle-jitsu"), Ontario's Nick Denis is nonetheless a very talented bantamweight fighter, and proved it in his UFC debut by knocking out Joseph Sandoval with vicious standing elbows, and that victory coming on the heels of a KO-by-suplex against Bellator vet, Nick Mamalis. Bedford was an early favorite to win his season of TUF, but his inability to deal with the speed of John Dodson led to a KO loss in the semifinal round. Bedford rebounded at the season finale with a one-sided beatdown of Louis Gaudinot, and now takes a big step up in competition against a fellow veteran. Bermudez, who will be fighting close to home as a resident of Long Island, made it all the way to the finale on TUF, before tapping to an armbar from Diego Brandao in a wild scrap that earned both men Fight of the Night honors. Now getting a chance to prove he deserves a roster spot in the rapidly growing UFC featherweight division, Bermudez will have to shore up his submission defense to avoid the lanky limbs and spidery guard of Garza. Garza competed on the 12th season of TUF, but a decision loss to eventual runner-up Michael Johnson in the opening round denied him entrance to the house. Instead, Garza worked his way up through the regional ranks and before finally getting a Zuffa contract (first in the WEC, and then in the UFC). Although his Zuffa record stands at 2-2 and he's wilted against stronger opponents,, "The Scarecrow" is rarely in a boring fight, and owns one of the most impressive highlight reels around, with a flying knee KO followed up by a flying triangle submission in his first two UFC fights. UFC on Fox 3 coverage

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A few feet to my right the disembodied voice of LayzieTheSavage is coming out of my Turtle Beach headset. Layzie is shouting in joyous victory at Gary LaPlante, Nate Diaz just stomped out Gomi Pride style in UFC Undisputed you see, and it sounds like an impromptu party is being thrown in the Savage household. I'm surrounded by Diaz's. Diaz's in digital form inside my Xbox, Diaz's preparing for fights on Fox, Diaz failed drug tests in Times Square and a subdued Nick Diaz getting real with the world on Showdown Joe, right here in this very article. Nick Diaz is even stealing the show from John Lennon. [Source]

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It's nice to know that Nick hasn't let his recent disciplinary issues turn him off smoking brain-melting amounts of dope. Above is a screenshot courtesy of CagePotato from Nick's rarely used twitter - tweets that were taken down an hour later (when reality set in? After an avalanche of dissenting mentions poured in?). Even Japanese scoring and judging wouldn't have swung that match Sanchez's way, although I gotta imagine that Nick Diaz's criteria places major emphasis on aggression, cojones, and mean-muggingness.

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Carlos Condit has decided to wait for Georges St. Pierre now that a rematch with Nick Diaz is off the table. Dana White informed MMA Junkie of the news earlier today. “We don’t know when Georges is coming back yet,” White said. “But Carlos isn’t going to fight another fight.” If there was an obvious contender lined up behind Condit, I’d bet we see Condit defend his interim title this summer, but there just isn’t. Dana also voiced his disappointment in Nick Diaz for testing positive for marijuana and blowing the opportunity to potentially beat Condit and face GSP for the title. “I’m bummed out because I think that this kid, because of the ‘Primetime,’ people actually started to like Nick Diaz and started to turn,” White said. “People who hated him turned around and started to like him. I think he gained a lot of fans, and a lot of people are interested, and he blew a huge [expletive] rematch. He could have had the opportunity to fight Condit again and possibly get another opportunity to fight Georges St-Pierre. Condit was going to do it. “Nick Diaz is still a UFC employee, but nobody hurts Nick Diaz worse than Nick Diaz does. I don’t even know what to say. It’s just disappointing. It’s very disappointing.” Truer words have never been spoken. Nick Diaz is without a doubt his own worst enemy. Image via Esther Lin for MMA Fighting

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Throughout all the drama surrounding Nick Diaz’ failed drug test, Carlos Condit has remained somewhat silent, but now his thoughts are coming to the surface. Condit opened up to Sports Illustrated about Diaz testing positive for marijuana following their controversial fight. I don’t care. The thing about it is, it’s something they test for. It’s against the Nevada [State] Athletic Commission [rules]. I don’t really consider it to be a performance-enhancing drug, but the fact is, they’re testing for it. And you know they’re testing for it. Whatever you do in between camps, if you know they’re testing for this stuff then you’ve got to figure something out. In the past, he’s said, ‘Oh, I can smoke and I can pass these tests no problem.’ That attitude kind of came back and bit him in the ass. Condit may not care about Diaz having marijuana in his system, but he does care about how it affects his own immediate future. Condit explained that he actually wanted the rematch after realizing how big the fight would be. “So I called [Dana White],” Condit said. “…We talked about [the fight] a little bit. He said he thought that I won, but at the same time a lot of people were calling for the rematch and it would be a huge fight. The day before I had told my manager that I’d be into a rematch, and I told Dana White the same thing. I said I’m down. Let’s just figure out the details and we’ll do it.” “I don’t think I need the rematch. I won the fight; I think I’d win a rematch. But the thing about it is, I want to be in big fights, fights where there’s a lot of buzz, a lot of people wanting to see the fight, and a rematch with Nick Diaz fits the bill.” It’s all a moot point now for Carlos Condit. He has the interim belt and will move on with his career. That’s not the case for Nick Diaz though. He’ll spend the foreseeable future dealing with this issue with the NSAC and his manager Cesar Gracie may not be helping his cause. Gracie admitted on The MMA Hour yesterday that he was fully aware the Nick had smoked marijuana, but he and Nick both thought he [Nick] had taken the right steps to basically fool the drug test. He claims Diaz has a “ritual” he goes through to detoxify his body prior to taking the test. From what Gracie says, it doesn’t sound like Nick did anything different than my old dorm buddies that had to fool the drug test to get hired at Subway. The ritual seems simple: drink a lot of water and sweat. He was surprised he tested positive. He does the same ritual every fight for the last five years. He stops it in time and he cleanses his system, works out like crazy, drinks a lot of water and purges his system of it. This seems like an instance it would have been better to just say nothing. What has Gracie said that was even worth saying? He says he knew (I admit we all knew.) one of his fighters was getting high. Knowing Dana’s history with black listing pretty much anything that pisses him off, I’m not sure why Gracie would even come out and say this. I get that Diaz has the medical card; we all do. It just seems foolish to me to admit you know your fighters are, for lack of a better way of saying it, breaking the rules. I really doubt that Dana will ban Diaz, as he does have a lot of star power behind him. Plus, Dana hasn’t even hinted at it, but that’s never a side of the fence anybody involved with The UFC should ever even consider visiting. Diaz’ full disciplinary action is expected to be handed down soon, and the early signs tend to suggest Diaz will fight the result or at least shoot for a shortened suspension, as he has hired attorney Ross Goodman. Image via Esther Lin for Strikeforce/Showtime

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick, rematch, test

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It's been several days since Nick Diaz tested positive for potsmoking (not something we really needed a test to determine), and we still haven't heard a peep from him. I wonder what he does when he's not fighting, training, or triatheleting? Does he sit at home watching Antiques Roadshow marathons all day? Or am I just projecting what I do all day onto him? Whatever the case, I hope Cesar Gracie is getting a nice Golden Glory percentage of Nick's money for being the guy who has to come out and try to explain his client's latest f*ckups to an angry world every other week: "I was very disappointed," Gracie said on The MMA Hour. "Everyone knows he smokes marijuana medicinally in California. He has a legal right to do it in this state."Gracie said he was the one who was informed of the positive test and passed along the word to Diaz, and that Diaz had thought he had stopped using marijuana for long enough before the UFC 143 fight with Carlos Condit, and had enough water pass through his system, that a test would come up negative."He was surprised he tested positive," Gracie said. "He does the same ritual every fight for the last five years. He stops it in time and he cleanses his system, works out like crazy, drinks a lot of water and purges his system of it."Gracie said he thought Diaz's weight cut may have contributed to the marijuana metabolites staying in his system longer than usual. Gracie said the Diaz camp has hired an attorney, Ross Goodman of Las Vegas, who will help to appeal to the Nevada State Athletic Commission. I know what you're thinking: how the hell is Nick Diaz going to get off the hook for this when everyone and their dog knows he loves the sticky icky and his coach just admitted his way of getting around commission rules is risk-equivalent to ejaculating onto the vagina instead of inside it? Well interestingly enough, the way the Nevada commission's marijuana regulation is written might get him off the hook: read more

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, marijuana, system

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submitted by SemoKabe [link] [2 comments]

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Representin' the 209! Get your hands on Nick and Nate Diaz (without getting choked out in the process) when Round 5 releases their limited edition figurines this April as part of its "Ultimate Collector" Series 9. Get all the details here.

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submitted by jason_81 [link] [4 comments]

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Watch Georges St Pierre frown and scowl as the fight he wanted slips away. Of course now we know it wouldn't have happened anyways because Nick Diaz is a pothead, but it's interesting none the less.

Posted in: nick diaz, nick, gsp, none, nicks performance

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Following his loss at UFC 143, many wondered what was next for Nick Diaz. The Nevada State Athletic Commission gave us that answer.

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick diaz, nick, nevada state

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For months we heard about how badly UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre wanted to fight Nick Diaz. Diaz had been "disrespectful" and Dana White was very quick to talk to anyone who would listen about GSP's desire to hurt Diaz and how he'd "never seen" the champ act so angry. The push was there for St. Pierre vs. Diaz when it was going to be a title fight and the push remained strong even during the build up to Diaz vs. Carlos Condit. Everyone was ready for the Diaz/GSP rivalry to go full force after Diaz won ther interim belt, but it wasn't to happen. Following his mildly controversial unanimous decision loss to Condit, Diaz claimed he was going to retire from the sport. While many didn't believe that it was more than an upset fighter speaking "in the moment," the subsequent positive drug test for Diaz may have pushed it closer to being a reality. GSP went on Bruce Buffer's "It's Time" radio show on Sherdog to say that he hopes Diaz sticks around: "As far as Diaz, of course I would like to fight him because he thinks he's better than me...I think I'm better than him. But I think he should not retire. He did all of the sacrifice in his life to be where he's at right now. He's at the highest point of his career, and if he retires now, he's left a lot of money on the table that could pay for all of the sacrifices he has made during all those years. I think the sport of mixed martial arts needs a guy like him." GSP also said that he may "dislike" Nick, but also appreciates the way that Diaz motivated him to train harder and be better. St. Pierre is more motivated by the sporting aspects of MMA than a desire to beat up those he feels have wronged him. That is why it was always going to be hard for me to believe that GSP was motivated by pure hatred of Diaz or anything of that nature. Does Nick provide some fuel for Georges to want to be better? Certainly. But was/is that likely to ever possess him to operate outside of his style and win first attitude? I seriously doubt it. SBN coverage of UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit

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Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) Executive Director Keith Kizer went on Sirius Radio on Friday and answered questions relating to UFC star Nick Diaz' positive test results for marijuana after UFC 143. Kizer, The NSAC has previously suspended Diaz for the same offense following his bout with Takanori Gomi at Pride 33 in 2007. Here's what Kizer had to say on Posterous: "The complaints have been mailed to him. He'll receive the complaint by mail and he'll have 20 days upon receipt to file an answer. "With the complaint, those are just allegations at this time. There's been no finding against him. He'll have ample opportunity to respond to the complaint and then we'd put it on for a hearing at a time that works for him as well as the Attorney General's office. More On Nick Diaz In Defense of Nick Diaz's Weed Habit | Diaz Is to Blame, But So Are Meaningless Commission Marijuana Tests | Diaz Should Be Released By The UFC | Diaz' Drug Test Failure Was Inevitable | White: 'I Am Beyond Disappointed' | Fighters React to Diaz's Positive Drug Test | Nick Diaz Tests Positive For Marijuana Probably April based on past disciplinary complaints and at that time, there'll be a hearing before the full commission and then they make a decision at that time and if they found the athlete guilty, they'd then impose whatever discipline they felt was appropriate." Diaz lost a unanimous decision to Carlos Condit at UFC 143. At one point it appeared that the UFC had secured agreements from both fighters for an immediate rematch. Diaz' test failure immediately scotched that possibility. SBN coverage of UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit

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UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre doesn’t want Nick Diaz to walk away from MMA.

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submitted by dromios [link] [6 comments]

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This is a guest editorial by Jamie Kilstein. Mr. Kilstein is a professional comedian who's been seen on Conan, The Joe Rogan Podcast and Showtime. He hosts Citizen Radio. In a sport where competitors are routinely elbowed in the face and choked unconscious (sometimes with their own limbs), the UFC's fans sure are a bunch of babies when it comes to weed. This week Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer stated in an email that "...[Nick] Diaz tested positive for marijuana metabolites," after his fight at UFC 143. UFC overlord Dana White said he was "beyond disappointed" in Diaz, and to paraphrase the hellish abyss we know as internet comments, "F**K DIAZ, YO SHULD FIRE HIS DICK 4 BEING STOOPID! NO HOMO!" More On Nick Diaz Nick Diaz Is to Blame, But So Are Meaningless Commission Marijuana Tests | Nick Diaz Should Be Released By The UFC | Nick Diaz' UFC 143 Drug Test Failure Was Inevitable |Dana White: 'I Am Beyond Disappointed | Nick Diaz Tests Positive For Marijuana | Fighters React to Nick Diaz's Positive Drug Test The thing is: there is no physical advantage to smoking pot in the fight game. Maybe you will come up with a new arm bar variation, but you will immediately forget it once another Walking Dead marathon comes on. In the U.S no one has ever overdosed on marijuana, while alcohol kills more people than crack, cocaine, and heroin, combined. But what do we see when we turn on the UFC's reality show The Ultimate Fighter? A house stacked with angry juice, and it always ends badly: people pissing on each other, fist fights, property destruction, etc. I've never gotten high and thrown a chair through a wall...mostly because I am sitting in that chair. I get it. Rules are rules, even when they are shitty rules. But Nick needs marijuana to treat a legit medical condition. Shit, he even has a prescription. It's hard for the general population to accept that weed has legitimate medical effects, since the general population doesn't take their insulin in Target parking lots, or on beanbag chairs listening to Bob Marley or Tool (depending on the mood). But ADHD and Anxiety can be crippling to some people. Have you seen Nick interviewed? The dude is not acting. He hates it and can barely maintain eye contact. And leading up to this main event with three Primetime specials airing on FX -- on top of the regular press grind -- it was the most pressure that he had ever faced. Diaz, although known as the bad boy, is one of the healthiest fighters the UFC has on it's roster. He is a vegan, leaning towards a mostly raw, whole food, plant based diet. In his down time, what does he do? Get into bar fights? Take steroids? Rip people off in shady real estate deals? No. He competes in fucking triathlons! He doesn't put anything into his body unless it will make him healthier. Not long ago, light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was disqualified for using an illegal elbow against Matt Hamill. That is also a stupid rule, and people called it a stupid rule. The 12-6 elbow is banned like it's some sort of Dim Mak death touch, even though it's the same as other elbows. But back then people weren't screaming, "Jon Jones knows the rules! Fire him!" No. They were furious he was disqualified and had his back. But Nick Diaz is not Jon Jones. Nick Diaz will never be on the tonight show, he won't be in a commercial, and if he did do a commercial, it would be the most awkward commercial of all time. Nick Diaz fights. It's what he is good at. It's what we love watching him do. Nick Diaz needs help and support, not to have what he is brilliant at taken away from him. Follow Jamie on Twitter at @jamiekilstein.

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick, people, rule

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The announcement of Nick Diaz testing positive for Marijuana came on 2/09. Not only is that an amazing coincidence, it’s probably the most astute observation in MiddleEasy history. In honor of that, I started writing this article at 4:20pm to keep with the theme of the news I read this morning in Times Square about Nick Diaz testing positive for Marijuana. Nowhere did the ticker mention that Carlos Condit was the new UFC interim welterweight champion, or that a sanctioned fight took place; just that Nick Diaz tested positive for a banned substance and that it was newsworthy without any other context accompanying the statement. Whoever is in charge of the ticker in Times Square, we thank you for being an MMA fan.

Posted in: diaz, nick, marijuana, testing, times square

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Fedor Emelianenko fights his brother Aleks… sorta… kinda… not really Nick Diaz’s Love/Hate Relationship Will Be Tested While He’s Gone | MMA Fighting Nick Diaz drug test failure: It’s time to grow up | MMA Mania Nick Diaz Tests Positive: What’s Next for Georges St. Pierre? | Bleacher Report Make the case to me why fighters shouldn’t be suspended for weed usage | Fight Opinion UFC on FUEL TV: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger will stream free on UFC.com | 5thRound Jake Ellenberger says Diego Sanchez’s “stupid guy pace” is going to get him hurt | LowKick UFC 143 Main Event Referee Steve Mazzagatti Talks Bitch Slaps, Sh*t Talking and Dana White Hate | Cage Potato Even Fedor can enjoy himself at a Russian indoor water park | MiddleEasy Michael Bisping splits from Wolfslair MMA | Five Ounces of Pain New Study Reveals Headgear Reduces Head Trauma, MMA world replies, “duh” 
| TheFightNerd UFC 143 initial PPV buy rates and other ratings | MMA Payout Cung Le Hints At 2012 Return To Action | FightLine

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submitted by MattyBlayze [link] [1 comment]

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As suspected, Nick Diaz's UFC 143 drug test came back positive for 'marijuana metabolites.' NSAC head Keith Kizer made the announcement last night, and it sounds like Nick is in line for a year long suspension and a hefty fine. This isn't the first time he's tested positive after a fight - his THC levels were so high after the Gomi PRIDE fight that commissioners determined he was actually straight up stoned in the ring. That incident saw Nick benched for 6 months and fined 20% of his $15,000 purse - or $3000 to yous that can't math so good. Worse still, they overturned his totally sweet gogoplata submission win and ruled the fight a no contest. This time the worst punishment - other than the loss of a big money Condit rematch and the eventual GSP scrap - will probably be the financial hit. 20% of $200,000 is $40,000, and there is a good chance the fine will be higher because this is Nick's second identical offense in Nevada.The NSAC pulled the curtain back a little on their weed policy when Nick tested positive in 2007 and showed how a positive test comes to be. While a positive THC test is technically anything above 15, the NSAC doesn't do anything unless the test number is above 50. When he fought Gomi, Nick tested positive with a whopping 175. I'm looking forward to hearing what kinda numbers he posted this time. That'll tell us whether he just didn't get off the reefer in time or if he was smoking that sticky icky like a fiend right up to the fight. That would have been something for the Primetime specials, wouldn't it?

Posted in: fight, time, nick, test, nsac

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With Nick Diaz on the shelf for an indeterminate amount of time after failing a post UFC 143 drug test and current UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre expected to be out until at least November, Jake Ellenberger has moved into pole position to be the next challenger to interim champion Carlos Condit's 170-pound title. That is assuming, of course, that Ellenberger can get past Diego Sanchez in this Wednesday's UFC On Fuel main event, something he is favored heavily to do. He is clearly at the top of a mediocre pack of welterweights, a group marred by inconsistency, drawing power and a lack of notable wins. Jake Ellenberger Going into February, Ellenberger (26-5, 5-1 UFC) was the division's hottest challenger outside of Diaz. After dropping a tight split decision to Condit in his September 2009 debut, the 26-year-old finished four of his next five opponents by T/KO including Jake Shields in just 53 seconds last September. Even if Diaz hadn't been suspended, an argument could be made that another win would put him in title contention. Now it's undeniable he'd be the No. 1 contender. While Condit hasn't been warm on a rematch with Ellenberger, he might not have a choice. It's unrealistic that the new champ is going to wait 10 months to fight Diaz when there's money and reputation to be made with a summer title defense. There's been some residual damage from the style in which he beat Diaz, a reason why the talk of a rematch this week made a lot of sense. Sitting on the sidelines for GSP doesn't make sense. Condit has to compete again before a title unification bout can happen. Johny Hendricks Following a surprising 13-second knockout of Jon Fitch in December, the Oklahoma State wrestling champion finds himself in another surprising position: title contention if Ellenberger loses. Hendricks (12-1, 7-1 UFC) has flown under some radars but since his August 2009 debut, he's only lost once in eight Octagon battles. The Fitch KO capped a big year and the Diaz situation may open up a much bigger door for him in 2012. Jon Fitch The poster boy for the eternal winning vs. entertainment argument, the Hendricks loss greatly hurts him if Ellenberger loses. We all know the deal: Fitch (23-4-1-1, 13-2-1 UFC) isn't a box office draw and constantly has had to defend himself for his fighting style. After his loss to GSP in his only title shot, Fitch won five in a row before going to a draw to B.J. Penn. With the defeat to Hendricks, the UFC has their out in not giving the AKA product another title opportunity, thus avoiding a potential champion that's perceived as bland. Fair? No, but it's reality. Diego Sanchez So what of Ellenberger's opponent this Wednesday? Would a win put Sanchez (23-4, 12-4 UFC) in Dana White's mix? It's an outside possibility as it would be his third win in a row after consecutive losses to Penn (lightweight fight) and John Hathaway. While some saw his unanimous decision win over Martin Kampmann as a gift, he also has name value and at 30 years old, White may be tempted to pull a surprise and give him a chance with an impressive win over Ellenberger. Josh Koscheck The outsider of the group, Koscheck (17-5, 15-5 UFC) does have consecutive wins over Matt Hughes and Mike Pierce, but the latter wasn't convincing and the fight public isn't clamoring for another Koscheck title opportunity after his eye was busted up by GSP in December 2010. Stranger things have happened, but it would take a lot for Koscheck to be considered a viable opponent for Condit this summer. When it comes to getting a title shot, Ellenberger simply needs to follow the mantra of the late Al Davis: just win, baby. More On Nick Diaz from Bloody Elbow: Op/Ed: Nick Diaz Should Be Released Dana White "Disappointed" In Diaz Op/Ed: Diaz Failure Was Inevitable Nick Diaz Tests Positive For Marijuana Use

Posted in: ufc, diaz, ellenberger, title, nick

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In retrospect, I guess we shouldn't be that surprised that Nick Diaz outkicked his coverage and tested positive for weed during a UFC 143 drug screening. After all, this is the guy that hit a bong in the middle of a Strikeforce conference call. But still, Hendo might fight at heavyweight if we can find him a good match-up. So it's not all bad. 5 MUST-READ STORIES TO START YOUR DAY Nick Diaz tests positive for marijuana. Nick Diaz is facing a lengthy suspension after testing positive for marijuana metabolites for the second time. Diaz's positive drug test not surprising, but still bizarrely disappointing. Like a father that discovered his son's weed hidden under the dresser drawer, Ben Fowlkes isn't angry at Diaz's failed test, just disappointed. Dana White 'beyond disappointed' in Nick Diaz. White was unexpectedly measured in his short public statement. Dan Henderson won't wait for title shot. Now that Jon Jones is tied-up with Rashad Evans, Hendo wants to fight in April or May. More surprisingly, a move up to heavyweight apparently isn't out of the question. UFC 143 trending near 400,000 pay-per-view buys. Early estimates have the buyrate for last weekend's UFC 143 show far exceeding expectations. MEDIA STEW TUF 14 prankster Akira Corassani pulls one over on Frankie Edgar. This is a video where a man named Michael Page acts like Anderson Silva for 63 seconds then smashes some unfortunate man with a tornado kick for his professional MMA debut. (Thanks to Sam James.) Even Fedor can't help but crack a smile at the water park. (HT: MiddleEasy) Our own Luke Thomas discusses whether Nick Diaz's stubbornness could prevent him from ever claiming UFC gold. UFC heavyweight contender Fabricio Werdum takes on former Strikeforce middleweight champion Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza at the 2004 Jiu-Jitsu World Cup. A 20-year-old Diego Sanchez runs through Shannon Rich. How about Michael Bisping as Cung Le's next opponent? "@ryemel0013: @CungLe185 would u like to fight @bisping next? I think that would be a great fight for u and him!" Be a great match up. — Cung Le (@CungLe185) February 9, 2012 That's actually not a bad point. I dont understand why do banks attach chains to their pens? If Im trusting u w/ my money, u should trust me with ur pens. — Joe Duarte (@JoeDuarteMMA) February 9, 2012 Rampage is almost ready for UFC 144. O yes, I can wear my tight shirts again...... Hahahaha — Quinton Jackson (@Rampage4real) February 9, 2012 Would've been awesome if it worked. In high school forrest once faked a seizure to get out of an exam. It didn't really work He just failed a week later — Forrest Griffin (@ForrestGriffin) February 10, 2012 FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS Announced yesterday (Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012): Bellator 60: Shamar Bailey (13-5) vs. Josh Shockley (8-1); Travis Wiuff (65 - 14) vs. Anthony Gomez (5-1); Mike Corey (11-2-1) vs. Bobby Reardanz (8-10), according to Sherdog. FANPOST OF THE DAY Today's FPOTD belongs to BE reader jim-ma: Tate vs. Rousey and Kaufman vs. Davis: Come on Strikeforce, Play Fair. Come on Strikeforce, play fair. As Ronda Rousey spent her time pushing for this fight, she spent most of it openly drawing on the looks of her and her opponent as the selling point. She was worried the fight may never happen and, since a fight between two pretty girls is very marketable, she wanted it to happen as soon as possible. For the future of women's MMA, this seems pretty damning. As a female fighter, it seems very short sighted to reduce your division to a beautiful sideshow. I understand why Ronda feels the need to make the most out of her career while she can, it just does not reflect well on her female colleagues. There is a great division of fighters there. Tate and Rousey are great athletes, each with their own story and representing wrestling and Judo respectively. That is already marketable. Found something entertaining, brutal, or bizarre for the Morning Report? Send it to @shaunalshatti and we'll include it in tomorrow's post.

Posted in: ufc, fight, diaz, nick, vs

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Less than 48 hours hours ago, after much griping, it appeared that Nick Diaz would indeed receive his rematch with Carlos Condit. Now it's unclear when, or if, Diaz will ever fight in the UFC again. The polarizing Stockonian tested positive for "marijuana metabolites" in the aftermath of UFC 143, according to Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer. Given that this is Diaz's second offense, a lengthy suspension is likely forthcoming. It seems strangely fitting that after five days of fervent debate, the positive test puts the Condit-Diaz controversy to bed in the most Diaz-like way imaginable. As the UFC and Condit were busy plotting their next move, a slew of Diaz's colleagues sounded off on the announcement. Nick Diaz was the aggressor of the fight while he was high as a kite is a testament to how good he really is and how much pot he can smoke. — Tim Kennedy (@TimKennedyMMA) February 9, 2012 I was positive after 143.... Very positive, condit won... Lol — malki kawa (@malkikawa) February 9, 2012 Lmfao to the haters. — KJ Noons (@kjnoons) February 9, 2012 Telling me that the top fighters in MMA smoke pot regularly is like saying that @ryanbader and @Kingsbu suck at beerpong: FACT — Tom Lawlor (@FilthyTomLawlor) February 9, 2012 Nick Diaz tests+ for weed, so Fkn what!!He should be praised for doing so well hi! Plus he has a medical marijuana license! Wtf — Adam Schindler (@Schindiggity) February 9, 2012 The #ComeOnSon award for the first quarter of 2012 goes to.... Nick Diaz. — Jason High (@KCBanditMMA) February 9, 2012 "@Michael_Pugh: @mayhemmiller and @MieshaTate What are your thoughts about Diaz's test failure?" #stupid — Miesha Tate (@MieshaTate) February 10, 2012 There is absolutely no freaking way that Nick Diaz test positive for Marijuana #trolling — David Rickels (@TheCaveman316) February 9, 2012 They shouldn't test for it but they do. — Jason Mayhem Miller (@mayhemmiller) February 10, 2012 I read that Diaz may lose 80,000 of his 200k purse. Cesar could have let me train & follow nick around for 40k to make sure he was clean — Brian Rogers (@BRogthePredator) February 9, 2012 "@spilledbagofice: Nick should just say there was some THC in a supplement he got from GNC.#blameGNC" everyone else does. Haha — Duane Ludwig (@DUANEBANGCOM) February 10, 2012 Tricky Nicky got caught smokin' that sticky! # #UFC #RT — Joe Duarte (@JoeDuarteMMA) February 9, 2012 @twitchykun weed is the opposite of performance enhancing haha — Joe Duarte (@JoeDuarteMMA) February 9, 2012 @KCBanditMMA The @DiazBrothers209 R 2 of the realist doods I've met in this sport! Ive got nuthin but good things 2 say about em. #Realtalk — Danny Castillo (@lastcall155) February 9, 2012 To make you feel slightly better after the shit news of Nick Diaz testing positive, I offer the black keys youtube.com/watch?v=490s68… — Joe Rogan (@joerogan) February 10, 2012

Posted in: diaz, nick, test, february, mdash

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I'm sure you've heard the news by now. The UFC's resident anti-hero Nick Diaz tested positive for marijuana metabolites today, and is about to face a long suspension. This will be Nick's second weed suspension by the NSAC, and he has now screwed up both of his scheduled UFC appearances in one way or another. In addition, he also blew his chances at a rematch with Carlos Condit, a bout that was all but official before this positive test surfaced. Precedent states that he will not be released from the promotion. But it's high time Dana White set a new precedent and kicked Stockton's finest to the curb. Before you start screaming "it's just weed, man!", let's get one thing out of the way. It doesn't matter that it's "just weed". NSAC rules say it's an illegal substance. Whether you agree with that or not is completely irrelevant. The bottom line is that it IS illegal, and unless it was a false positive for some reason, Diaz, of his own free will, ingested something in a certain time frame that he knew might lead to a positive test. The fault (again, if it's not a false positive) falls entirely upon one person - Nick Diaz. Apologize and make excuses for him all you want. Nothing changes that simple fact. After Diaz skipped two press conferences and was removed from his UFC welterweight title bout with Georges St. Pierre before UFC 137, he was given the stiff sentence of instead competing in the co-main event against B.J. Penn. This time he will actually be severely punished. He will lose a large portion of his UFC 143 purse, and a purse from the Condit rematch. He will also be out for a year, based on NSAC precedent for repeat offenders. Luckily for Nick, UFC president Dana White who is notoriously soft on people that pop for illegal substances. He has stated multiple times that a long suspension, which robs the fighter of the opportunity to make a living, is punishment enough. I suspect that will be the case here as well. But, Mr. White, this situation is different, and you should treat this differently. As I have stated before, Diaz, a guy who flaunts his ability to beat marijuana tests to the media yet still gets busted, has been enabled for his entire career. He has been allowed to do as he pleases, with little to no repercussions. His coaches cover for him at every opportunity. His fans, even when faced with a mountain of evidence in regards to his guilt, still protect his "good" name and ignore his transgressions. . On top of all this, his promoters/bosses have frequently let him skate because he's a commodity they hope to squeeze future revenue out of. Where does it end? Where's the line in the sand? If Dana White has any sense, he will cut ties with Diaz once and for all. White loves to say that MMA will become the biggest sport in the world one day. He's not going to get there any time soon by continually enabling fighters that can't follow simple rules, fighters that actually flaunt their ability to get around those rules beforehand. Unfortunately, the anti-hero has sunk his hooks into the hearts of fans with money in their wallet, and the mighty dollar rules all when it comes to the UFC. You'll see Nick Diaz in the octagon in 2013. And people will still care. And that's pathetic. SBN coverage of UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit

Posted in: ufc, diaz, time, nick, rule

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No one should be surprised that Nick Diaz has once again failed a drug test for marijuana. His post-UFC 143 positive test results represent the second time he has failed a drug test in Nevada. Diaz infamously failed a drug test that turned his biggest career win over Takanori Gomi at Pride 33 into a No Contest. Diaz also forced the cancellation of a 2009 Strikeforce title fight against Jay Hieron when he failed to appear for a pre-fight drug test. Going into the UFC 143 interim welterweight title bout with Carlos Condit, Diaz fans were sanguine about his use of marijuana and his ability to pass any drug tests. He fought B.J. Penn in Nevada at UFC 137 and passed his drug test with no problems. He fought for Strikeforce three times in 2010 with no problems. But the reefer iceberg was floating under the surface the whole time, waiting to sink his MMA fortunes. This is the same Nick Diaz who told the LA Times in 2009, "I can pass a drug test in eight days with herbal cleansers. I drink 10 pounds of water and sweat out 10 pounds of water every day. I'll be fine." This is the same guy whose response to the question of whether his pot smoking was getting in the way of his MMA career said, "Actually, on the contrary, my fight career has gotten in the way of my marijuana smoking.." This 2007 Diaz interview with CBS Sports is even more over the top. More On Nick DiazNick Diaz Tests Positive For Marijuana After UFC 143 | Carlos Condit Vs. Nick Diaz Rematch In Jeopardy, Was Never 'Official' | Carlos Condit Vs. Nick Diaz Rematch Becomes Official Amid Managerial Confusion | NSAC Boss Keith Kizer Confirms One Positive Drug Test | SBN coverage of UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit Ben Fowlkes sums up the situation at MMA Fighting: ...most people in the MMA world probably don't care that he smokes weed. It's not giving him an unfair advantage over his opponents, and it isn't jeopardizing his health. I suppose you could argue that it makes him a poor role model for kids, but no more than fighters who like to knock back a few too many adult beverages at the after-parties, and certainly not more than those who abuse use steroids or other performance-enhancers (not to mention, Nick Diaz is your kid's role model? If so, you've got bigger issues coming your way real soon). But if some fighters can get permission to up their testosterone levels before a fight, why can't Diaz use something that helps him relax and enjoy Reno 911 re-runs? The answer is: because the athletic commission says he can't. Right or wrong, those are the rules, and Diaz knew it. The UFC might have been content to look the other way as long as he passed his drug tests, but the moment he fails to hold up his end of the bargain is the moment he has a problem. Fowlkes brings up an excellent about about testosterone levels. It's ironic that fighters like Chael Sonnen, Dan Henderson, Nate Marquardt and Todd Duffee have been allowed to get prescriptions for testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) but Diaz, with his prescription for medical marijuana can't get a pass. We'll turn to the issue of whether or not marijuana should be a prohibited substance tomorrow, but for now just know that it was only a matter of time before Diaz failed another piss test. It's utterly maddening for such a talented fighter, a man at the peak of his athletic abilities to be looking at losing up to a year of his fighting career over something so avoidable. Nick, put down the pipe, MMA needs you back. SBN coverage of UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick, test, drug

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Earlier today, Keith Kizer of the Nevada State Athletic Commission announced that Nick Diaz tested positive for marijuana after his UFC 143 fight with Carlos Condit. It's been a turbulent few days for Diaz. After losing a close and controversial decision to Condit in the main event of UFC 143, a frustrated Diaz announced his retirement from MMA. Yesterday, word leaked of the UFC's plans for a Condit vs. Diaz rematch as Condit's first defense of the UFC Interim Welterweight Title, but those plans were immediately called into question at the same time that Kizer announced one fighter had failed a drug test. Many assumed it was Diaz, and those suspicions were proved to be correct. Now, the UFC has issued a statement from Dana White, and it is short and clear: I am beyond disappointed that he tested positive for marijuana. It is now in the hands of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. This is not the first time Diaz has tested positive for marijuana. After his 2007 defeat of Takanori Gomi in one of the final Pride shows, Diaz also failed a drug test, resulting in that victory being overturned into a No Contest. This is also the second time in his recent UFC tenure that Diaz has caused the company massive headaches. His failure to show up for press conferences in the lead-up to UFC 137 caused them to pull him from the planned Diaz vs. GSP main event, and now this news will surely derail any plans for Condit vs. Diaz 2 happening anytime soon. For more on this story, check out all our Bloody Elbow coverage: Nick Diaz Tests Positive For Marijuana After UFC 143 Carlos Condit Vs. Nick Diaz Rematch In Jeopardy, Was Never 'Official' Carlos Condit Vs. Nick Diaz Rematch Becomes Official Amid Managerial Confusion NSAC Boss Keith Kizer Confirms One Positive Drug Test SBN coverage of UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick, vs, condit

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The MMA (After) Hour is a new feature on MMAFighting.com where we'll provide you with breaking news and interviews in audio podcast form when there isn't a regular episode of The MMA Hour scheduled. On this first-ever edition of the podcast, we discuss Nick Diaz's positive marijuana test with MMAFighting.com's Ben Fowlkes, what this means for Diaz's MMA future, what the UFC should do next with Diaz and Carlos Condit, and much more. Listen below or download the audio directly here. The MMA (After) Hour: Nick Diaz

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The rumors were true. Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit II isn’t going to happen because Nick Diaz has tested positive for marijuana at UFC 143. The NSAC’s Keith Kizer revealed the news today. “All results received thus far have been negative, except Mr. Diaz (who) tested positive for marijuana metabolites,” Kizer said in a statement. “A complaint for disciplinary action against Mr. Diaz has been filed.” Not exactly shocking news for anybody who’s at all familiar with Diaz. Everyone knows he smokes weed and actually, it’s perfectly legal for him to do so in his home state of California where he has a medical marijuana card. The problem is the state of Nevada tests for it and while Nick has bragged in the past about how easy it is to beat a marijuana test, he still managed to test positive for it for the second time in his career. And it couldn’t come at a worse possible time. He’s at the height of his popularity and was days away from being handed a rare second chance at beating Carlos Condit and moving on to a big money fight with Georges St. Pierre. Instead, he’ll likely have to pay some kind of fine and serve some kind of suspension. I won’t deny that the rule itself is pretty dumb, but the bottom line is Nick should have known better, especially after getting busted for the same thing back in 2007 for his epic fight against Takanori Gomi at PRIDE 33. The situation sucks, but at least Condit won the fight. Imagine how screwed up the welterweight title picture would be if he hadn’t. Here’s Joe Rogan sharing a funny story about the first time Nick got popped for pot.

Posted in: diaz, time, nick, marijuana, mr diaz

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No matter how you scored the UFC title bout between Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz, one thing is clear: it was too close not to see it again.

Posted in: ufc, nick diaz, nick, carlos condit, diazcondit

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Nick Diaz tested positive for marijuana metabolites following his UFC 143 five-round loss to Carlos Condit on Saturday – the fighter's second positive test in Nevada.

Posted in: nick, carlos condit, carlo, marijuana metabolites, saturday –

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The speculation can now end. Nevada State Athletic Commissioner Keith Kizer has emailed the media to confirm that Nick Diaz tested positive for a drug of abuse after his UFC 143 loss to Carlos Condit: From: Keith Kizer Date: Thu, Feb 9, 2012 at 4:16 PMSubject: UFC 143 - steroid/drug tests The following athletes were tested: Nick Diaz, Carlos Condit, Fabricio Werdum, Josh Koscheck, Renan Barao, Ed Herman, Dustin Poirier, Max Hollaway, Matt Riddle, Henry Martinez, Edwin Figueroa, Alex Caceres, Matt Brown, Chris Cope, Rafael Natal, Michael Kuiper, Stephen Thompson and Dan Stittgen. All results received thus far have been negative, except Mr. Diaz tested positive for marijuana metabolites. A complaint for disciplinary action against Mr. Diaz has been filed. This is bad news for Diaz, bad news for the UFC, and bad news for the fans. More on this story from Bloody Elbow: Carlos Condit Vs. Nick Diaz Rematch In Jeopardy, Was Never 'Official' Carlos Condit Vs. Nick Diaz Rematch Becomes Official Amid Managerial Confusion NSAC Boss Keith Kizer Confirms One Positive Drug Test SBN coverage of UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick, condit, mr diaz

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Marijuana is as much as a performance enhancing drug as World of Warcraft is a 'opposite sex attraction enhancer.' Let me preface this article by stating it's ridiculous that our society has demonized perhaps one of the least-threatening recreational substances that's as natural and indigenous to the planet as a handful of wheat grass, a basket full of cranberries or a cup of water. The Nevada State Athletic Commission has issued a press release stating Nick Diaz tested positive for 'marijuana metabolites' leading up to UFC 143. Some of you remember Diaz tested positive for marijuana after his Pride FC fight against Takanori Gomi, nullifying perhaps one of the greatest fights we've ever seen in MMA. Since this is Diaz's second positive marijuana drug test from NSAC, expect a suspension that will be longer than six months. Here's a brief rundown on THC metabolites and how the retain in the human body from About.com. Some THC metabolites have an elimination half-life of 20 hours. However, some are stored in body fat and have a elimination half-life of 10 to 13 days. Most researchers agree that urine tests for marijuana can detect the presence of the drug in the body for up to 13 days. However, there is anecdotal evidence that the length of time that marijuana remains in the body is affected by how often the person smokes, how much he smokes and how long he has been smoking. Regular smokers have reported positive drug test results after 45 days since last use and heavy smokers have reported positive tests 90 days after quitting. Note that with regular smokers (like Nick Diaz) metabolites can last in the system as long as three months after ceasing smoking. Therefore, no amount of running, triathlons or GSP Rushfit can extract the substance from the system. This undoubtedly puts a halt to the recently semi-announced Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit rematch, and will only further promote an early retirement from Nick Diaz.

Posted in: diaz, nick, body, drug, marijuana

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Nick Diaz has tested positive for marijuana following his UFC 143 loss to Carlos Condit, and will be subject to a suspension and fine from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick, carlos condit, nevada state

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Remember yesterday how we kinda sorta reported that there'd be an immediate Diaz / Condit rematch? Yeeaaaaah, about that. Diaz's manager/trainer, Cesar Gracie, told MMAJunkie.com Wednesday that there will be no rematch with Condit. Gracie would not offer the website any more information about the matter. But Gracie was a bit more definitive when contacted by ESPN.com."Yeah, I said that (there will be no rematch). But that's all I can say," Gracie said. "I can't say anything else. I can't do anything."Quote that if you want to. There is not going to be a rematch. Other than that, that's all I can say." Well what the hell does that mean? There's a rumor floating around twitter that Nick failed a UFC 143 drug test for *gasp* marijuana, and that makes sense since it's been way too long since that bag has bit him in the ass. But there's also the chance that he was super cereal about that retirement thing, and he doesn't care if some whack-ass bitches are offering him a stupid rematch for a fight he already f*cking won.Both possibilities fall under the much broader 'Nick Diaz is a crazy person' umbrella, from which pretty much any scenario could be possible. Nick Diaz cut his hand badly on a ninja star. Nick Diaz is moving to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Nick Diaz threw a glass bottle at a 14 year old. Nick Diaz has whatever Gina Carano had. All totally possible because Nick Diaz is Nick Diaz. But yeah, my money is on that weed thing.

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, rematch, i cant

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submitted by thesnowflake [link] [3 comments]

Posted in: nick, ii, cesar gracie, nogo, thesnowflake

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Las Vegas, Nevada – Dana White, President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship© organization, has issued the following statement on the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s report on UFC 143 interim welterweight championship contender Nick Diaz. "I am beyond disappointed that he tested positive for marijuana," said White. "It is now in the hands of the Nevada State Athletic Commission.”

Posted in: diaz, nick, nevada state, state, nevada

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It is no secret that Nick Diaz basically kept the Strikeforce brand afloat through the last three years of his career. An exciting volume puncher who brings a unique style, always takes big shots, often gets in to trouble, but finishes the vast majority of his fights. These are all highly desirable qualities in a fighter; consistency and excitement being the greatest marketable assets in a fighter - there's a reason Chuck Liddell was the biggest star in MMA during his 3 year, knockout filled winning streak. What many fans do not realize is the efforts which matchmakers go to to make stars like Diaz a reality for their promotion. Despite the welterweight division being filled to the brim with takedown artists, Nick Diaz has still not fought a decent wrestler in the last half a decade. The Role of a Match Maker What many fans fail to understand is that there is a reason match makers such as Joe Silva make such huge amounts of money. A matchmaker's job is to either: 1) Put on a barnburning fight OR 2) Sell a fighter as a superstar In every event you will see the staple brawlers tend to the first order of business such as Chris Lytle and Chris Leben, fighters who are unlikely to get a title shot on their ability but that a matchmaker can rely on to put on an exciting fight win, lose or draw. Exciting brawlers can often stay in the major leagues of MMA despite a losing record if they entertain the crowds, and this is excellent because not everyone can be a Georges St. Pierre but still deserve gainful employment. The second concern of selling a fighter is where Joe Silva, and other matchmakers earn their money. It is hard to sell fights under a brand unless there are stars within that brand that act as a figurehead. Often these will be exciting fighters such as BJ Penn, or fighters who have a following from outside MMA such as Brock Lesnar or Herschel Walker. The subtleties of a good matchmakers' understanding are indeed impressive; when the UFC was attempting to sell Brock Lesnar for instance, they matched him against Frank Mir immediately. Frank Mir was coming off 2 unimpressive performances and a submission over one dimensional kickboxer Antoni Hardonk, he lack stand up prowess, wrestling ability and had been pounded out on his back 3 times by smaller men - a stylistic dream for a Division 1 wrestler who needs to make a huge impression. 9 times out of 10 Brock Lesnar beats Frank Mir based on their styles and abilities, but by the time the fight came around Countdown to UFC shows had played up Mir's ex-champion angle and made much of his BJJ despite the majority of his submissions at the time coming over fighters like Petey Williams, Tank Abbott and Wes Simms. While Lesnar lost the fight, Mir only achieved about 3 seconds of offense throughout due to Lesnar making a basic error, the rematch showed what the first match should have looked like. Pushing the Nick Diaz Brand Let me first say that Nick Diaz is an exceptional fighter and athlete, one of the authors favorites to ever compete in combat sports, but from an objective perspective he has been pushed like few other fighters have. Nick Diaz has trouble with wrestling, this much is a fact. Anyone who saw him wading in like a zombie to pick up singles through the first four rounds of his fight with Carlos Condit can attest to the lack of polish in this area of his game. Yet in a division which is filled to bursting with wrestling talent; Josh Koscheck, Jon Fitch, Jake Ellenberger, Johnny Hendricks, Mike Pierce, Tyron Woodley, Brian Ebersole, Matt Hughes, Ben Askren to name a few, Nick has not fought a single accomplished wrestler in 5 years. A quick glance through his record for those unfamiliar with his first run in the UFC will indicate why, the two accomplished takedown artists he fought - Karo Parisyan and Sean Sherk - laid all over him. Now have a look at Diaz's record through the last five years since that 2006 loss to Sean Sherk; filled to the brim with strikers - most often one dimensional ones or older competitors who have abandoned their ground games such as Shamrock and Sakurai. Now there is something incredibly impressive about taking on great strikers at their own game and beating them there, but essentially this means that Nick Diaz - a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt - has been fighting one dimensional kickboxers in an MMA match. Through Strikeforce Nick was a premier attraction, one of the highest paid fighters on the roster, because of his entertaining style and consistency, but this was helped along through the employment of only strikers as his opponents. These went from the relevant and dangerous Marius Zaromskis and Paul Daley, to the undeserving but game Scott Smith, Hayato Sakurai and Frank Shamrock, to scraping the bottom of the barrel as lightweight KJ Noons and middleweight gasser Evangelista Santos were brought to welterweight in order to scrap with Diaz on the feet. Even when he came to the UFC and wrestlers filled the roster, failing an immediate title shot Diaz was given BJ Penn, an undersized welterweight who relied entirely on striking at that point in his career, dropped half a foot in reach and was still took Diaz down in the first round. Now this was a match of convenience of course, due to injuries the two were matched instead of their original opponents, just as it was coincidental that Diaz met Condit, a striker, afterward. What is questionable now however is that Diaz is getting an immediate rematch with Condit in hopes that he'll win convincingly and get a marketable title shot. If he loses, will he ever fight another wrestler?

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick diaz, nick, fighter

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Luke Thomas is back on The Fight Fix and in this episode he answers the question: "Was Nick Diaz robbed at UFC 143?"

Posted in: nick diaz, nick, question, luke, luke thomas

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Joe Rogan gives his take on UFC 143′s controversial Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit decision. To sum it up, Rogan doesn’t think the right fighter won.

Posted in: nick, vs, joe rogan, rogan, right fighter

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Seriously everytime I log on to /r/mma or sherdog, its all talk about how nick lost that fight and doesn't deserve a rematch. As soon as that decision was announced I new there would be a rematch because the fans were robbed a good fight. Everybody is bitching about Nick Diaz way more than I see Diaz "nuthuggers" claiming he whined his way into a rematch. When the biggest names in the sport all say it was Diaz's fight you really think that the judges really made the right decision? I mean come on 2 of them scored it 49-46, giving only rd 3 to Diaz. Nobody even doubts Condit won rd 3, its 1,2 and 5 that Diaz should have won. Diaz didn't even get a medical suspension. That means after the fight a doctor looked over Diaz and said he's good enough to fight tomorrow if he wanted too. Doesn't that, as a FIGHT fan make you question who really won the fight? submitted by voodoochild87 [link] [comment]

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick, fan, rematch

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Posted in: fight, diaz, nick diaz, nick, hitler

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Forget what Carlos Condit said about waiting for Georges St. Pierre. Forget about what his manager Malki Kawa said about not wanting the rematch. Forget about what Nick Diaz said about retiring. And forget about what Cesar Gracie said about Nick not fighting until next year. Why? Because Dana White just revealed on Twitter that the rematch is on and both fighters want it. @justScrap85@carloscondit@malkikawa the rumor is true. Carlos did accept the fight today and Carlos is coming on Friday not thur. @TheJRF83 nick wanted the rematch the same night @GrossiMMA Carlos wanted it Not to throw a bucket of cold water on a hot flame, but I should note that this doesn’t mean the fight is signed, sealed and delivered. At least not yet. As of now, both camps are denying it, but if Dana is confident enough to talk about it on Twitter, then it’s most likely going to happen. Assuming it is on, the next question is where and when? I would hesitate to put it on FOX (not that there’s been any indication that that’s where it’s going to happen) just because of how the first one went down, but if Condit really does want the fight now, maybe that means he’s tired of all the backlash and will throw the gameplan out the window in the rematch and give us the fireworks we expected all along. That’s what I hope happens at least and if it does, FOX would be the perfect place for it.

Posted in: fight, nick, rematch, condit, carlo

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In the wake of UFC 143, the primary focus of discussion throughout the MMA community has been the legitimacy of Carlos Condit's win over Nick Diaz. Throughout the fight, Condit frustrated Diaz as he constantly circled away and forced Nick to chase him. After the fifth round, the judges awarded Condit the unanimous decision. Aside from fight fans arguing the merits of Condit's technical performance, the story this week has been whether or not there will be a rematch between the two. After the fight, Dana White himself came out in support of a rematch, saying: You know, people are bitching and thinking it was close or whatever, we can do that fight again before GSP comes back. Nick Diaz's camp seems to be in support of this, as Diaz's manager Cesar Gracie himself came out blasting the NSAC judges for their scoring Saturday night. Gracie went as far as to say that the judges had and have had a bias against Diaz personally for his style and in-fight antics. He did not specifically call for the rematch, but playing up the drama to this extent definitely shows that Gracie doesn't want to let the issue pass. In pretty much direct response, Condit's manager, Malki Kawa released a statement today: "At this point, [a rematch] is not something we're looking to do," he said. "We're looking for Georges. People forget, Carlos waited a long time to get this fight. In a surprise turn of events, it seems Dana White found the right price tag to change the mind of Condit and his management team. Via his twitter, White responded to a fan asking if rumors of the rematch were true. Dana responded:

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick, rematch, condit

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Everyone out there, pat yourself on the back. With the endless comments across the internet and the innumerable message board threads that appeared just after UFC 143's Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz bout have finally paid off. Your influential voice has been heard by the top brass at ZUFFA, and now it looks like Carlos Condit has accepted a rematch against Nick Diaz at some point in 2012. No need to smash anymore flat-screen televisions in disgust -- Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit II is on the horizon. Here's what Dana White said on Twitter just minutes ago when an eager fan asked about a potential rematch. What Dana White is referring to at the end of his Tweet is essentially Carlos Condit is coming to Las Vegas to take part in an 'announcement.' There you have it folks, now get the popcorn ready -- and don't be scared to put butter all over it, homie. Props to LiverKick.com writer, Rian Scalia, for the find.

Posted in: diaz, nick, condit, carlos condit, carlo

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submitted by 416fighter [link] [3 comments]

Posted in: nick, fighter, vs, rumour, summer

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“I think Nick will miss fighting when he’s not doing it for long enough, so I do see him coming back at some point. Not now, but maybe end of the year, 2013, something like that… He’s had breaks before. I think it was good for him. He focused on his triathlons. I think he does get antsy after a while. After about six months, the guy wants to fight. I think he’s been fighting too many times, and I don’t think he’s got that in him right now. So I think an extended layoff would be a great idea for him… What people forget is Nick is only 28 years old. He’s a young guy at the peak of his career. He’s a polarizing figure. But whether you love the guy or hate him, you want to see the guy fight. That’s the biggest thing. He’s definitely not boring. He puts people in the seats, and that’s the bottom line… So a guy like that, he’s going to be around, and I think the GSP fight will eventually happen someday.” — Cesar Gracie, via MMA Junkie, commenting on Nick Diaz’s retirement comments at UFC 143 I’m sure we’ll see Nick Diaz back one way or the other, but I think it would be a mistake to take too long of a layoff. The momentum and buzz behind Diaz was at an all-time high coming into the Condit fight. He lost, sure, but Condit didn’t exactly beat him up and smash his aura like Antonio Silva did to Fedor Emelianenko. In fact, exactly one half of the people who voted in the “Who won?” poll on UFC.com believe Nick won that fight. In other words, the Condit fight may have slowed down the Diaz bandwagon but it didn’t run it off the road. In a perfect world, I’d say Nick should fight again sometime this summer whether it be against Condit, Koscheck or someone else to keep that momentum going, but if his heart isn’t in it right now, then maybe it’s best he just lay low for awhile. Image via Esther Lin for MMA Fighting

Posted in: fight, diaz, guy, nick, condit

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It looks like Carlos Condit will indeed twiddle his thumbs for nine months while waiting for welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre to fully recover from knee surgery instead of taking to the Octagon again, risking the interim belt and title-shot he earned by beating Nick Diaz by way of a controversial decision this past weekend at UFC 143. Condit’s camp had originally come out to say he would be open to another match-up as opposed to remaining inactive, and UFC President Dana White had mentioned an immediate rematch with Diaz to settle any debate over who the more deserving fighter was, but it appears neither scenario will play out in the end. “Listen, Nick Diaz is up in arms, Cesar Gracie is up in arms, and I understand that, you want to win, it’s a championship fight. That’s what you’re in this business for and I can appreciate all the passion and support for those guys,” said Condit’s manager Malki Kawa to MMAWeekly when asked about his client fighting Diaz again before GSP. “Believe it or not, I’m a fan of Nick Diaz. I like the Diaz brothers; I like the way they fight. I think they’re true fighters and good for the sport, but when you look at it, Carlos Condit won that fight. Two judges scored it four rounds to one, one judge scored it three to two; It wasn’t a split decision; it was a unanimous decision across the board.” “That rematch can happen later on in the future,” Kawa continued. “No one’s afraid of Nick, but we have to do what’s best for (Carlos’) career and in my opinion and the people around me and the advice that we’ve been taking, the best fight and the only fight is Georges St. Pierre.” Gracie: “It takes two to make a dogfight.” Condit and St. Pierre are expected to fight in November. Diaz’s future remains uncertain after hastily retiring from MMA based on his disgust with the judges’ decision. Many people felt Diaz deserved the decision based on aggression and ring control while others, including those keeping an official score of the fight, gave the nod to Condit based on his ability to “stick and move”. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick, condit, carlos condit

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Saturday is long gone, but the Condit vs. Diaz controversy somehow rages on. The fallout continued in spades yesterday, from Cesar Gracie's belittlement of the judges, to the Condit camp's refusal to sign a rematch. Catch up on all the back-and-forth with today's edition of the Morning Report. 5 MUST-READ STORIES TO START YOUR DAY Cesar Gracie calls UFC 143 judging a "perfect storm of incompetence." Still fuming from the judging slight, Gracie minced no words during Monday's episode of The MMA Hour. Greg Jackson: stick-and-move strategy was "no-brainer." Unsurprisingly, Jackson adamantly defended the pro-Condit decision, explaining, "it's not like we reinvented the wheel." Fabricio Werdum complains Roy Nelson's face hurt his leg. Days later, Werdum is still feeling the effects from "Big Country's" Homer Simpson-style gameplan. Carlos Condit's camp not interested in Nick Diaz rematch. Despite the war of words, Condit's manager made it clear that the interim champ has absolutely no interest in an instant rematch. Brandon Vera explains his withdrawal from Thiago Silva rematch. Beset by a backlash from fans, "The Truth" took to Facebook and clarified his abrupt decision. YESTERDAY'S MEDIA GUMBO Hungry for violence? Check out Yury Bessmertny's crushing knockout of Gago Drago from Thai Boxe Mania. (HT: Liver Kick) Not enough? Watch Chad Sermon and Brian Kerr revert back to Pride rules (to devastating results) at Shepherdsville's Hardrock MMA 43 event. (HT: Middle Easy) Yup, this is somehow from the exact same event. This time Braedon Ward and Brandon Bishop suffer a double KO in the most bizarre way imaginable. (HT: Bloody Elbow) Roy Nelson's Roller-Coaster Weekend, Part 1. (via @roynelsonmma) Roy Nelson's Roller-Coaster Weekend, Part 2: Coolio Edition. Wise words from Tim Kennedy. @TimKennedyMMATim Kennedy The vampires in Underworld are what vampires are supposed to be like. Not that g** glitter crap. Feb 06 via Twitter for iPhone Favorite Retweet Reply Better hope that tantrum retirement is short-lived. @GeorgesStPierreGeorges St-Pierre ...I still hope to meet Nick Diaz in the Octagon one day. Feb 06 via web Favorite Retweet Reply Nik Lentz has a simple solution for all the controversy. @NikLentzNik Lentz Ufc mma If you are upset at the Diaz/Condit fight, there is a simple fix..Make the cage smaller. Larger areas favor reach, height and evasion. #UFC Feb 06 via Seesmic Favorite Retweet Reply Chael Sonnen still isn't convinced he'll get his fight. @sonnenchchael sonnen I wouldn't pack for June in Brazil just yet, Eagles. Grab a coat, though, because if this happens Hell is frozen. Feb 06 via web Favorite Retweet Reply FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS Here's what was announced yesterday (Monday, Feb. 6, 2012): UFC on Fox 3: John Hathaway (15-1) vs. Pascal Krauss (10-0) UFC on Fuel TV 1: T.J. Dillahsaw (4-1) vs. Walel Watson (9-3) moved to main card UFC on FX 2: Daniel Pineda (16-7) in against Mackens Semerzier (6-3) FANPOST OF THE DAY Today's FPOTD belongs to BE reader KGNLuc: Greasing with water: The tragic, almost complete transcript of what was said in Nick Diaz's corner during UFC 143. A lot has been said and written about Nick Diaz' fight with Carlos Condit. One point of discussion has been Diaz seeming inability to adapt in a fight that was at least close or - in the opinion of many fans and more importantly the judges - he was losing. Personally I thought Diaz did win the fight, but this is definitely a case of "could've gone either way". More interesting to me is the question, what was going on with Nick, whether he was following a gameplan, if he really did get bad advice by his corner and so on. Luckily, the UFC provides an audio-stream straight from the corner of Nick Diaz. Even more luckily for you gentlemen I had the insane idea to make a transcript of the high-points for the poor suckers who do not get these streams for free like us germans. Don't forget to follow @MMAFighting on Twitter and 'like' us on Facebook. Found something informative, entertaining, brutal, or just plain bizarre for the Morning Report? Hit me at @shaunalshatti and we'll include it in tomorrow's post.

Posted in: ufc, fight, diaz, nick, feb

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submitted by MattyBlayze [link] [1 comment]

Posted in: ufc, nick, mattyblayze, water, greasing

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Nick Diaz lost a hotly contested decision Saturday night to Carlos Condit. This no doubt has thrown the dynamo for a loop considering he would have had a date with GSP lined up had he taken the win (and the interim title). In fact, he seemed so disgusted with fighting after the way he lost the match that he subsequently retired from MMA. Knowing his history of brash decisions we are only left to hope that he goes back on that plan, and keeps scrapping. If Cesar Gracie is able to talk his brooding brawler

Posted in: diaz, nick, decision, carlos condit, cesar gracie

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submitted by User100011 [link] [4 comments]

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, carlos condit, rogan

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Promoted from the FanPosts by Kid Nate. A lot has been said and written about Nick Diaz’ fight with Carlos Condit. One point of discussion has been Diaz seeming inablility to adapt in a fight that was at least close or – in the opinion of many fans and more importantly the judges – he was losing. Personally I thought Diaz did win the fight, but this is definitely a case of "could’ve gone either way". More interesting to me is the question, what was going on with Nick, wether he was following a gameplan, if he really did get bad advice by his corner and so on. Luckily, the UFC provides an audio-stream straight from the corner of Nick Diaz. Even more luckily for you gentlemen I had the insane idea to make a transcript of the high-points for the poor suckers who do not get these streams for free like us germans. Obviously I did regret that decision by the time I tried to decipher the screaming of Nate Diaz and the Gracie-Team for the first minute. But well…gotta finish what you started and give back to the community and such. So I pulled through. However: I was unable to identify any other speaker than Nate Diaz, so I just labled them "Red Corner". Most oft he time, it probably was probably Richard Perez (that was the white-haired guy that came out between rounds, right? The boxing coach?). I left out the inconsequential stuff such as "you want water?" most of the time. Whenever you see [...] I couldn’t understand what was being said and that piece is missing. Whenever you don't see that I probably still left out a bit. All these are direct quotes however, as precise as was possible. The timecodes are from the clock in the round and not extremely acurate but they’ll give you an idea, what was said when and it's the only way to sync everybody regardless of the source. Before Rd1: Nate: Fuck this guy, be smart a’right? Nate: Wake up, Dude! Wake up! There you go! Red Corner (probably talking to the corner-team): Be calm in the corner. That’s where the cameras are, they’re tryin’ t make us look bad. The camera [...] is makin’ us look bad for freakin’ out so be calm on the camera’s Nate: Watch that straight right left hook he’s gonna try, straight right – left hook. Red Corner: Let’s go Diaz! Be smart! Let’s do it!Round 1: Red Corner (right after the first leg kick): Check that kick Nate: Watch that straight right – left hook! Nate (4:43): Put that chin down! Red Corner (4:05): Box him up, Nick! Nate (4:07): Feints too! Feints! Make him throw! Red Corner (3:45): Turn it up! He’s trying to run! He’s trying to run! Nate (3:36, probably talking about Condit): Yeah, he gets hit. He gets hit with shots. Nate (3:34): Feints too, make him throw! Red Corner (3:30): Turn it up! Turn it up! Right there! Nate (commenting as Condit slips away): Hit and run... Nate (3:!4): Body! Body! Red Corner (3:08): You got him against the cage! Nate (3:04): Cut him off, don’t chase him! Red Corner (3:02): Cut him off, don’t follow! (The command is repeated many (!) times from here on out till the end of the round) Nate (answering to a question I can’t understand at 2:36): Trying to tag with a hard shot, that’s why. He’s probably tryin to win with a hard shot.. Red Corner (2:22): Cut him off, don’t let him get out! Nate (2:20): Let’s get on that body too! Nate (2:04): There you go! Set up the body! Red Corner (2:01): You stand up tall! Nate (after a spinning elbow by Carlos at 1:58): Fuckin’ dick! Red Corner (1:45): Get in and get out! Don’t let him get off! Work that body [...] Nate (after another leg-kick, 1:42): Check that shit! Red Corner (1:31): He’s landet the better shots so far Nate (1:30): Yah. Nate (1:27): He’s tryin to pace for five rounds. Nate (as Nick is pressing Carlos against the fence): Shorter! Shorter! Red Corner (1:14): Flank him! Come on! Get him against the cage! Body! Nate (0:56): Cut him off good! Red Corner (0:55): Get that body again! Keep that pace Nick! Red Corner (after Condit escapes again and a lot of "Cut him off!" previously): You let him get off again! Don’t let him get off! Red Corner (0:26): Back him up! Take a step forward! Set it up! Step forward! Turn it up!At this point I realized this would take forever and decided to drop most of the redundand stuff or sum it up!Before Rd 2: Nate: Sit down, sit down. Richard Perez: Don’t let him circle, you hear? When you got him against the cage... Nate (interrupting): Deep breaths, deep breaths. Richard Perez: Deep breaths, put of your mouth! Now...when you back him up against the cage Nick, you gotta stay in his face hard, you understand? So what you’re gonna do is your gonna pump that jab... Nick: (to Nate, interrupting) Gimme the bottle of water. Richard Perez: And you go to the body and then back to the head. Head-Body, it’s wide open, you can get him. Nate: He’s tryin to make you chase him too [him and Perez talking over each other] Cut him off real good. Nate: He’s tryin to coast for five rounds. Cut him off good!Round 2(I’ll leave most of the constant screams of "cut him off" here. Know that they are there till the fight ends) Red Corner (4:35): Here comes the headkick! (Actually there’s another leg kick) Red Coner (4:10): Keep comin. You have it there, dog! Nate (to a teammate, 4:03): He’s got nothin on him, dude. He’s just tryin to set stuff up. (right here, Condit throws a spinning elbow at around 3:58) See, that’s the kind of asshole-shit he’s got. But...he better land a good one if he wants to end it cause he can’t really do too much. Red Corner (3:41): You gotta throw your punches down the middle! Nate (3:32): Make him come to you! *somebody applauds after Nick taunts and slaps Carlos* (3:21) Red Corner (somebody else than the staff that could be heard so far 3:08): Condit you pussy! Red Corner: You can run all day! Nate (2:50): Make him chase you! Make him chase you a little bit! Let him chase you too he ain’t got shit! *Lot’s of calls for cutting Carlos off, going to the body and some feints from here on out * Red Corner (1:40): Make him miss! Make him miss! Let your hands go! Nate (after the flurry on the fence around 1:20): Good job Nick Red Corner (1:24): He’s tired now! He’s tired! He’s getting desperate right now, he’s getting tired! Down the middle! Nate: Nicks gonna pick up the pace later in the thrid-fourth round and if [...] Red Corner (0:37): Come on, Nick! You can’t win like that! You can’t win like that! Red Corner (0:17): Throw! Throw!Before Rd 3 Nate: Ok, sit down Red Corner: You can’t finish him by follwoing him. Your doin good [...] and come back with the uppercut. Nate: Keep doin’ what you’re doin. Red Corner: You’re doing good. You got him runnin now. He’s gassin out from runnin. Nate: You ain’t gonna have to chase him so much, too. You can if you want but you don’t have to. He’s trying to make you chase him around some hard shit (?). You can wave him down like "Come to me motherfucker!". [...]You won the last two rounds so keep doin what you’re doin. But you can make him come to you too. Or do what you want. You can do that too, he ain’t doin nothin. -- Can’t understand what Richard Perez is saying here, unfortunately Nate: Feints too, ok? Make him throw, make him throw. Good job brother, you’re doin good.Round 3 Nate (no clock yet...right at the start oft he round): It’s lookin good Red Corner: You think so? Nate: Yah, two – zero. Red Corner: Sometimes though, they... Nate: Nah, two to zero. Everybody knows that. Fuck that! The guy ain’t doin nothin. He’s doin what he can though. Red Corner: He’s running. He’s running the whole time. Red Corner (4:25): Right now! Right now! Red Corner (after Nick flurries on Carlos 4:23): Oh, nice! Nice left hand! Red Corner (4:21): He’s hurt! He’s hurt Nick! He’s hurt! Red Corner (4:12, as Carlos turns his back briefly and jogs to the middle of the cage): Get on top of him! You gotta be on top of him when he does that! He’s not set. Now down the middle! Come on! Cesar Gracie: (3:43) You got it dog! Keep going! Keep doing it! Keep doing it! He don’t know what to do no more! That’s it right there! He’s turning! He’s turning! Step over! Step over, down the middle! (This gets repeated a while with calls to let his hands go and go fort he body) Nate (2:51): Heartrate, Nick! Cesar Gracie (2:30): Don’t let him bounce around! Cesar Gracie (2:07): Come on now, Nick! Don’t stand in front of him! Back him up, there you you go! Mix it up, Nick! *Lots of "cut him off", "turn it up", "make him come to you" and all his corners favorites so far* Red Corner (to Nate): He’s gotta get the punch-combos going Nate: Yeah. It’s hard though when you’re chasing the fucker all over the place. Nate (0:16): Don’t chase him, walk him down, Nick! Nate (after Condit slipped): What happened? Did he fall? Red Corner: Yeah, he fell. Before Round 4 Nate: Here, sit down, brother Nick: Did I get hit? Nate: Nah, you’re not even cut. Richard Perez: He’s got nothin no more, dog. You hear me? He got nothin no more. All you gotta do is go down the middle, get that body-shot. Don’t stand in front of him though cause you may get hit [...] Nate: You can make him come to you as well cause he’s just running from you. Don’t chase him. Wave "Come to me, motherfucker", you know what I mean? [..] You can keep doin what you do the whole fight. You gotta cut him off really good, ok?Round 4 Red Corner: [...]man, they’re trying to cool him off. That was a lot of water. Red Corner: His heatrate seems still alright Nate (4:49): That’s what they do, they make him all wet so the punches slip off and shit. Red Corner (4:44): Ist that allowed here? Nate (Yelling over to the other corner): Ey, y’all put too much water on that motherfucker, man! Nate (4:32): Ref! Dry him off, ref! Dry him off! Nate (4:23): He’s slippin all over the place cause they put water all over him! That’s weak. Nate (3:48): Okay let’s go and pick your shots right now, let’s not go for the fence right now! Quicker shots that land, Nick! They don’t got to be hard now, just make’em land! Red Corner (3:25): He’s gonna run in a circle all night. Let’s get some hooks, make him stay in there! Red Corner (3:19): That body shot hurt him, do it again! Red Corner (3:12): He’s trying to run again. He always runs out to the same side. Right hook as soon as he turns out! Red Corner (3:05): Right hook, left hook, keep him in there! Red Corner (3:02): Body lock! Nate (3:01): He all wet! Red Corner (2:59): It’s aweful. Yeah, referee’s gotta [...] Nate (2:50): He’s wet, dude! He’s all wet. Red Corner (2:48): Let your hands go! Don’t stand in front of him! Nate (still about Condit being all wet): That’s weak dog. That’s weak. Nicks corner is clearly frustrated that he let’s Condit escape from the cage so often, exclaiming "aw man!" and calling for him to stay on Condit. Nate (1:50, as Condit sprints away again): Call for a yellow-card! Red Corner: He’s running all day Nate: That’s the best he can do man. He’s just surviving the fight! Nate (1:15): Step on the outside! Red Corner (1:13): Take the center! Make him come to you! Red Coner (0:50): Put him in a war, Nick! Make him waste his...let’s get his heartrate up! *again, there’s a lot of "let your hands go", "cut him off" and "Let him come to you" all throughout this round* Red Corner (0:07): Takedown!Before the 5th round Nate: Hey ref! Ref! Ref! Ref! Ey, they keep wetting him! He’s all slippery because they keep pouring water all over him. Referee: Alright, alright! Nate: There’s water... Somebody says: What do you think. Maybe Nick Nate: No. No, no, no, no, fuck that, you got every round. Somebody, maybe Nick (Although it doesn’t sound like him) says: "Don’t lie to me" Nate: He might have got that last round but that’s it. You got the rest. You’re up three to one, okay? Rinse it out, take a drink. Let’s get a couple of ten second intervals in this one, ok? Whenever you want, whenever you’re ready.5th round Nate: This is the last round, right? Red Corner Is this the fifth round? Nate: Yah. Fifth round. Nate (4:14 after the usual calls): Be smart Nick, make him miss! Nate (4:02): Quick punches that land, alright? Red Corner (3:38) You just stand in front of him! Come on Nick, come on! Red Corner (3:26): Don’t stand on the outside! Red Corner (3:12): Take him down when he stands like that! Red Corner (2:32 as Nick gets a body-lock): There it is! V-lock! (?) Lots of calls to "set that hook up", plus the usual stuff. Nate informs Nick oft he time at the 2 and 1:30 mark. Nate: Yeah! (as Nick takes it tot he ground, 1:20) Nate (1:10): He’s gonna finish somethin, dude. Red Corner: Relax! You got a minute! You got a minute! Nate: One minute! Nate (0:50): Yeah, he’s trying to get that armbar. Red Corner (0:40): Grab the chin! Red Corner (0:30): Break his nose! Nate: 30 seconds, go on top! Now, Nick, now! Nate (0:17): Ey, let’s get some elbows, get some punches! 15 seconds! Red Corner (0:09): Set that choke up!After the fight: Official: Nobody goes in until I say. Stay right here, please Red Corner: Yes, Sir. Nate: Fuck yeah! Red Corner: Get his shirt! Nate: Ey, gimme his shirt! Gimme his shirt! Nate: You won that shit! Official: Now get in there. You know what to do? Red Corner: Yes, Sir! Nate: Gimme that shirt! Dana White: Good job, dude! Nate: Ey! For sure four to one, a’right? Nick: I got that? I got that homie? Nate: Yeah Fuck yeah, you got that. Nick: I pushe him back the whole time Red Corner: Yeah, yeah, he ran. Nate: All we got is the sweatshirt. Ey yo, put this on. I tell you [...] four to one for sure. No problem. Red Corner: He ran too much. Nick (probably looking at the replay): They’re showin only (?)his shit. Nate: Yeah, that was the last round. But you got four to one for sure. There’s no way... Nick (interrupting): I almost finished that armlock. Nate: Yeah, yeah, I know. He knew he was biding (?) his time too. Hey look, Nick, you guaranteed no matter what won that fight. Nate (shaking Greg Jacksons hand): Good fight! Nate (shaking Carlos’ hand): Good fight, Carlos Nick (after a few steps): Ran too much Nate: Yeah Nick (talking to Lorenzo Fertitta. Unfortunately, this is very hard to understand) : [...]You asked me to fight, I came here to fight. I’m not gonna[...]I came in a little heavy. It was either I could cut the calories or cut the sparring [...]Nate pulls him away as the scores are ready to be read. Nate: "Hey, listen. Listen: He did what he had to do, alright? That’s what. So he’d get through that fight" And that was how Nick went into these last seconds before the decision was read. Listening to that was really kinda tragic. Unfortunately no further conversations were recorded although you can clearly see Nate and Nick talking in the background during the Condit-interview.

Posted in: nick, round, nate, hersquo, corner

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“I don’t think the judges like Nick. He comes off, he talks in the ring… Carlos was running at one point, and Nick slapped him in the face said, ‘Quit running.’ We were there for a dogfight. Carlos said he’d provide for the fans a dogfight, a great fight where they were going to go at it. That was not a dogfight. It takes two to make a dogfight. One guy running away is not a dogfight… I don’t know what the judges were looking at. They’ve never liked Nick in Vegas. They’ve never voted for him in a decision. The only one was the BJ Penn fight, and he almost had to kill BJ to get that one. I don’t think they like his attitude, a guy that’s going to go out there and talk. I think they think he’s disrespectful. They’re going to find a reason to judge against him. I don’t think he can get fair judging in that state at all.” — Cesar Gracie on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani claiming judges are biased against Nick Diaz in Nevada First and foremost, let me say that Diaz did not get robbed. This wasn’t Shogun-Machida I. It was a close fight and I think you could make an argument for either fighter. That said, there is certainly incompetent judging in MMA. It happens all the time. But biased judging? I don’t know. I’ve never seen any evidence of that, but I’ve never been in a position to either. It wouldn’t surprise me, but to suggest Nick can’t win a decision in Vegas because the judges don’t like him without providing any evidence to support such a theory is kind of like throwing around baseless steroid and greasing accusations. They’re pointless without proof. Moving on, Gracie also took aim at Greg Jackson and their fight strategies during the interview. “It’s one thing to avoid standing in the pocket, it’s one thing to know how to dodge punches and kicks, and be somewhat elusive and have great defense,” he said. “It’s another thing to turn your back and run from a fighter. That’s completely different. You shouldn’t be telling your fighter to fight like that. I think it’s a disgrace and a shame. I’ve said this before: I don’t like that camp. I’m not going to take that back.” Greg Jackson joined the show right after Gracie hung up. He didn’t specifically respond to Gracie’s comments, but he did defend the game plan they employed to beat Nick Diaz. “It’s not like we reinvented the wheel here with this game plan,” Jackson said. “A stick-and-move game plan against a guy that’s such an amazing fighter and such a tough guy as Diaz, for me is a no-brainer. If you look at the numbers, we hit him many more times than he hit us.” “The criticism I guess I heard this morning was that Carlos was running,” Jackson said. “He was running back to the middle of the Octagon and hitting him. You can’t really say he’s running, because he hit him more times. So that argument doesn’t make a lot of sense.” “He’s amazing when he gets you up against the fence,” Jackson said of Diaz. “He’s amazing when he starts rolling on those combinations. So we left the party when that happened and then we started the party again and were able to land a lot more shots than he was. It’s pretty cut and dry to me. …If you sit there and go toe-to-toe with him, man, he’s just so tough. His combinations flow so beautifully. He switches from the body to the head so well. There’s no reason for us to play that game.” Jackson also made it clear that if GSP and Condit do fight next, he will not be cornering either fighter. Interestingly enough though, for Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans, he might be changing his mind about cornering Jones. He still considers Rashad a friend, but since he’s not coming back to their camp, he feels he needs to be loyal to his team too. Image via Esther Lin for MMA Fighting

Posted in: fight, jackson, nick, fighter, judge

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After watching his fight with Nick Diaz on Sunday, Carlos Condit changed his scorecard. "During the fight, I felt like I won four out of the five rounds," he today told MMAjunkie.com Radio. "I watched it yesterday, and it looked a little bit closer. "I probably would have given Nick two (rounds) and myself three."

Posted in: fight, nick diaz, nick, carlo, fight i

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When the dust settled in Las Vegas, Nevada, after UFC 143 this past weekend (Feb. 4, 2012), there was a new Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Interim Welterweight Champion crowned in Carlos Condit. The event, however, did not end without having a dark cloud lingering over it. And that cloud, yet again, had to do with the judges' decision. The Octagon side judges awarded Condit a unanimous decision victory over Diaz and had many fans and media confused at the scoring and their call. After the bout, Diaz, in utter disgust, announced his retirement from the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA), leaving fans across the globe disappointed at the possibility of not seeing Diaz compete in combat sports ever again. Two days removed from UFC 143, the MMA community is still buzzing with the controversial decision of the main event and it seems that everyone has their opinion on who truly deserves to be the interim UFC 170-pound champ. Cesar Gracie, Nick Diaz head trainer, is no exception. Speaking on The MMA Hour, Gracie discusses the decision the judges, who he says do not like Diaz, rendered that left his pupil without UFC gold and without the opportunity to face welterweight kingpin Georges St. Pierre: "He clearly won that fight. I've told him, when he lost before, that he has to let it go. But this fight was clear he won. I was shocked, we were all in disbelief, especially with the scores that they read. Every judge had Nick losing that first round. It takes two to make a dog fight and one fighter running away does not make it a dog fight. In my opinion, I don't think the judges like Nick. He talks in the ring and Nick slapped Carlos at one point in the face and told him to quit running. The judges have never liked Nick in Vegas, they don't like his attitude. He nearly had to kill B.J. Penn (at UFC 137) to earn that decision. I think they think he is disrespectful and they are going to find a way to go against him. I don't know what fight they were looking at. I literally thought they had mixed up the fighters names when they read the score. Everybody was confident that Nick won that fight." Gracie also gave his thoughts on whether or not he believed Carlos Condit fought like a coward due to the game plan he and Jackson's MMA camp used, a camp, he says, he is not very fond of: "Coward is a big word to use. I think anyone that fights in the UFC for as long as Carlos has fought, he is not a coward. I like Carlos Condit, you get a good vibe from him, but, I do not think he is a coward in any sense of the word. He just listened to his corner's game plan. Run away and throw some leg kicks. I am disappointed in the way he fought for sure, he promised a dog fight and it did not happen. I am impressed by his skills and I was concerned, but the tactic he used, it loses stock in other people's eyes and I was obviously disappointed. If Nick had been knocked out by Carlos, I would feel better right now than what I do. I don't like that camp (Jackson's MMA) and I'm not going to take that back. I like the fighters there, but when you have coachs that tell people to fight like that, I don't like it. I am proud to not corner my guys like that and I never will, we have a code and I'm proud of the way we fight." On whether or not Diaz will truly hang up his gloves after announcing he would do so after his UFC 143 loss: "I haven't talked to him about it (retiring). I would hate to see that. He is not just fighting his opponent, he is fighting the judges that do not like him. The whole judging criteria is so flawed, they don't answer to no one they are not reviewed and they will never be fired. They are making decisions that are ruining the sport and are ridiculous and no one is going to get them out of there. You have incompetent judges that do not even know anything about this sport. The criteria makes no sense and it is insane. I can understand Nick's frustration. We can have a rematch, sure, set up a rematch, but if it is with the same judges how are we going to win? I don't know how they had him losing that first round. After the fight, an actual official from Nevada came up to me and told me, you should have Nick box, because in boxing, they will still rob you, but he is still going to walk away with millions and millions of dollars. " Condit, now awaits the return of Georges St. Pierre, which could mean he would have to ride the pine for another nine months to see action. Are you Maniacs surprised at the revelation the Gracie has bestowed upon the MMA world that judges seem to have a disdain for Nick Diaz and his "bad boy" attitude inside the Octagon? Thoughts?

Posted in: ufc, fight, diaz, nick, judge

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UFC 143 headliner Nick Diaz earned $200,000 and main card winner Josh Koscheck scored $146,000 to top the $879,500 payroll for this past Saturday’s UFC 143 event in Las Vegas, the Nevada State Athletic Commission confirmed today. Main event winner Carlos Condit came in third at $110,000 for his unanimous decision victory over Diaz, who did not have a win bonus on the line, while Fabricio Werdum also broke six-figures as he earned an even $100,000 for his co-main event win over Roy Nelson. Werdum, Nelson, Dustin Poirier, and Stephen Thompson each scored $65,000 bonuses on top of their official salaries, which are only the official numbers reported by the UFC and do not include bonuses, sponsorships, fees, or expenses. The complete UFC 143 salaries included: MAIN CARD Carlos Condit: $110,000 (includes $55,000 win bonus) def. Nick Diaz: $200,000 Interim UFC Welterweight Championship Fabricio Werdum: $100,000 (no win bonus) def. Roy Nelson: $20,000 Josh Koscheck: $146,000 ($73,000 win bonus) def. Mike Pierce: $20,000 Renan Barao: $22,000 ($11,000 win bonus) def. Scott Jorgensen: $20,500 Ed Herman $62,000 ($31,000 win bonus) def. Clifford Starks: $8,000 PRELIMINARY CARD Dustin Poirier: $24,000 ($12,000 win bonus) def. Max Holloway: $6,000 Edwin Figueroa: $16,000 ($8,000 win bonus) def. Alex Caceres: $8,000 Matt Brown: $30,000 ($15,000 win bonus) def. Chris Cope: $8,000 Matt Riddle: $30,000 ($15,000 win bonus) def. Henry Martinez: $6,000 Rafael Natal: $20,000 ($10,000 win bonus) def. Michael Kuiper: $6,000 Stephen Thompson: $12,000 ($6,000 win bonus) def. Dan Stittgen: $5,000 More UFC 143 coverage: UFC 143 Results: Carlos Condit Tops Nick Diaz to Win Interim Title, Shot at GSP

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick, bonus, nelson

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"Like autumn leaves, his sense fell from him. An empty glass of himself, shattered somewhere within. His thoughts like a hundred moths, trapped in a lampshade. Somewhere within, their wings banging and burning. On through endless nights. Forever awake he lies shaking and starving, praying for someone to turn off the light." What follows from this verse is one of the meanest riffs Tom Morello ever produced. But the lyrics also feel like they apply to the most "enigmatic" figure in mixed martial arts: the one and only, Nick Diaz. Minus, of course, any sense of meaning, social context, or political direction (however disagreeable you might find that direction). Still, Nick makes very clear in interview after interview that if there's a constant to Nick's mind it's that his attitude validates the idea that the human brain is a ‘team of rivals', and Nick's brain is in constant rivalry. I feel this is part of what makes Nick so elusive to us as a personality. We know what it's like to understand the paradox of controlling the impulse to shout an obscenity at someone who means us no harm (an experience typical in the workplace where we occasionally have to stand next to the incompetent). Nick does not. When I watched Nick's interview at the press scrum with our very own Matt Roth, it's as If even the most simple, and trivial questions demand a full body search. Nick's mind perceives a world where curiosities wear black hats, and inquiries display their own Schutzstaffel insignia. So what happens when an opponent he respects doesn't fight the way he would like, and he ends up on the wrong end of a close decision in a title fight for a shot at a larger money fight with Georges St. Pierre? When Diaz exclaims he's "outta of this s**t", and threatens retirement, I believe him. That doesn't mean it'll happen. It doesn't mean he won't change his mind. It doesn't mean Dana White won't throw him more money to keep him knowing he's an elite fighter, and still a draw with the potential for a future match with GSP given that Nick is only 28. But it does mean that Diaz is sincere with his frustration. And it does mean that if ever there were a figure in MMA to make good on such a wild, dramatic prediction, it would be Diaz. It also means Nick is a big fat sore loser. SBN Coverage of UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit I've never been one to romanticize the thesis that mixed martial arts is all about respect, honor, and some cheap more-ploy-than-philosophy idea of "the way of the warrior". To his legion of fans, Nick is certifiably a ‘warrior'. But what kind of warrior treats defeat like a hexagonal conspiracy? What kind of warrior responds to loss like some bubble gummer on her 16th birthday, throwing a hissy fit over the fact that she got a brand new Taucoma instead of a Lexus? The fight itself failed to live up to its expectations, but I find it downright bizarre that Carlos Condit has received any flack at all. Not that he has, but in the way that he has. I feel stupid for giving very stupid opinions the oxygen of publicity, but why the distinction between fighting and game planning among fans? Condit was more than willing to strike with Diaz. The numbers reveal as much. He just didn't want to strike with Diaz with his back against the cage. The criticism that Condit fought "smart" instead of simply fighting is utterly hollow. Nick's very specific and calculated method to get Condit against the cage was just as much of a ‘gameplan' as Condit's to stay outside and strike from distance. There's no doubt in my mind that if Nick stood in the center of the octagon, Carlos would have too. But just as Nick didn't fight to his opponent's strength, neither did Condit hence why the fight was so close. If Nick is angry about the way his opponent fought, then his failure to adapt will be his downfall, and he will have nobody to blame but himself. I suspect the blame will never fall on his shoulders, in his mind. He'll never ask himself why he couldn't have thrown more kicks, or attempted more takedowns. It'll just be his own insular chorus of what Condit didn't let him do inside that lampshade of his.

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick, condit, mind

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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned to pay-per-view this past Saturday night (Jan. 28, 2012) with UFC 143 "Diaz vs. Condit," featuring "The Natural Born Killer" Carlos Condit busting his hump to earn a unanimous decision victory over Nick Diaz and the interim UFC welterweight championship. And a date with Georges St. Pierre later this year. Fabricio Werdum impressed in his three-round beatdown of Roy Nelson, showcasing a far more diverse game than we've come to expect from the Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace. And what's there to say about Josh Koscheck's performance against Mike Pierce? No, really, what's there to say? In cased you missed any or all of it -- or just want to keep the discussion alive -- below are links to all the major storylines borne from Saturday night's event in Las Vegas. In we go. UFC 143: "Diaz vs. Condit" Results and live fight coverage Recap and morning after discussion Post-fight press conference video Bonuses and awards Event photos gallery Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit fight video highlights Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit fight metric report "Prelims" results and recap Fight recap: Ed Herman submits Clifford Starks Fight recap: Renan Barao cruises past Scott Jorgensen Fight recap: Josh Koscheck decisions Mike Pierce Fight recap: Fabricio Werdum beats down Roy Nelson Fight recap: Carlos Condit defeats Nick Diaz to win interim welterweight championship Fight review and analysis: Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit Fight review and analysis: Fabricio Werdum vs. Roy Nelson Fight review and analysis: Josh Koscheck vs. Mike Pierce Fight review and analysis: Renan Barao vs. Scott Jorgensen Fight review and analysis: Ed Herman vs. Clifford Starks UFC 143 post-fight fallout Big winners and lowly losers Event report card Video of the new UFC intro Nick Diaz says he's done with MMA because he doesn't need this shit MMA scoring is an inexact science but doesn't change Carlos Condit's wins over Nick Diaz Carlos Condit critics need to get real because Nick Diaz didn't win Carlos Condit emerges as a clear cut contender to Georges St. Pierre but does it matter? Carlos Condit came to Las Vegas to punch Nick Diaz in the face, not talk trash inside the cage What's next for Nick Diaz, assuming he doesn't retire? What's next for Carlos Condit? Dana White is not opposed to a Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit rematch Is Nick Diaz a bad boy boxer or just an immature fighter? Carlos Condit and his wife celebrate his win over Nick Diaz Rashad Evans breaks down Carlos Condit vs. Georges St. Pierre Fabricio Werdum batters Roy Nelson into gatekeeper status Dana White would make Josh Koscheck vs. Jon Fitch if it made sense Josh Koscheck would win fans if he wasn't so busy alienating them Josh Koscheck is done with being nice to MMA boo birds, will keep being a dick Dustin Poirier calls out Chan Sung Jung, says he's not ready for a title shot yet Ed Herman shows off his busted up eye the day after Clifford Starks drilled him in it That, my friends, should be enough to keep you talking -- at least for the time being. What gets your vote for the biggest story coming out of UFC 143? Sound off, Maniacs.

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick, condit, carlo

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Welcome to another edition of Payout Perspective. This week we take a look at UFC 143 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada where Nick Diaz took on Carlos Condit for the interim welterweight belt. Condit frustrates Diaz for interim belt We saw the Stockton Slap but Carlos Condit executed his game plan to perfection in eluding Diaz’s boxing skills and a last round submission attempt to win the interim title. The bout was reminiscent of Frankie Edgar versus BJ Penn at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi. In that one, Edgar executed a game plan to perfection that by Round 5 you knew that the favorite was in trouble. Same here with Condit. For Condit, a date with GSP is in the future. Despite his post-fight interview where he quit MMA, Diaz will likely be back and a Josh Koscheck fight seems about right. Even in defeat, a Nick Diaz post-fight interview is always entertaining. Werdum outlasts Big Country A solid debut for Fabricio Werdum who edged out Roy Nelson in a battle of BJJ black belts. A very good fight that won Fight of the Night honors. Werdum may not be ready for the top tier of this division but maybe a couple more impressive victories could earn him a return bout against Junior dos Santos. Koscheck defeats Pierce A closer bout than most thought. Arguably, Pierce could claim he should have won. Not sure why Josh Koscheck is such a hated man but Nick Diaz is gaining fans for being about as bad. Of course, Koscheck’s post-fight “salute” to the fans won’t help his plea for fans. Attendance and gate MMA Junkie reports that UFC 143 drew 10,040 fans for a gate of $2.3 million. Bonuses MMA Junkie also reported the fight night bonuses for UFC 143. Each fighter received $65,000. Fight of the Night: Fabricio Werdum versus Roy Nelson Submission of the Night: Dustin Poirer KO of the Night: Stephen Thompson Poirer and Thompson were the clear cut winners for their divisions as Poirer had an impressive submission and Thompson’s educated foot won him a KO. Sponsors The octagon included a couple new logos including the UFC’s new official corn nuts sponsor, Corn Nuts. Also, the History Channels’ new show, Full Metal Jousting. The show is from the producers of the Ultimate Fighter. It also included MetroPCS which also ran commercials during the prelims. In addition, UFC Undisputed 3 was featured as the UFC is pumping up the game for its release as you can purchase the game via GameStop. The Octagon also had its usual mainstays of Harley Davidson, Musclepharm, Tapout, Dodge and Bud Light. The Corn Nuts sponsorship included a “corn”er cam. A nice play on words. It will be interesting to see what future activation plans it has with the UFC. MetroPCS  also sponsored the Judge’s Call which occurred right before the judge’s decision. The US Marines, as always, sponsored the Tale of the Tape for Koscheck-Pierce. RYU was also a featured sponsor although its signage was not featured. Every time Josh Koscheck fights I’m reminded that Lugz is still around. Roy Nelson was sponsored by the History Channel’s new show for his fight. Maybe it was fitting that his white shorts were stained with blood for “Full Metal Jousting.” UFC Primetime Good reviews for this set of shows. It was a little weird for the show to feature GSP’s rehab but this may have compensated for the lack of Diaz information. An interesting snippet from the last episode of Primetime: Nick Diaz didn’t know who was playing in the Super Bowl. We will try to update you with ratings if we can obtain them. Post-UFC 143 Headlines Condit versus GSP. Its not the matchup that most, including GSP, wanted. But we will see this fight sometime later this year. Perhaps, this is Montreal’s fight to have since its spring card was delayed.  It should be a good battle although the UFC could have marketed a Diaz versus GSP fight easier. Nonetheless, the UFC could get Diaz versus Koshcheck which could get a lot of interest albeit not for a title. What would Nick do? UFC Primetime got more out of Nick Diaz than most have seen. But, how likely would Diaz do another behind-the-scenes look after this loss. His disdain for any type of media coverage is evident. But, he’s a compelling figure that many have grown to like (or hate). Regardless of what fans think, he’s an asset for the UFC that they must manage. Dustin Poirier may be the only hope for the 145 division against Jose Aldo. An impressive fight with some great jiu jitsu. We’ll see how he progresses. Odds and Ends - I liked the new intro to the PPVs. I’m wondering why they didn’t go with something like this earlier. Long live Gladiator Man. - Good move by the UFC and Fox to go back to the weigh-ins without commentary. I think for those that tune in to watch them, they like to see and hear the whole thing rather than get analysis. - What do you think Nick Diaz was saying to Lorenzo Fertitta right after the fight? -Diaz said he was paid way too much for MMA in his post-fight in Octagon interview. I thought his complaint was that he wasn’t paid enough. - It will be interesting to see the numbers for the UFC in 3D in theaters. Based on twitter, there were very positive reviews but we’ll have to see if that equates to good attendance. - We saw the first commercials for TUF on FX. - For those watching the Super Bowl, here’s the Kia ad with Chuck Liddell. He’s in the commercial briefly around the 1:00 minute mark. Conclusion A good night of fights but Diaz-Condit didn’t have the star power of GSP. The co-main events and undercard featured good match-ups but only for hardcore MMA fans. How many casual viewers knew Mike Pierce? It will be interesting to see how much the 3D in theater attendance takes away from the PPV buy rate. A buy rate above 250,000 should be considered a success.

Posted in: ufc, fight, diaz, nick, gsp

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UFC president Dana White seemed open to a Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz rematch before titleholder Georges St-Pierre returns from injury.

Posted in: diaz, nick, vs, condit, carlo

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

Public opinion seems to be split down the middle in terms of whether Nick Diaz was more deserving of a decision victory last night at UFC 143 than actual winner, Carlos Condit. Both battled for twenty-five minutes with Condit taking an aesthetically unpleasing, counter-striking style rather than engaging Diaz in stand-up exchanges for any extended durations. UFC President Dana White, who has never been afraid to criticize judging, offered up his take on the headlining tilt after the event had concluded where he found no fault in the outcome but understood criticism from fans/media who felt Diaz earned the interim belt based on aggression and having taken Condit’s back in the fifth round. A Round-by-Round Look at Condit vs. Diaz “Nick Diaz is the master of getting you to fight his type of fight,” said White in a conversation with MMAJunkie. “Fighters have egos, and millions of people are watching. When you start getting open-hand slapped by the other guy and he’s calling you names – ‘Alright, you want to do this?’ – they step in, and they do it. Carlos Condit kept his cool tonight, fought a perfect fight. He started early, chopping those legs, and that did make a big difference toward the end of the fight. It slowed Nick down a lot – body shots, too.” However, with Georges St. Pierre out until November while recovering from knee surgery, it appears White is willing to do his part in providing a more satisfying conclusion to the Diaz-Condit saga by having them fight again in a few months. “It’s crazy, but…I was thinking about it after the fight. People are bitching, and people think that was close…we could do that fight again before GSP comes back,” explained White before adding, “It depends on Carlos, too. Carlos has got to say – and Nick’s got to say, ‘I want to fight him again,’ too.” A disappointed Diaz said he was retiring from MMA immediately after the scores were read, disgusted with the notion of losing despite dictating the bout’s pace. A second shot at Condit could prompt him to return, while Condit’s camp has said “The Natural Born Killer” would be open to a title-defense before facing St. Pierre. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick, condit, carlo

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Rundown of UFC 143 post-fight news and notes… — 10,040 attendees filled the Mandalay Bay Events Center for a $2.3 million live gate. — Stephen Thompson picked up a $65,000 KO of the Night bonus in his UFC debut for that sneaky head kick he used to put Dan Stittgen’s lights out. Dustin Poirier was awarded the Submission of the Night bonus for his sweet mounted triangle/armbar. And Fabricio Werdum and Roy Nelson earned Fight of the Night for their bloody battle. — It’s been quite awhile since I remember fans so passionately split about a decision like they are with Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit. Honestly, when the fight was over I felt like Condit had won it and I really wanted Nick Diaz to win. I wasn’t actively scoring it as the fight progressed though, so perhaps I’ll change my mind when I go back and watch it again. For what it’s worth, Dana White thought Carlos Condit won the fight as well and I’m sure he was internally hoping Diaz would win given the magnitude of GSP vs. Diaz. “Carlos Condit won,” White said following the evening’s post-event press conference. “He went in there, and he fought a great fight. He stuck to his gameplan and didn’t fall in Nick Diaz’s (style of fight).” “Nick Diaz is the master of getting you to fight his type of fight,” White said. “Fighters have egos, and millions of people are watching. When you start getting open-hand slapped by the other guy and he’s calling you names – ‘Alright, you want to do this?’ – they step in, and they do it. Carlos Condit kept his cool tonight, fought a perfect fight. He started early, chopping those legs, and that did make a big difference toward the end of the fight. It slowed Nick down a lot – body shots, too.” Even though Dana felt Condit won the fight, he thought it was close enough to warrant a rematch if both fighters wanted it. “It’s crazy, but … I was thinking about it after the fight,” White said. “People are bitching, and people think that was close, we could do that fight again before GSP comes back.” “It depends on Carlos, too. Carlos has got to say – and Nick’s got to say, ‘I want to fight him again,’ too.” That would certainly be one way of handling it. Condit said he was leaning towards waiting for GSP in his post-fight interview with Ariel Helwani, however Dana was pretty adamant that he wanted Condit to fight again if GSP is going to be out for too long. Nevertheless, I seriously doubt Condit would want to fight Diaz again, so we’ll have to see what happens. Dana also thought Josh Koscheck vs. Nick Diaz would be a good match-up. — Of course, that’s all assuming Nick Diaz doesn’t actually retire. But I doubt he will and so does Dana White. “You never know with Nick Diaz,” White said. “You never know. I think he’s just upset right now, and I think he’s emotional, but who knows?” “I think once he goes home and realizes and calms downs – look, Nick Diaz is a fighter,” he said. “I don’t see Nick Diaz retiring, but who knows? This isn’t one of those sports where you want to be half in, half out. “If that’s how you feel, maybe you should retire.” Nick Diaz didn’t comment on it past his post-fight interview, but I’m sure Cesar Gracie will address it this week. — Carlos Condit’s comments on the fight and moving forward as the interim welterweight champion: “He was talking. I was landing punches,” Condit told UFC.com after his title-winning performance. “I think I was winning. No matter how much he talked, I was hitting hard and I was hitting him solid. That’s what I came here to do. I didn’t come here to talk.” “[This win] is huge. This is just another step toward my ultimate goal of being among the best mixed martial artists in the world,” said Condit. “I’ve got a lot of work to do and a lot more improvements to make. Georges is a true champion, and he’s the best in the world.” “I have the best fans in the world. I get so much support and respect from people all over the world who I don’t even know,” said Condit. “I want you guys to know how much it f—ing means to me. This isn’t always fun, and it’s not always easy, but hearing from fans and getting support from you guys gives me motivation.” — Roy Nelson didn’t win last night, but he showed once again just how darn tough he is. Even one of his biggest critics, Dana White, was impressed with how Big Country kept fighting after taking so much punishment. He’s not sure what’s next for Nelson, but he hopes Nelson will continue to take his training and diet more seriously. “I don’t know,” UFC president Dana White told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “We’ll see what happens. I mean the guy brings it. He comes to fight. I just – you wonder what he could do if he really, really trained and got into it.” “I’ve been telling Roy forever if Roy took himself serious – for instance, Roy had moments there,” White said. “He rocked Werdum once with a couple of shots. If he was in good enough shape to keep that kind of a pace, he would win more fights.” “I don’t know,” White said. “He’s tough though. He’s so tough. He’s one of the toughest guys I’ve ever seen.” Here’s a pic of that nasty cut Fabricio Werdum opened up over his eye if you don’t mind seeing a little forehead flesh. — Here’s some interesting news. Josh Koscheck revealed after the fight that he has split from AKA. “I’ll be training out of Fresno for now,” Koscheck told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “I’m no longer affiliated with some of the people at the gym that I’ve been training at.” “It was a tough camp,” Koscheck said. “This is my last camp there. I’m going to do my own thing.” So does that mean he and Jon Fitch will finally fight? Koscheck says “good luck with that.” “That’s what I whispered to him,” White told MMAjunkie.com. “I said, ‘Now I’m doing the Jon Fitch fight.’ That’s what I said to him. He said, ‘Good luck with that.’” Dana said he “wouldn’t do it just to do it,” but if the fight made sense he would push for it. I’m not sure how many people are really clamoring for that one though. — And last but not least, Dana White confirmed that Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen have verbally agreed to meet in June in Brazil and bout agreements should be finalized soon. It’s still unclear exactly where in Brazil the fight will happen. They wanted to do it at a soccer stadium in San Paulo, but apparently noise ordinances are making that difficult to book. Image via Esther Lin for MMA Fighting

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick, dana, condit

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Victory is sweet. Celebrating it with your wife even sweeter. Carlos Condit earned a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over Nick Diaz last night (Sat., Feb. 4, 2012) in the main event of UFC 143 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, and shortly after hit "Sin City" hard to bask in his glory. Even if there are still fans who don't agree with it. That didn't stop "The Natural Born Killer" from having a good time. The Georges St. Pierre vs. Nick Diaz party may have been spoiled but Condit is going to keep on keeping on. Check out a few more pics after the jump. For more on the Condit vs. Diaz fight click here, here and here.

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A lot of Nick Diaz fans are upset because of the result of his UFC 143 fight against Carlos Condit, me included. I don’t disagree with the judges’ scores; I am upset that Nick Diaz, the fighter I had pegged to win, let me down. Diaz was the aggressor in all 5 rounds but it [...]

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UFC 143 delivered an exciting line-up last night from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Headlining the stacked card was a highly anticipated Welterweight showdown between "The Stockton Bady Boy" Nick Diaz and "The Natural Born Killer" Carlos Condit, who went five-rounds for the interim title and a shot at reigning division champion Georges St. Pierre.

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The anticipation from hardcore MMA fans could not have been higher for the UFC 143 main event last night (February 4, 2012) between Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz with the interim UFC welterweight title on the line. Even more people were already getting hyped up for a super-fight between Nick Diaz and Georges St. Pierre. But someone forgot to tell Carlos Condit that he was supposed to lose. With both men's incredibly aggressive fighting styles, this fight was hyped up as one of the best of the year, and rightfully so. Unfortunately, the result wasn't nearly what many expected. So how did "The Natural Born Killer" frustrate Diaz and score a unanimous decision and claim UFC gold? More importantly, where do both elite welterweights go next? Follow me after the jump for our Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz UFC 143 post-fight review and analysis: There was a large outpouring of anger from many who thought Diaz won, but I'll explain why Condit was the rightful victor. Just follow along. Diaz has a reputation for being a slow starter and Condit took advantage, peppering the Stockton slugger's legs with repeated kicks while circling away from danger. While Diaz didn't throw many strikes in the first round, he kept a constant pressure on "The Natural Born Killer" by repeatedly channeling him towards the fence with terrific footwork. Condit, though, was not going to let himself be bullied, instead, quickly exploding away from being cornered and resetting again in the center of the cage. This was a cycle which would repeat itself time and time again throughout the fight. Diaz thrives on cornering opponents along the fence and then unleashing huge flurries of strikes to overwhelm his opponents, but Condit was having none of it. On top of escaping danger, he would make sure to sneak in a big punch to the body or a leg kick in on the exit to make sure he was staying active while retreating. Condit stuck to the gameplan in round two, although he began to mix in push kicks, front kicks, flying knees and spinning back fists/elbows. Diaz was not happy about this and began to taunt him, dropping his hands to his sides, even slapping the Greg Jackson-trained fighter in the face, but he couldn't get the Arizona native to deviate. At one point, Diaz finally cornered Condit along the fence, throwing combinations of strikes to the body, but instead of panicking, the former WEC welterweight champion grabbed Diaz behind the head, threw a knee and again circled away from danger. Rounds three and four were more of the same, except the big difference was Condit became much more fluid and comfortable near the end of the third. From that point on, not only was Condit clearly getting the better of the striking exchanges, he was starting to make infuriate the former Strikeforce standout. Diaz even began shooting in for takedowns, but wrestling is not his forte and he couldn't secure anything significant. In the final round, Condit was once again well on his way to clearly outstriking Diaz, but he made a mistake and allowed his back to be taken with a minute left in the fight. Diaz tried to secure a choke and then an armbar, but Condit defended well, forcing a scramble at the final horn. In the end, the judges awarded Carlos Condit a unanimous decision with scores of 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46. Here's why I think they made the correct call. Nick Diaz was never able to find a rhythm - Diaz is at his best when unloading a huge volume of punches at his opponent along the fence. He can sneak in the power strikes to both the head and body because he's overloading his opponent's ability to defend and it's a terrific strategy but Carlos Condit never let him do it. Every time Diaz finally trapped Condit along the fence, "The Natural Born Killer" would escape and reset in the center. Condit did not pull a Kalib Starnes - Yes, Carlos Condit was on his bicycle for much of the fight, circling away so much he gave the referee a huge workout but he was not running. While backing away, Condit would randomly explode forward with flying knees, punches, elbows and spinning back attacks as well as constantly throwing kicks both to the legs and body. Also, whenever he exploded away from danger when cornered along the fence, he almost always threw a huge punch to the body or a kick before doing so. Forward movement doesn't mean you win - We've seen this with elusive fighters like Lyoto Machida and he's praised for it, but just because Carlos Condit wasn't moving forwards, doesn't mean he didn't win those rounds. Sure Nick Diaz was constantly moving forward, but he was not outstriking Condit. Check out the Fightmetric report if you don't believe me. The only round Diaz landed more than Condit was the second, and even that was only by three more significant strikes. Condit never lost his composure - Despite Diaz's best efforts to talk trash, drop his hands, toy with him after the horn and even slap him in the face, Carlos Condit never deviated from his gameplan. He was instructed with a specific method for defeating Diaz and he kept at it despite the Stockton scrapper's best efforts to distract him and force him into a brawl, which is a fight Diaz would have had a much better shot at winning. Nick Diaz never had a sense of urgency - In the final round, Nick Diaz received some horrible advice from his corner, telling him that they thought he was up 3-1. I don't care how biased you are with him being your brother, you can't do that to a fighter and make him believe he's ahead that badly when the fight is that close. (I actually scored the first four rounds for Condit, although the second round could have gone either way). By giving Nick a false sense of security, he wasn't nearly as aggressive in spending his energy as he could have been. He had plenty left in the tank when it was over. If he had been more active in pursuing Condit, it would have exaggerated his opponent's backward movement to a degree where the judges may have actually given him a few more rounds. My final thought for those that are disappointed with the result is this. Stop being angry at Carlos Condit for not fighting the exact same way that the last 11 people have when they lost to Nick Diaz. If he had fought his normal style of crazy-aggressive forward action, Nick Diaz would have beat him. Plain and simple, he forced Nick Diaz to fight his fight instead, which was something that no one has done to Diaz in four years. He deserves some credit for that, not vilification. Okay, back to the fallout of the fights: For Nick Diaz, he truly only has himself to blame. He did not make adjustments to Condit's gameplan. He didn't pick up the pace despite clearly having plenty left in the tank at the end of the fight and he only checked about 10 percent of the leg kicks thrown his way, if that. Moving forward constantly doesn't automatically give you a win. Sure it looks better, but you have to land strikes too, and he didn't land nearly as many strikes as Condit did. Diaz said he was quitting MMA in his post-fight speech. We don't know if that's all bluster or raw emotion from disappointment right now. Hopefully he's not actually going to step away because he's still one of the best in the world. There are still several great fights for Nick Diaz which practically promise excitement. One possibility is the upcoming loser of Diego Sanchez vs. Jake Ellenberger. The other is the winner of Martin Kampmann vs. Thiago Alves and the last one could be a rematch with Carlos Condit depending on whether or not the fans demand it. For Carlos Condit, that was the picture perfect use of a gameplan to defeat a very tricky fighter. He never allowed Diaz to get into any sort of rhythm, he took advantage of a defensive liability and battered Diaz with leg kicks and eventually got comfortable enough to start mixing in combinations of his own. He earned this victory and no one should take it away from him simply because they wanted a Nick Diaz vs. Georges St. Pierre fight more or they wanted the fight to be more action-packed. Next up for Condit will most likely be Georges St. Pierre depending on whether or not the champ is recovering as quickly as we've heard. Another possibility could be the winner of Diego Sanchez vs. Jake Ellenberger for one defense of the interim title or, while it's a long shot, a rematch with Nick Diaz. It all depends on how Georges St. Pierre's recovery is going. Either way, there's plenty of opportunity for interesting fights in a suddenly very wide open division. So what did you think, Maniacs? Despite my best efforts to persuade you otherwise, do you still think Nick Diaz won last night? Will Diaz stay retired? How will Carlos Condit fare against Georges St. Pierre if he indeed faces the reigning champion next? Sound off! For complete UFC 143 results, including blow-by-blow, fight-by-fight coverage of the entire event as well as immediate post-fight reaction click here, here and here.

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UFC President Dana White discussed last night's UFC 143 in Las Vegas, Nevada, which was headlined by Carlos Condit's victory over Nick Diaz in the main event of the night. White spoke about possible upcoming bouts in the UFC, such as Nick Diaz vs. Josh Koscheck, and Nick Diaz's somewhat dramatic retirement announcement. White revealed he's unsure whether Diaz will actually retire from MMA, claiming that the money he made fighting Carlos Condit could be a deciding factor. Further Reading: Full UFC 143

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LAS VEGAS -- Watch below as Carlos Condit talks about his UFC 143 win over Nick Diaz, why he deserved to win, his performance and what's next for him.

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Carlos Condit did everything right in his victory over Nick Diaz, but that isn't stopping fans from complaining about how the fight unfolded.

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Video highlights of Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit at UFC 143 via ESPN.

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Leading up to UFC 143 many thought that Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit would be a striking battle with two of the most accomplished strikers in the Welterweight division just throwing down and going for it. Things didn’t exactly go that way, instead Carlos Condit used a perfect game plan to counter Nick Diaz’s style and take home the interim UFC Welterweight title after the five round battle. Questions after seeing Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit: -Did the UFC just see a lot of pay per view buys

Posted in: ufc, nick diaz, nick, carlos condit, carlo

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As time goes on, and I learn more about the sport, I always find that I appreciate what a chess match MMA is at the highest levels. It comes down to so much more than just brawling, but most MMA fans will never appreciate this. Nick Diaz is a nightmare of a fighter. GSP was wrong: Fitch was not the Terminator, Nick Diaz is. Nick Diaz has an iron chin, is not afraid to eat shots, constantly presses forward, and throws an enormous volume of punches straight down the pipe at his opponent's faces. He never gets tired and he never quits. Once he gets someone pinned against the cage, he's basically unbeatable. His little brother Nate used the exact same strategy against Cerrone, and made a multiple time Muay Thai champion look like an amateur striker. Nick pressed BJ Penn against the cage, and decisively outboxed one of MMA's greatest all time boxers. Not even Paul Daley, a man notorious for his punching power, could do enough damage to Nick to even slow him down. Condit knew this, and he refused to fail where his predecessors had. Much like a bullfighter dodges a bull, Carlos would not have any of Nick's 'bullying' strategy. He knew how to circle out and not get pinned against the cage. Make no mistake about it, Carlos was not afraid to trade strikes with Nick. The Fightmetric proves this. But everytime Nick started to get the upperhand, Carlos moved out of danger. He fought a perfect match. Carlos's movements were downright graceful, and well timed. Much like "Judo" translates to the "gentle way," Carlos refused to absorb the brunt of Nick's offense. He traded while he was winning, and immediately moved when Nick started landing. I don't think most people understand the amount of skill and discipline it takes for a fighter to be able to pull off a gameplan like this. Most fighters with Condit's resume would have fallen in love with their fists and tried to take Diaz's head off when the first taunts came. But again Condit would not have any of it. Condit trusted his striking enough to trade with Diaz on his own terms, but gracefully refused to play into Diaz's hand. Unfortunately, there is a rush of people complaining that Condit refused to actually 'fight' Diaz and that he kept running away. These people can't understand how masterfully Condit beat Diaz. It was perfect. He could not have been any more of a Kryptonite to Diaz's Superman. Condit had the brains to figure out the plan, the talent to execute the plan, the conditioning to see it through, and the discipline to stick to it. This, ladies and gentlemen, is true talent. It is marvellous. We just witnessed a great fight, and it is a shame and a blackeye for the sport as a whole that anyone would expect Condit to brawl with Diaz against the cage otherwise suffer being called a coward. Please, appreciate MMA for not only the violence, but also the athleticism, the talent, and the IQ it takes to not only win, but to win against the best of the best. TL;DR People shouldn't call Carlos a coward. They should appreciate how masterfully he beat Diaz. submitted by The_Demolition_Man [link] [13 comments]

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Nick Diaz is done, apparently.

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After five spectacular rounds of technical fighting, Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit awaited a judge's decision to determine who would become the UFC's newest welterweight champion...

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Carlos Condit won a five-round unanimous decision victory against Nick Diaz on Saturday at UFC 143, and after the fight an upset Diaz said he will leave the sport.

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I'm not going to accept the fact that this was a loss. I've lost fights before, where, uh, ya know, like, I'm not going to accept that either. That ain't right. I pushed him back the whole fight. I walked him down. I got the take down. I'm the guy who went out on top. Had I thought I wasn't ahead, I'd have chinned in and finished that arm lock. Hey Carlos is a great guy, I'm happy for him and his family. I think I'm done with this MMA. It's been great out here. I've had a good career.........But I don't think I'm going to get enough to keep going in this. It's been a good time. You know Cesar Gracie Jiu Jitsu. Good job Carlos, you're the man, bro. Well, well, well.....No, I'm not going to gloat or even say "I told you so". The hissy fit that Nick Diaz threw in the cage after he was defeated by Carlos Condit was downright embarrassing for himself, Cesar Gracie Jiu Jitsu, the UFC and Mixed Martial Arts. It was petulant. It was bratty. It was a complete justification of every single thing that every single critic has ever said about him. Carlos Condit followed an absolutely masterful gameplan to perfection. He did not get sucked in to a Nick Diaz fight. He made Nick Diaz fight his fight. Nick Diaz wanted to do what he does which is back his opponent into the cage and swarm them with punches. Condit exited perfectly every time Nick tried to back into the cage and he exited with strikes. It was an incredibly risky strategy given how much weight is put on the person who is moving forward in judging. Carlos outlanded Nick and that is something that cannot be disputed and the kicks are what sealed the deal for him. If you scored this fight for Nick Diaz, you probably also scored Chuck Liddell vs. Keith Jardine for "The Iceman". Plodding forward does not and should not win you a mixed martial arts fight. As for the tantrum..... If you want to complain about your pay, complain about the media, complain about the work you are required to do in your chosen vocation as a professional fighter then the least you can do is act like a professional fighter. You could have said you disagreed with the decision and vowed to come back stronger. You could have been a man but you acted like a child. I know this retirement will not stick. You will be back and we all know you will be back. Carlos Condit was not stupid enough to stand in front of you and eat bombs until the referee peels you off of them. You need to learn how to adjust on the fly. How many times did you think you could fight the same exact fight until someone caught on? You claimed to be the most well rounded fighter in MMA. That is a lie. A well rounded fighter can shift gears and tweak a gameplan. A well rounded fighter can adapt. You did none of that. You lost and you deserved to lose. I know you will be back, Nick. I want you to come back. You are a very exciting performer. I just hope you can return as a man. Good luck to you, Nick Diaz.

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submitted by 416fighter [link] [16 comments]

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submitted by deyterkyerjerb [link] [2 comments]

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Nick Diaz was up to his usual antics, but Carlos Condit didn't take the bait and won a unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 143.

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The last I saw of LayzieTheSavage, he sat next to me and said something along the lines of 'Man, [expletive] [expletive] [expletive] it's just [expletive].' As a community, I think we all need to collectively put him on suicide watch. I haven't seen him since the end of Diaz vs. Condit at UFC 143, but I do have his bottle of water that I will most likely drink if he doesn't return in the next few minutes. From my cageside seat at UFC 143, through my rose-colored glasses (manufactured in the 209), I had Nick Diaz winning the second, third and fifth round -- yielding a unanimous decision for the former Strikeforce welterweight champion. The judges for Diaz vs. Condit (Junichiro Kamijo, Patricia Morse Jarman and Cecil Peoples) scored the fight in favor of Carlos Condit. We're still waiting on the judges' score cards to come in, but when they do we'll publish them in this article. Some of you are still perplexed about Carlos Condit grabbing a unanimous decision win over Nick Diaz, so here's the FightMetric breakdown of the bout.   As far as Nick Diaz retiring, it's something that I've heard about for months now. However, I just didn't think it would happen tonight after UFC 143. In reality, Nick has always expressed a desire to compete in other sports that tests his endurance. It's a passion that the Stockton native has pursued since he was a kid. While this may be the end of Nick Diaz in MMA, it should not deter the fact that Nick brought a level of quirkiness (and excitement) to MMA that garnered the intrigue of MMA fans across the planet. Props to Carlos Condit on his unanimous decision win and I think it's safe to say that we're all looking forward to see Carlos Condit vs. Georges St. Pierre at some point in 2012 for the UFC welterweight strap.

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For fans of mixed martial arts, this past week has been a slow crawl of steadily rising anticipation for tonight's "Diaz vs. Condit" event, going down at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC 143 will feature a welterweight championship bout for an interim title created in the wake of Georges St. Pierre's knee injury. Former Strikeforce king Nick Diaz will duke it out with "The Natural Born Killer" Carlos Condit. In the co-main event of the evening, a slimmer Roy Nelson will test his skills against heavyweight Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Fabricio Werdum while Josh Koscheck and Mike Pierce will settle their differences in a 170-pound showcase. It's been a flurry of non-stop news, analysis, quotes, predictions and previews for the past week and it's certainly understandable if you missed out on a few stories. But don't worry, Maniacs, we've got you covered. In cased you missed any or all of it — or just want to keep the discussion alive — below are links to all the major storylines heading into tonight's broadcast. In we go: UFC 143: "Diaz vs. Condit" Fight card and line-up Results and live fight coverage UFC 143 predictions and previews: Predictions from the myth himself, Nostradumbass "Prelims" preview and predictions part one "Prelims" preview and predictions part two Fight preview: Ed Herman vs. Clifford Starks Fight preview: Renan Barao vs. Scott Jorgensen Fight preview: Josh Koscheck vs. Mike Pierce Fight preview: Roy Nelson vs. Fabricio Werdum Fight preview: Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit UFC 143 press conferences: Pre-fight press conference Press conference video Press conference staredown pics UFC 143 weigh-ins: Weigh-in results Weigh-in video Weigh-in staredown pics Weigh-in photos gallery UFC 143 news: How to watch the event How to watch the event in 3-D New UFC intro from Hans Zimmer debuts entitled 'Evolution' Event poster Open workouts photos gallery Latest odds and betting guide Complete statistical analysis of Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit Exclusive interview with Dave Camarillo Exclusive interview with Ed Herman Steve Mazzagatti and Cecil Peoples join the UFC 143 cast and crew UFC 143 editorials: History in the Making: Nick Diaz, the Strikeforce welterweight king History in the Making: Carlos Condit closes out the WEC welterweight division in thrilling fashion Ultimate Submissions: Roy Nelson and Fabricio Werdum showcase heavyweight jiu-jitsu A look back at Nick Diaz's top 5 craziest moments UFC on FOX 2 was a dude but Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit will save us Georges St. Pierre thinks Nick Diaz has mental issues Georges St. Pierre doesn't want a post-fight confrontation with Nick Diaz Georges St. Pierre questions the legitimacy of the interim belt Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit are fighting for Georges St. Pierre explains his hatred for 'crazy' Nick Diaz Georges St. Pierre is pulling for Nick Diaz to beat Carlos Condit Nick Diaz: GSP is a more respectable athlete, Carlos Condit is a more respectable martial artist Nick Diaz isn't crazy, everyone else is just out of their minds Everyone is focusing on Georges St. Pierre, not Carlos Condit, and that makes Nick Diaz sick Nick Diaz will wait to fight Georges St. Pierre if he beats Carlos Condit ... or bail to another weight class Nick Diaz vs. Georges St. Pierre could happen this summer Ronda Rousey: Georges St. Pierre needs to step aside and let Nick Diaz kick his ass Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz is going to be a five round war Carlos Condit: Nick Diaz is like the terminator but I have more weapons at my disposal Johny Hendricks is calling for the winner of Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit Fabricio Werdum will use speed to defeat 'fatty' Roy Nelson Josh Koscheck is eyeing fights against Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort after Mike Pierce Josh Koscheck hopes Georges St. Pierre never comes back Mike Pierce: Josh Koscheck is the Michael Bisping of the UFC welterweight division UFC 143 videos: Dana White video blog episode one Countdown to UFC 143 Primetime episode one Primetime episode two Primetime episode three Extended UFC 143 preview NFL stars make their predictions for 'Diaz vs. Condit' Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit fight video simulation Georges St. Pierre does media at UFC 143 Georges St. Pierre injury update Carlos Condit is impressed with Nick Diaz's toughness but expects to win Lock your car doors and don't make eye contact, here comes Nick Diaz Fabricio Werdum used Facebook and Twitter to get back into the UFC That, my friends, should be enough to keep you talking -- at least for the time being. What has been the biggest story heading into this event? Georges St. Pierre casting his giant shadow over the proceedings? Nick Diaz and all his usual eccentricities? Something else? Sound off, Maniacs.

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At UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit, Matt Brown (12-11; 5-5 UFC) squares off against Chris Cope (5-2; 1-1 UFC). This Welterweight fight is the second of four fights on the FX prelim card. Neither man in currently ranked in the USA Today/BE Consensus Rankings. The prelims air on FX starting at 8 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, with the PPV broadcast following at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Cope and Brown are an interesting pairing as there are strong similarities between both men's path into the UFC. Both came to the organization through The Ultimate Fighter. Both ended their stint on TUF looking decent but not spectacular, though having developed a distinct persona on the show - Brown was the tough Chuck Norris type, while Cope was the goof (the weigh-in picture sums up each man's image nicely). Those personas helped each stand out from the pack and stay somewhat relevant in the UFC. The big difference is, Brown has the serious experience edge - he's been down the path that Cope is just beginning. How do these two stack up? Brown: 31 years old | 6'0" | 76" reachCope: 28 years old | 6'1" | 73" reach What have these two done recently? Brown: L - Seth Baczynski (Sub) | W - John Howard (UD) | L - Brian Foster (Sub) Cope: L - Che Mills (TKO) | W - Chuck O'Neil (UD) | W - Ron Keslar (TKO) How did these two get here? Matt "The Immortal" Brown was part of season 7 of The Ultimate Fighter. Coming out of the show, he looked like a typical TUF veteran who would have a brief UFC career, but he turned heads in a tough losing effort against the at the time undefeated Dong Hyun Kim. He followed that performance up with 4 straight wins, giving him a 4-1 UFC record. Since then he has struggled, losing three straight before saving his job with an upset win over John Howard last year. He's since lost again, and could be fighting for his job here. Chris "C-Murder" Cope is largely known for his grin and his Ric Flair style "Woo!" A member of Team Lesnar last year, Cope started his UFC career with a win over fellow TUF fighter Chuck O'Neil. He looked good in that win, but then lost to Che Mills at UFC 138. The California fighter has experience in Strikeforce, but is still very new to MMA with only 7 pro fights to his credit. Like Brown, he's coming off a loss, and I could see him being cut with a loss as well, though he's probably not in as dire a situation as Brown. Why should you care? Possible loser leaves town match-up here. The last time Brown was in this situation, he delivered, and I expect he'll do so again. There's not a ton of relevance here, but it's a well matched fight. For a more in-depth look at Brown vs. Cope, check out Dallas Winston's fight dissection. You can catch more UFC 143 preview content from Bloody Elbow after the jump. SBN coverage of UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit UFC 143 Judo Chop: Fabricio Werdum Striking Analysis - Fraser Coffeen UFC 143 'Diaz Vs. Condit' Exclusive Weigh-Ins Photo Gallery - Matthew Roth Super Bowl XLVI Video: NFL Players Pick The Winners of UFC 143 - Matthew Roth UFC 143 Weigh-In Results: Carlos Condit 169, Nick Diaz 169 - Tim Burke UFC 143: Diaz Vs. Condit - Renan Barao Vs. Scott Jorgensen Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 143: Diaz Vs. Condit Staff Predictions - Tim Burke Frank Mir Thinks UFC 143's Fabricio Werdum Is Heavyweight's Best Grappler - Matthew Roth UFC 143 Weigh-In Video And Coverage - Tim Burke UFC 143 Video: Watch Full Countdown Show On Bloody Elbow - Josh Nason UFC 143 Judo Chop: Carlos Condit Lands A Flying Knee KO - Fraser Coffeen UFC 143: Dana White 'No One Knew GSP At One Time Either' - Matthew Roth UFC 143: Details Of The New PPV Opening Montage, RIP Gladiator Man - Matthew Roth UFC 143: Diaz Vs. Condit - Ed Herman Vs. Clifford Starks Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 143: Picking Knockout, Submission And Fight Of The Night Bonuses - Brent Brookhouse UFC 143 Judo Chop: The Striking And Grappling Technique Of Nick Diaz - Kid Nate UFC 143 Pre-Fight Press Conference Coverage And Video - Tim Burke UFC 143 Video: Josh Koscheck Hopes Georges St. Pierre 'Never Comes Back' From Knee Surgery - Kid Nate Bad Boy Presents Bloody Elbow Radio - Episode 131: UFC 143 Preview - Matt Bishop UFC 143 Video: Nick Diaz Not Happy With UFC Editing - Tim Burke UFC 143: A Look At The Ground Games of Fabricio Werdum and Roy Nelson - Ben Thapa UFC 143: Nick Diaz Details The Story Behind His Elite Level Conditioning - Anton Tabuena UFC 143: Diaz Vs. Condit Betting Lines - Tim Burke UFC 143 Video: Nick Diaz Talks Carlos Condit, Georges St. Pierre - Kid Nate UFC 143: Diaz Vs. Condit - FX Channel Preliminary Card Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 143: Nick Diaz Vs. Carlos Condit Defines 'Gameness' - Kid Nate UFC 143: Undefeated Stephen Thompson Hopes To Make Case For Karate In MMA - Kid Nate UFC 143: Diaz Vs. Condit - Facebook Preliminary Card Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 143: The Contradictory Marketing Of Nick Diaz And How The Reem May Not Be As Awesome As You Think - Ben Thapa

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After missing his UFC 143 fight against Luis Ramos due to a last-second illness, Matt Riddle (5-3, 5-3 UFC) returns to action against the debuting Henry Martinez (8-1), a recent injury replacement for Jorge Lopez. How do these two stack up? Riddle: 25 | 6'1" | 74" reachMartinez: 28 | 5'7" | 68" reach What have these two welterweights done recently? Riddle only fought once in 2011, a decision loss to Lance Benoist at a September Fight Night, and comes into Saturday on a two-fight losing streak. Martinez has won four in a row with two wins each by TKO and submission, competing as recently as a few weeks ago. What else should I know? Riddle is one of the unique few that has spent his entire career in the UFC, making his debut in June 2008 after a run on the seventh season of The Ultimate Fighter. He has power but gone the distance in five of his eight career fights. Martinez is a product of Greg Jackson's camp and has finished in six of his eight victories with his only loss to Bellator veteran Wilson Reis. One thing that might work into Riddle's favor is a six inch height and reach advantage. How can I watch? FX at 8 pm EST You can catch more UFC 143 preview content from Bloody Elbow after the jump. SBN coverage of UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit UFC 143 Judo Chop: Fabricio Werdum Striking Analysis - Fraser Coffeen UFC 143 'Diaz Vs. Condit' Exclusive Weigh-Ins Photo Gallery - Matthew Roth Super Bowl XLVI Video: NFL Players Pick The Winners of UFC 143 - Matthew Roth UFC 143 Weigh-In Results: Carlos Condit 169, Nick Diaz 169 - Tim Burke UFC 143: Diaz Vs. Condit - Renan Barao Vs. Scott Jorgensen Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 143: Diaz Vs. Condit Staff Predictions - Tim Burke Frank Mir Thinks UFC 143's Fabricio Werdum Is Heavyweight's Best Grappler - Matthew Roth UFC 143 Weigh-In Video And Coverage - Tim Burke UFC 143 Video: Watch Full Countdown Show On Bloody Elbow - Josh Nason UFC 143 Judo Chop: Carlos Condit Lands A Flying Knee KO - Fraser Coffeen UFC 143: Dana White 'No One Knew GSP At One Time Either' - Matthew Roth UFC 143: Details Of The New PPV Opening Montage, RIP Gladiator Man - Matthew Roth UFC 143: Diaz Vs. Condit - Ed Herman Vs. Clifford Starks Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 143: Picking Knockout, Submission And Fight Of The Night Bonuses - Brent Brookhouse UFC 143 Judo Chop: The Striking And Grappling Technique Of Nick Diaz - Kid Nate UFC 143 Pre-Fight Press Conference Coverage And Video - Tim Burke UFC 143 Video: Josh Koscheck Hopes Georges St. Pierre 'Never Comes Back' From Knee Surgery - Kid Nate Bad Boy Presents Bloody Elbow Radio - Episode 131: UFC 143 Preview - Matt Bishop UFC 143 Video: Nick Diaz Not Happy With UFC Editing - Tim Burke UFC 143: A Look At The Ground Games of Fabricio Werdum and Roy Nelson - Ben Thapa UFC 143: Nick Diaz Details The Story Behind His Elite Level Conditioning - Anton Tabuena UFC 143: Diaz Vs. Condit Betting Lines - Tim Burke UFC 143 Video: Nick Diaz Talks Carlos Condit, Georges St. Pierre - Kid Nate UFC 143: Diaz Vs. Condit - FX Channel Preliminary Card Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 143: Nick Diaz Vs. Carlos Condit Defines 'Gameness' - Kid Nate UFC 143: Undefeated Stephen Thompson Hopes To Make Case For Karate In MMA - Kid Nate UFC 143: Diaz Vs. Condit - Facebook Preliminary Card Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 143: The Contradictory Marketing Of Nick Diaz And How The Reem May Not Be As Awesome As You Think - Ben Thapa

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The UFC introduces another new fighter into the fray as young middleweight prospect Michael Kuiper (11-0) makes his Octagon debut at UFC 143 against veteran Rafael Natal (13-3-1, 1-1-1 UFC) in the evening's second bout. While not a sexy fight, there are some elements that could make this quite entertaining. How do these two stack up? Natal: 29 years old | 77" reach | 6'0" Kuiper: 22 years old | 6'0" What have these two done recently? Natal has won four of his last five, defeating Paul Bradley by unanimous decision at last August's UFC 133. The Netherlands-born Kuiper will make his U.S. debut after running up a perfect record fighting in the Netherlands and throughout Europe. He last competed nearly nine months ago, knocking out Morris Cilfoni in the first round. What else should you know? Natal has been around the MMA block with 17 pro fights in various organizations, but hasn't made an impact in the UFC with three largely forgettable performances. Before signing with the UFC, he had finished opponents in five straight victories. Kuiper is an interesting sign by the UFC as he's just 22 years old and has finished 10 of his 11 opponents. He's also a black belt in judo and has shown he can submit opponents as easily as he can knock them out. Natal may have an advantage if the fight goes the distance as Kuiper has just one career decision with six fights never getting out of the first round. Why should you care? By name value alone, this fight isn't exciting anyone, but if Natal takes some risks in going for finishes and Kuiper continues to display the skill set he's used thus far in his near three-year career, this could be a lot more entertaining than most expect. How can I watch? Facebook at approximately 7:30 PM EST You can catch more UFC 143 preview content from Bloody Elbow after the jump. SBN coverage of UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit UFC 143 Judo Chop: Fabricio Werdum Striking Analysis - Fraser Coffeen UFC 143 'Diaz Vs. Condit' Exclusive Weigh-Ins Photo Gallery - Matthew Roth Super Bowl XLVI Video: NFL Players Pick The Winners of UFC 143 - Matthew Roth UFC 143 Weigh-In Results: Carlos Condit 169, Nick Diaz 169 - Tim Burke UFC 143: Diaz Vs. Condit - Renan Barao Vs. Scott Jorgensen Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 143: Diaz Vs. Condit Staff Predictions - Tim Burke Frank Mir Thinks UFC 143's Fabricio Werdum Is Heavyweight's Best Grappler - Matthew Roth UFC 143 Weigh-In Video And Coverage - Tim Burke UFC 143 Video: Watch Full Countdown Show On Bloody Elbow - Josh Nason UFC 143 Judo Chop: Carlos Condit Lands A Flying Knee KO - Fraser Coffeen UFC 143: Dana White 'No One Knew GSP At One Time Either' - Matthew Roth UFC 143: Details Of The New PPV Opening Montage, RIP Gladiator Man - Matthew Roth UFC 143: Diaz Vs. Condit - Ed Herman Vs. Clifford Starks Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 143: Picking Knockout, Submission And Fight Of The Night Bonuses - Brent Brookhouse UFC 143 Judo Chop: The Striking And Grappling Technique Of Nick Diaz - Kid Nate UFC 143 Pre-Fight Press Conference Coverage And Video - Tim Burke UFC 143 Video: Josh Koscheck Hopes Georges St. Pierre 'Never Comes Back' From Knee Surgery - Kid Nate Bad Boy Presents Bloody Elbow Radio - Episode 131: UFC 143 Preview - Matt Bishop UFC 143 Video: Nick Diaz Not Happy With UFC Editing - Tim Burke UFC 143: A Look At The Ground Games of Fabricio Werdum and Roy Nelson - Ben Thapa UFC 143: Nick Diaz Details The Story Behind His Elite Level Conditioning - Anton Tabuena UFC 143: Diaz Vs. Condit Betting Lines - Tim Burke UFC 143 Video: Nick Diaz Talks Carlos Condit, Georges St. Pierre - Kid Nate UFC 143: Diaz Vs. Condit - FX Channel Preliminary Card Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 143: Nick Diaz Vs. Carlos Condit Defines 'Gameness' - Kid Nate UFC 143: Undefeated Stephen Thompson Hopes To Make Case For Karate In MMA - Kid Nate UFC 143: Diaz Vs. Condit - Facebook Preliminary Card Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 143: The Contradictory Marketing Of Nick Diaz And How The Reem May Not Be As Awesome As You Think - Ben Thapa

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The main attraction of UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit is a scintillating match up for the interim welterweight championship that pits Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit. The magnetic appeal of this surefire dogfight stems from its unusual brew. Excitement for a show is aroused when the centerpiece fighters bear just one of the elements that fight fans historically adore. Diaz and Condit do not merely exude a multitude of these electrifying traits, they embody them to the very core: stone-cold gameness, endless aggression, constant forward motion and fearlessly embracing precarious situations with absolutely no concept of the word "caution." The icing on the cake is that Condit and Diaz both follow the most respectable and innovative philosophy on "defense" that mankind could ever imagine, which is offense, and a lot of it. If that doesn't work? More offense. The result is nothing short of unquenchable blood-lust that inevitably unfolds as mass carnage ... all for our viewing pleasure. Such are the ingredients boiling in this cauldron. Nick Diaz (26-7) probably doesn't like you. He doesn't like the media or doing interviews either. He definitely doesn't like anyone who is audacious enough to sign a contract to fight him, which is the equivalent in his eyes of insulting everything he deems righteous and just in the world. In fact, there's only one thing I know for a fact that Nick Diaz genuinely likes, and that's fighting. He greets sportsmanlike handshakes with defiant middle fingers. If his opponent is within eye-shot, you can bet the meanest mug in MMA is trained directly on him, lip curled in a feral sneer and eyes radiating a maniacal and menacing glare that wordlessly conveys the taunt, "I can't wait to beat your ass." He might not say it aloud -- but you can still hear it. Repping one of the most volatile arsenals in the sport, Diaz is one-half technical auteur and one-half brawling street thug. The base brutality of his incessant boxing stands in stark contrast to the elegant grace and fluidity of his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Since losing to K.J. Noons by cut stoppage back in 2007, Diaz has pieced together an eleven-fight roll and shows no intentions of stopping. More UFC 143 Dissections Barao vs. Jorgensen | Herman vs. Starks | FX Prelims | Facebook Prelims Carlos Condit (27-5) is more of a silent killer. Rather than vocalizing his desire to render people unconscious or twist their limbs into confusing angles that even math professors can't comprehend, Condit just beams a chilling and unsettling aura of steely conviction. The kind that makes you scan the room nervously for the nearest exits or clutch your cell phone dearly with the numbers 9-1-1 already dialed in, just in case. The Greg Jackson trained Muay Thai artist was the longstanding welterweight champion in the WEC before the higher weight classes were folded into the UFC. His split-decision defeat to Martin Kampmann in his Octagon debut was Condit's first loss since 2008 and snapped an eight-fight streak. He responded with four-straight wins, one of which was over top contender Jake Ellenberger, and racked up a "Fight of the Night" bonus in his next and "Knockout of the Night" honors in the two that followed. You know the score -- we'll reconvene with gifs and analysis after the break. SBN coverage of UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit Striking in MMA is becoming more complex than ever. We're seeing an armada of flashy and atypical kicks from traditional martial arts, Nick Denis just treated us to the first one-shot standing elbow KO in the UFC since Bobby Hoffman circa 2001, Muay Thai fighters are purported to have eight limbs, Jon Jones is coming out of his corner crawling like a spider; all hell is breaking loose. That makes it quite extraordinary that Diaz, a pugilist of the sweet science, is still one of the most dynamic strikers in MMA. It should be so easy to write off this volume-based style as destined for failure. No defense. No power. Chin's wide open. Diaz has been burdened with that criticism for years yet he continues to defy logic through success. Half of his wins are by TKO and he's never been knocked out cold. He eats power punches like they're potato chips. The effective aspect of his boxing is that he's become a master of disrupting his opponent's rhythm by blaring his own louder, as he excels at taking over as the fight wears on. To the right is his rare gogoplata that Diaz used to ensnare Takanori Gomi, testifying to the creative malice of his serpentine guard skills. He's a complete package on the mat and excellent with scrambles, sweeps, defense, controlling posture, creating opportunities and snagging submissions. The only area he doesn't specifically excel is wrestling, but he has slick Judo that provides adequate takedowns and takedown defense. Regardless, his lack of wrestling prowess is mirrored in Condit, so this match up will consist of pure offensive firepower colliding head on. Condit oozes Muay Thai. His stance, clinch and collection of strikes all smack of the art. As opposed to Diaz's constant stream of offense, Condit is more judicious in his selection but makes 'em count. He's prevalent from a distance, preferring to gather himself and spring in with volleys from the perimeter. He employs the teep and front kick like a jab and often follows immediately behind it, such as the flying knee to the left. He's comfortable in either stance and switches back and forth freely. His left hook is strong and he complements it nicely with straight punches, commonly leading with a crisp one-two from the traditional stance. Low kicks are popularly asserted as a keen tool against Diaz based on the frequency of those thrown by Evangelista Santos. Condit has attacked the leg with roundhouses in the past but mostly as an auxiliary weapon. Considering the way Diaz closes range in a hurry with the willingness to take one in order to give one, kicks lend a risk as well. This clever sweep is reminiscent of Diaz and just one of many reasons why these fighters are so eerily similar and evenly matched. The clash of styles also draws many comparisons to Nate Diaz, Nick's younger brother, and his recent brawl with Donald Cerrone. Nate and Nick are nearly carbon copies of one another, and both Cerrone and Condit are Greg Jackson students who are long and lanky Muay Thai specialists with stellar BJJ and downright scrappers. And when this fight plays out in my head, it goes a lot like Nate's fight with Cerrone. The overall level of competition in the UFC is far better than Strikeforce, yet Diaz has tackled a pretty stout list of strikers there and throughout his career. Based on those performances, it's hard to see Condit out-gunning him in a straight shootout. In fact, even though it doesn't reflect how closely matched these two are, I don't see too many ways for Condit to win. A decision would require both matching and exceeding Diaz's obscene output or timing takedowns for an edge on the score cards. I don't see either submitting the other unless it's when pouncing after a damaging strike. I'm in agreement with the betting lines that have Diaz as a narrow favorite and expect him to overwhelm Condit on the feet after an even first round. My Prediction: Nick Diaz by decision. All gifs via Grappo and Zombie Prophet of IronForgesIron.com Poll Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit Diaz Condit   15 votes | Results

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Growing up, I was a huge fan of Guns N' Roses, and, in particular, its frontman Axl Rose. He was a rock star in every sense of the word. Sure, the label was easy to slap on since he was in one of the biggest bands on the planet, but he also had beautiful models on one arm, a bottle of whiskey in the other hand and he always did and said whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. I mean, the guy's actions -- or inaction in the case of Montreal -- started two city-wide riots during GNR's heyday. There's something so appealing about someone who simply doesn't care what others think of them. Someone who is not preoccupied with how what they're doing will make them look to others, but are just more concerned with actually doing it. It's the same reason Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight contender Nick Diaz has become such a polarizing figure. Those who cheer on the Stockton, Calif., native really cheer him on, while those who hate him won't mince words about how they truly feel about UFC 143's main eventer. Tonight (Feb. 4, 2012) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, he steps inside the Octagon against Carlos Condit to decide an interim welterweight champion. It promises to be a war, the kind of fight where Diaz excels. But, he's not just a whirlwind of aggression inside the cage -- he's one outside of it, too. A quick rundown of Diaz's craziest extracurricular activities follows after the jump. 5. "Please excuse Nick Diaz from fighting as he has been very high." In August 2009, Diaz was set to take on Joe Riggs in a rematch of their controversial (more on that later) UFC 57 bout. Riggs pulled out and Jay Hieron stepped in to challenge Diaz for the vacant welterweight title. The fight never happened because Diaz skipped a pre-fight drug test. Reason being, Diaz is a card-carrying medicinal marijuana user in California and a handshake agreement with the former head of the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) kept the Stockton fighter from having to take random piss tests. When new management at the CSAC took over, it attempted to get Diaz in before his fight with Hieron. Since Diaz wasn't expecting the test, it can be assumed his urine would have been more smoke than liquid at that point. His manager and trainer Cesar Gracie explained it pretty well, saying they'd rather skip the test and pull out of the fight than assuredly getting popped for THC and being handed a possible one-year suspension. What's craziest is this isn't even the first time pot has played a significant role in Diaz's career. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. 4. Screw fighting during the time limits! Axl Rose helped start two riots; Nick Diaz helped start two post-fight brawls. The most famous of which was of course the infamous "Nashville Brawl" involving Jason Miller and Cesar Gracie teammate Jake Shields. The "Bully Beatdown" host crashed the post-fight proceedings and asked Shields for a rematch, an action which Diaz, younger brother Nate and Gilbert Melendez didn't take too kindly to. The ensuing scuffle put a black eye on the sport or whatever, I'm told. But even before that, an incident at Elite XC's "Return of the King" event took place hundreds of miles away in Hawaii. K.J. Noons had just defended his lightweight title -- which he had won by beating Diaz via doctor stoppage months prior -- and EliteXC officials wanted the Stockton bad boy to step inside the cage for a faceoff to promote a rematch. The two did their thing and all was going to plan until Noons' proud papa -- drunk according to Diaz -- decide to 'bow up to Dem Diaz Boys. Nate tossed a water bottle at the elder Noons and a fracas broke out. Is there anywhere Nick Diaz wouldn't fight? 3. Heck, screw fighting inside a cage! The answer is no. Following the aforementioned fight with Riggs -- a losing effort for Diaz -- the two were taken to a local hospital to tend to their respective wounds. It seemed Diaz wasn't content with three rounds worth of action and was itching for a little bit more. He continued to trash talk his opponent until eventually hitting Riggs with what "Diesel" referred to as a "sucker punch." The two immediately began to brawl -- with Riggs even ... ahem, soiling himself -- before the fight was broken up. Fighting in a hospital? That's pretty thug, I have to admit. 2. UFC title shot? Only if you show up for a "beauty pageant" When it was announced Diaz would challenge Georges St. Pierre at UFC 137, it was due in part to the fact Diaz had only lost one fight in the previous five years and was the reigning Strikeforce welterweight champ. Add in St. Pierre's sometimes robotic and milquetoast fight promotion -- "Dis is my toughest challenge, I respect 'im very much" -- and a powder keg like Diaz was exactly what the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) needed in a weight class that was rapidly becoming stagnant. The thing about gunpowder -- or someone like Diaz -- is it's sometime too volatile to handle. And when the challenger skipped out on a handful of flights and missed two press conferences, Dana White learned that lesson the hard way. Diaz wasn't seen as a worthy challenger for the welterweight strap by some and they felt it was his outlandish behavior that earned him the title shot. If that's true, the same behavior cost him the bout as well. He was pulled from the main event and replaced with Carlos Condit and in typical 209 fashion, posted a YouTube video -- shot from his car as he battled northern California traffic -- decrying the decision and sarcastically apologizing for "being a fighter" and not showing up for the "beauty pageant." He was immediately booked against Condit's old opponent, B.J. Penn, and fate intervened when "Rush" bowed out, making Diaz's new fight the main event for UFC 137. 1. The biggest win of his career ... up in smoke Pardon the silly pun but it very well could be the most accurate way to describe the situation. After Diaz willingly walked away from the UFC in late 2006, he was hired on by Pride Fighting Championships (Pride) to take on their lightweight champion Takanori Gomi in a non-title bout during their first venture in the United States. Diaz had never fought at 161-pounds before but the match-ups in Pride were sometimes less about sport and more about spectacle. The fight itself was remarkable. The Stockton native weathered Gomi's storm -- suffering a broken orbital bone in the process -- and won the fight in the second round via the statistically improbable gogoplata submission. Six weeks later, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) announced Diaz had tested positive for an obscene level of THC and the result of the bout would have to be changed. Their rationale was wonky at best: Diaz was so high he was numb to the pain inflicted on him by his Japanese opponent. The NSAC overturned the win and it now sits on his official record as a "No Contest." But we all know better. Will Diaz provide a moment on Saturday we can add to this list? His detractors certainly hope not. His proponents on the other hand would love nothing more.

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Say what you will about Nick Diaz, but few people know the brash welterweight very well, but is the UFC Primetime series helping him turn a corner with how people understand him?

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A veteran of 32 bouts, UFC welterweight Carlos Condit has faced some of the sport’s toughest draws such as Rory MacDonald, Dan Hardy, Jake Ellenberger, Dong Hyun Kim, and Jake Shields. However, “The Natural Born Killer” knows the man he’ll be standing across from in the Octagon tonight – Nick Diaz – is unlike any opponent he’s met thus far along his professional path. Diaz will enter the cage on an eleven-fight winning streak including a recent beatdown of B.J. Penn. The 28-year old has also only been legitimately stopped a single time in more than thirty fights, suffering a TKO in 2002 after having fought twice earlier in the evening as part of a tournament. Condit acknowledged the challenge Diaz presents in a recent interview with the UFC’s website, saying he was up to the task and eager to see how things will unfold in the ring during their UFC 143 headliner. “I think that styles make fights, and I think that this style match-up is going to be extremely exciting,” said an animated Condit. “It’s a very tough fight; Nick’s one of the best in the welterweight division. I think there are some guys stylistically that could probably beat him, but I think the matchup between us — we’re very evenly matched. We have similar skill sets, maybe a little bit different approach — different style — but it’s exciting.” As far as how much he respects Diaz’s talents, the 27-5 Condit put him at the top of a long and talent-laden list. “Nick is probably the toughest guy I’ve ever fought,” explained Condit. “He’s an endurance athlete — he puts tons and tons of pressure on guys — and he’s got some really good skills with his hands; his jiu-jitsu’s great. But I just really need to fight my fight. If I do that, I feel like I’m going to walk away with the belt.” Catch their main event melee on PPV starting at 10:00 PM EST with prelims on FX/Facebook starting at 7:00 PM EST. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

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submitted by primateawesome [link] [3 comments]

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well just spent some time on google simply typing in 'nick diaz vs other guy full fight' and now my history is full of his last 9 fights leading up to tomorrow.. I'd do one for condit but i'm at a [6] and had a bit to drink, but heres nick diaz last 9 fights.. im sure at least one person here wouldn't mind watching one or even all of these.. so starting off Diaz vs Thomas Denny, EliteXC Diaz vs Frank Shamrock, strikeforce (watch this shit if you haven't before) Diaz vs Scott Smith Diaz v Zaromskis Diaz vs Sakurai, dream Diaz vs Noons 2 (lost first fight cus eyebrow cuts diaz vs cyborg Diaz vs Paul Daley Diaz vs BJ Penn submitted by smokebudsmoke [link] [5 comments]

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Full video of the UFC 143 weigh-ins featuring Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit.

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Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit each weighed in at 169 pounds for their main event interim welterweight title fight at UFC 143.

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Weights from San Antonio The full UFC 143 weigh-in results include: Main Card: Carlos Condit (169) vs. Nick Diaz (169) Roy Nelson (246) vs. Fabricio Werdum (246) Josh Koscheck (170) vs. Mike Pierce (170) Renan Barao (135) vs. Scott Jorgensen (135) Ed Herman (185) vs. Clifford Starks (185) Max Holloway (144) vs. Dustin Poirier (146) [...]

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Two former welterweight champions will meet in one of the most eagerly-awaited interim title fights ever tomorrow night (February 4, 2012) as former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz meets former WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit in the main event of UFC 143 in Las Vegas. Nick Diaz is an anti-hero, winning over fans by not even trying to win over fans simply because of his incredibly entertaining fighting style and due to the fact that he stands out from the crowd with his attitude. His big win streak outside the UFC was validated by his thrashing of former champion B.J. Penn last fall and now he's got a shot at interim UFC gold. Carlos Condit has long been one of the most exciting welterweights on the planet. He's truly come into his own recently with consecutive first round knockouts over Dan Hardy and Dong Hyun Kim. "The Natural Born Killer" is a bonus machine and after having two title shots delayed, he's looking to take out his frustration on Nick Diaz tomorrow night. Will Nick Diaz continue his incredible run to UFC superstardom with another emphatic victory? Can Carlos Condit prove the doubters wrong and spoil the dream fight between Diaz and Georges St. Pierre? How does each riveting 170 pounder win tomorrow night? Let's find out: Nick Diaz Record: 26-7 (1 No Contest) overall, 7-4 in the UFC Key Wins: B.J. Penn (UFC 137), Paul Daley (Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley), Frank Shamrock (Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz) Key Losses: Sean Sherk (UFC 59), Diego Sanchez (Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale), Karo Parisyan (UFC 49) How he got here: Nick Diaz has been fighting tough challengers since he was 17 years old. He battled Chris Lytle to a unanimous decision victory in just his second professional bout. Diaz was the inaugural WEC welterweight champion and burst onto the scene in the UFC when he knocked out Robbie Lawler, a fighter the promotion had been grooming to be a potential future champion. Diaz had a 6-4 run in the UFC, but could never quite get over the hump. He left the promotion in early 2007 and defeated Takanori Gomi via gogoplata in one of the most exciting bouts in MMA history although the result was overturned with a positive test for marijauna. Diaz would lose a match to K.J. Noons for the EliteXC lightweight title before heading to Strikeforce and winning the inaugural welterweight championship there. Diaz is was the midst of a 10 fight winning streak that included victories against the likes of Paul Daley, Evangelista Santos, Hatato Sakurai as well as avenging his loss to Noons. When he made his UFC return last fall, he earned his much-deserved validation with a victory against B.J. Penn. Not only did he beat the former multi-divisional champion, he put a horrific beating on him. He'll get a shot at interim UFC gold tomorrow night. How he gets it done: Nick Diaz has got a crazy offensive attack in his striking that consists of pure volume strikes, mixing in so many blows that the opponent gets confused and doesn't see the heavy shots coming. Diaz also likes to talk trash, leave his arms up, get his opponent flustered. It's all a giant mind game for him. If he can get Condit angry, perhaps draw him into a brawl, that's the type of fight he loves and that's the type of fight he can win. If Condit loses his composure in the fight, he could make a mistake that the Stockton slugger could capitalize on. The Cesar Gracie trained fighter has a style reliant on constant pressure and using heavy offense as his best form of defense. He's one of the few fighters who can push an incredibly intense pace for up to five rounds and never get tired, especially at welterweight. He can win this fight if he keeps Carlos Condit on the defensive for up to five straight rounds and never relents. Body shots will also be very important. Diaz throws strikes with precision whether they're jabs, crosses or big uppercuts and hooks to the body. Those blows suck the life out of opponents and if he can land enough of them on Condit, he can slow him down and then really open him up in the later rounds. Carlos Condit Record: 27-5 overall, 4-1 in the UFC Key Wins: Dong Hyun Kim (UFC 132), Jake Ellenberger (UFC Fight Night 19), Rory MacDonald (UFC 115) Key Losses: Martin Kampmann (UFC Fight Night 18), Jake Shields (Rumble on the Rock 9) How he got here: Carlos Condit is one of the most exciting fighters on the planet. He first came to fame in the WEC where he fought for and won Mike Pyle's vacant welterweight title in just his second fight with the promotion. Condit would defend his WEC welterweight title three times before the UFC would merge all fighters above lightweight into its promotion. In his first fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Condit had an absolute barnburner with Martin Kampmann in a fight that was extremely close with both men displaying incredible scrambles and exciting striking. Kampmann would walk away with a split decision victory. In Condit's next fight, he would again have another Fight of the Year candidate against Jake Ellenberger. "The Natural Born Killer" survived being rocked multiple times to outgrapple and outwork Ellenberger and come away with a razor thin split decision victory. The Greg Jackson-trained fighter was at it again in his next fight, getting dominated by Rory MacDonald in the first two rounds before turning it on and overwhelming the fading "Waterboy," scoring an insane TKO victory with just seven seconds remaining in the contest. Most recently, Condit would showcase his striking, knocking out out the brash former title challenger Dan Hardy in the first round as both men traded big lead hooks. After a fight with Chris Lytle fell through due to an injury, the former WEC champ ran through the previously undefeated Dong Hyun Kim with a ferocious flying knee and follow-up punches on the ground. After multiple delays and opponent switches, he'll be battling Diaz for the interim UFC welterweight title. How he gets it done: While both men are very competent with submissions and sweeps on the ground, I'm almost certain that this fight is held in the stand-up realm. I feel that while Nick Diaz has better punching technique, Condit has more one-strike power. He put Dan Hardy's lights out with one punch at UFC 120 and he's got the explosive power to take out someone like Dong Hyun Kim with a flying knee last summer. The key for Condit is to actually have room to breathe and throw those types of strikes. He'll need to use his footwork to avoid letting Diaz corner him and unleash his patented barrage of high volume strikes. Expect to see Condit keep his distance early, and throw a large volume of kicks. If there's any striking weakness for either of the Diaz brothers, it's been leg kicks. Donald Cerrone took out Nate Diaz's legs repeatedly with kicks and Evangelista Santos teed off on Nick Diaz last year in his title fight with heavy kicks. Condit needs to go to work on the Stockton native's legs early and often to slow him down. If Diaz gets hobbled, Condit will smell blood like a shark and pounce. Nick Diaz does not have the best striking defense, making up for it with tremendous offense so if he gets slowed down and can't utilize good footwork, it could be "The Natural Born Killer's time to shine. Fight X-Factor: There are two major X-Factors for this fight. The first is Nick Diaz's trash talk. Normally, a fighter's talk doesn't get into the heads of his opponent, but Nick Diaz practically forces his foes to brawl with him by talking smack, taunting, leaving his hands at his sides and completely frustrating his opponents. He's going to be doing everything he can in the Octagon to fluster Condit and take him off his game and get him to deviate from his plan of attack. If he can do it, he'll give himself a significant edge in the fight. The other X-Factor for this bout is Nick Diaz's slow starts. It often takes him some time to warm up in a fight and he tends to get hit hard early. Don't forget that he actually lost the first round of his fight with Penn as well as his first round with Evangelista Santos last year before turning it on. If there's ever a moment of vulnerability for the Stockton scrapper, it's his slow first round and you better believe that Carlos Condit is preparing for that. If he can catch Diaz before he truly wakes up for the fight, he could ruin a ton of parlays with a stunning first round stoppage. Bottom Line: This is usually the part in the preview where I try to convince you that a fight is going to be exciting when you think it might not be, but that's not the case here. Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit is a dream fight. When Strikeforce was purchased by Zuffa, this was the one fight I wanted to see most of all. Both Diaz and Condit have this extra "oomph" to their fighting style where they're not afraid to take risks to benefit from big rewards. Quick, name me a Carlos Condit or Nick Diaz fight in the last 4 years that wasn't amazing. That's a trick question because neither guy knows what it's like to have a boring fight. Expect constant aggression from both men, big risks taken and huge rewards for the fans watching live and around the world. Something amazing is likely going to happen not just every round, but potentially every minute. I'd try to picture a way a fight could be boring to temper expectations, but that's impossible with two fighters like this finally meeting. I will eat my hat if this fight is boring. Expect greatness, expect one of the best fights of 2012, guaranteed. Who will come out on top at UFC 143? Tell us your predictions in the comments below! Poll Who will be crowned the interim UFC welterweight champion when it is all said and done tomorrow night? Nick Diaz Carlos Condit   1 votes | Results

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A lot of good stories on Nick Diaz have been written in the lead up to UFC 143, making it difficult to find an angle that hasn't been discussed. We've heard about his fitness regimen and the effects it has on his mental game. We've heard about the incredible ability of Diaz and his opponent Carlos Condit to pursue the fight despite the physical consequences. As far as his outside the cage exploits, we've had reaction to the UFC Primetime series featuring Diaz and Condit, both in the negative, in the positive (see the comments section of the aforementioned post) and in question form, (has Nick gotten to GSP?). Something I haven't seen covered is the noticable lack of fire coming out of Nick Diaz towards Condit, at least as of yesterday evening. It is the second consecutive fight that Diaz has been respectful to his opponent in the lead up; against BJ Penn he said or did nothing that could be construed as disrespectful, instead leaving it to Penn to restore the natural order of a Diaz fight by instigating a tense staredown at the weigh-ins. You see, since starting up with Strikeforce, when Nick Diaz fights a big name, the fights have followed a pretty strict pattern: 1. The fight is annouced. Diaz insinuates that he's better than his scheduled opponent and should be fighting someone better, perhaps GSP or Anderson Silva.2. Opponent responds by saying that Nick is disrespectful, not as good as he thinks he is and they are going to prove it in the fight.3. The verbal jousting continues through fight week and comes to a head during the weigh-ins. Middle fingers or perhaps physical contact between the fighters sets the tone for the start of the fight.4. Diaz's opponent charges out of the gate, looking to make him pay for his ridiculous antics.5. Diaz eats whatever punches he has to and moves forward, eventually forcing his opponent's back onto the cage6. Diaz forces his opponent to cover up and unleashes flurry after flurry on them, alternating beautifully between the body and the head.7. The opponent begins to wilt, while Diaz seems to get stronger.8. Overwhelmed and gassed, the opponent succumbs to the onslaught, or does just enough to make it to the judges scorecards, where they lose by decision. More on Nick's newer, calmer, fight week demeanor after the jump We saw this exact pattern when Nick fought against Frank Shamrock, KJ Noons, Paul Daley and BJ Penn. It happened to a smaller degree against Zaromskis and Cyborg (not as much was said pre-fight but the fights themselves very much followed the pattern). It has become something of a calling card for Nick: Rile up the opponent and get him to fight at a higher pace than they would otherwise be comfortable with. I was quite frankly shocked to see BJ get his mean mug on at the weigh-ins after avoiding the "Diaz trap", as I call it, in the month leading up to the fight. Nick has had so much success getting into his opponents head that it has lead some to theorize that it is an act. GSP called him "fake-crazy" during the second episode of Primetime. I myself have expressed my belief that his pre-fight persona is a creation, with the goal being to induce a brawl that largely favors Diaz and his excellent conditioning. Nick responded to these suggestions during his media scrum at the open workouts this week. Nick Diaz: People tell me I'm crazy, or they say I act like I'm crazy, I think it's what a lot of people are saying. I'm not trying to put on no act, I'm just going out there trying to fight my fight, and try to win the fight. I'm not happy by the time I walk out to fight, you know? What do you want from me? If this is the case and what you see is what you get from Nick Diaz, then what we are seeing and what we are getting from him this week is cause for concern, at least for those who are picking Diaz to win the fight tomorrow night. He has gone out of his way to be complimentary of Carlos Condit whenever he's been asked about him. He called Condit a more respectable martial artist than Georges St. Pierre. He told the press at the pre-fight press conference that the focus on GSP made him sick; for Condit. Nick Diaz: It makes me sick. This is Carlos' time to be here and to be a part of this main event. Half of this show is built up around me fighting Georges St. Pierre but I'm fighting Carlos Condit. And then, during the staredowns that follow each pre-fight press conference, the unthinkable happened: via img.photobucket.com After the pose-off, Condit extended his hand towards Nick, an offer to engage in a time honored display of respect: The handshake. It was the perfect chance for Nick to let everyone know that he wasn't playing. An opportunity to show that despite the niceities, he was still Nick Diaz, and Nick Diaz doesn't shake no hands before the fight. Instead, Nick Diaz looked down at the hand, hesitated briefly and then accepted Condit's invitation. Maybe this is a new Nick Diaz we are watching, one who no longer feels the need to intimidate and threaten his opponent before the fight. This will be his 34th as a professional mixed martial artist. He is no longer the disrespected (in his eyes) and disrespectful (in most everyone else's eyes) "big fish in a small pond" that he was during his run in Strikeforce. Have the years of training as a triathalete given rise to a cool confidence that was never there before? It's entirely possible that the way he has approached both the media and his opponent during this fight week is a reflection of new found maturity, brought about by the serious endurance training. Or perhaps Nick truly feels a little bad for his Condit. After all, the hype for a fight between Georges St. Pierre and Nick Diaz is over-shadowing this match. Here is a link to a media scrum that GSP did this week. I've already posted the one that Diaz participated in. I found no such video of Carlos Condit. In the biggest fight of his life, Carlos Condit has been an afterthought. It was sadly ironic that he was the only fighter at the pre-fight presser who had the class to put on a suit. So I guess I could understand if Nick felt a little bit sorry for him, especially since he fully plans on making Condit's week even worse on Saturday night. Whatever the reason for Nick Diaz's kinder persona this week, Carlos Condit is not a man to give sympathy to. No matter how many miles you've ran, or biked, or swam, no matter how many hours you've spent in the gym, fighting Carlos Condit requires you to be at your cruelest and most merciless. He is the "natural born killer" for a reason. If Nick Diaz is not on point from the moment the fight starts to the final bell, he will find himself finished in brutal fashion. Of course, the official weigh-ins are just about to get underway, so if Nick gets crazy, the concerns I've laid out here will be rendered all but moot. If he doesn't act up though, the question remains: Does Nick Diaz feel badly for Carlos Condit? And if he does, will his sympathy cost him on Saturday night?

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Finally Dana, you get it. Now that you enlightened and understand the enigma that is Nick Diaz, we implore you to read fascinating articles about Nick Diaz. We're sure you'll enjoy fine reading such as The Top Ten Most Awkward Nick Diaz Interviews, The Top Ten Curiously Interesting Videos Nick Diaz Favorited On Youtube and of course, The Top Ten Nick Diaz Moments. That's thirty great moments total. I was counting the entire time. Due to time constraints I'm not even going to list the countless great Photoshop job's of Nick Diaz like Homey Smacks™. We're glad you get it now, Dana. You have joined our strange little club, and this video from MMAWeekly is evidence. [Source]

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submitted by BoydCrowder [link] [3 comments]

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Welterweight contender Nick Diaz doesn't follow the mold for MMA fighters, putting him in a class of his own.

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Gallery: 13 GIFs of Nick Diaz Being Totally Gangster | Cage Potato UFC 143 Main Event Breakdown: Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit | MMA Fighting Behind the UFC 143 numbers: Nick Diaz vs Carlos Condit fight complete statistical breakdown | MMA Mania Nick is smiling because studies show that 15 out of 20 pros prefer a Diaz win at UFC 143 | MiddleEasy UFC 143 Predictions: Which Fight Will Steal the Show? | Bleacher Report Stockton Chronicles: The Rise of Nick Diaz | LowKick Fabricio Werdum: “I’m ready to strike the whole time if I need to.” | Five Ounces of Pain State Attorney General Admits Amateur MMA is not banned in New York 
| TheFightNerd Video: When Vegas MMA media members attack | Fight Opinion Eddie Alvarez Vs. Shinya Aoki In The Works For Bellator Season 6 | FightLine Jose Aldo Parts Ways with Ed Soares and Black House MMA | 5thRound FTC Ends UFC Investigation Regarding Strikeforce Purchase | MMA Payout

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submitted by MattyBlayze [link] [comment]

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Just because Nick Diaz doesn't wanna be buddy-buddy with the guys he's fighting, like Carlos Condit at UFC 143, doesn't make him crazy. In fact, he says, that might make everyone else nuts.

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submitted by wrath_of_the_nunchuk [link] [2 comments]

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Rundown of UFC 143 pre-fight news and notes… — If Nick Diaz needs to hate his opponent to fight them, he’s certainly not showing it for his big fight against Carlos Condit this weekend. As you can see from the photo above, Nick actually shook Condit’s hand instead of butting heads or flipping him off (though that could easily happen at tomorrow’s weigh-ins). Not only that, Nick actually went to bat for Condit during the press conference when he was asked if he thinks all the talk about him and Georges St. Pierre is fair to Condit. “Yeah, I think it makes me sick,” he said. “This is Carlos’ time to be here, and to be a part of this main event. This is … half of the show is built up around me fighting Georges St-Pierre. But that’s not [right]. I’m fighting Carlos Condit. So, I don’t like it.” Nick later followed it up with a quote that embodies what he thinks about GSP and Carlos Condit as fighters. “You’re more in danger of losing a decision to Georges St-Pierre. I think you’re more in danger of losing your teeth if you’re fighting Condit here.” Nick Diaz telling it like it is… — You may want to exercise a little patience if you’re hoping to see Jon Jones fight at heavyweight because it’s not going to happen anytime soon. At the pre-fight press conference today, Dana White said Jones will fight at heavyweight eventually, but it won’t happen anytime soon. “It’s going to happen eventually, but I don’t think it’ll be happening this year,” White said. “There are still guys there to fight him,” White said. “He’s still young … so I’m not interested in him fighting at heavyweight this year.” There’s really no reason to rush Jones’ progression to the heavyweight division. He still has challenges left in Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson to take of and it’s always possible that other contenders will rise while he’s fighting them. I’d like to see how Jones does at heavyweight, but I’m more in favor of that move happening naturally. — Speaking of the light heavyweight title triangle, Dan Henderson plans to wait to fight the winner of Jones vs. Evans, according to Dana White. “Dan Henderson’s in a position right now where it looks like he wants to wait for Jon Jones. We’ll see what happens with this Rashad fight.” That’s probably the smart move. It would tough to recover from a loss and climb back up the ladder at Hendo’s age. — Dana White doesn’t think Alistair Overeem’s most recent trouble with the law will affect his upcoming title shot against Junior dos Santos. Dana also offered some details about what transpired the night he allegedly shoved a woman. “I don’t think he’s in that much trouble,” White said. “This isn’t a situation where he beat somebody up; I don’t think that’s the case.” “He had to use the restroom – this is my knowledge of what happened – (and) security was going to take him,” White said. “He said, ‘I don’t need security,’ and sure enough he goes over there, and his side of the story is some lady started yelling at him and swinging at him and everything else.” — Dana White has no patience for you if you were critical of how the fights went at UFC on FOX 2. “There was so much hype for (Chael) Sonnen vs. (Michael) Bisping and the (Demian) Maia fight,” he told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “Even after it changed, people were like, ‘It’s even more exciting now.’ And then after, everybody’s like, ‘Aww, they set themselves up for these boring fights.’ Shut up. People who come out after and say, ‘Oh, we knew (this was going to happen),’ you’re a liar. You’re a liar, you’re an idiot, and you sound like an idiot when you say that. These fights all looked exciting. You just never know what’s going to happen. Anything can happen on any given night.” “You could have three fights go to decisions, or you could have three fights that you think are going to go longer and it lasts 60 seconds,” he said. “It’s fighting. The hardest part of the whole thing is figuring out production. How many fights can you schedule with the commercial load that you’ve got and all the other things that you have to do? We did a pretty good job of getting this thing dialed in after that first fight going 60 seconds.” “Would I have turned off the show the other night and said that sucked? No, it didn’t suck. The Bisping-Chael Sonnen fight was awesome.” — Hackers may have stopped hacking the UFC’s websites, but as far as Dana is concerned, the war is “still on.” Oy vey. — Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II hasn’t been signed yet, but Dana still “guarantees” it’s going to happen. Silva is apparently flying in to Las Vegas this weekend presumably to put pen to paper. — Apparently there are rumors floating around of Gilbert Melendez and BJ Penn fighting. Well, wherever they came from, they’re not true. according to Dana. He promises Melendez will still get a big fight though. — This is pretty cool. Harley-Davidson is giving a new motorcycle to the Diaz-Condit winner. — And last but not least, Nick Diaz only missed three flights this week to get to Vegas! Image via the UFC

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UFC president Dana White has been around the MMA game for a long team and dealt with all types of fighters, but still, even he finds Nick Diaz fascinating.

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Nick Diaz sees Carlos Condit as a more dangerous threat than Georges St-Pierre, especially in regards to his teeth.

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Video highlights from the UFC 143 open workouts via MMA Fighting.

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UFC President Dana White today announced the winner of Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit at UFC 143 will win a brand new Harley Davidson. Now that's incentive!

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LAS VEGAS -- The UFC 143 open workouts took place Wednesday afternoon at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Watch below as headliners Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz work out in front of fans and media.

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From the looks of the picture above, Nick Diaz did not just get gypped by his local Wendy's Drive thru. I know this because no one smiles after driving down the road reaching into a bag of lunch on-the-run fried fast food goodness only to find out that your five piece spicy chicken nuggets are short a nugget. No, it's actually varying degrees of the complete opposite facial expression that overcome your face. It begins with a bewildered frown as you search the bag for a run away piece of smooshed chicken parts. It then progresses to a full on frown of disappointment and disgust when you realize you will only get to dip four nuggets into the complimentary container of creamy ranch dipping sauce. Nick Diaz probably never has to deal with not getting all of his spicy nuggets though. As a matter of fact, Nick Diaz probably got extra nuggets in his bag. That's what happens when you are Nick Diaz. Sort of like when Sherdog.com conducts an unscientific study and 15 out of 20 of the pros they question pick Nick Diaz to win over Carlos Condit this weekend. Nick not only gets all the nuggets he also gets the picks. Check out the breakdown from Sherdog.com below: Ricardo Liborio: Diaz by decision. Amazing matchup. Mike Ciesnolevicz: I am so much more excited about this fight than I was now that GSP is not included. I probably would not have watched if GSP was fighting. I don’t like to go to bed that early on the weekends, and he would surely put me to bed faster than if I chugged a bottle of Nyquil. I know this fight will be super exciting. It’s actually one of the best possible fights I can think of as a fight fan. As for the skill sets and strategy, I believe Diaz has the punching advantage and Condit is better with knees and kicks. I think neither guy has great wrestling, so that should cancel out. In the Brazilian jiu-jitsu department, Diaz has the advantage, although Condit is surely [at a] black belt level himself. Just like most of the Diaz fights I have seen of late, this will come down to pace and cardio and the relentless attack. I believe Condit is a beast and has excellent strength and conditioning, but Diaz will wear him out and take over as the fight progresses. I am calling Diaz by unanimous decision in a “Fight of the Year” candidate. Gabe Ruediger: It’s going to be a great fight. Both guys come in ready and just fight. I think Diaz has the hardest time with controlling wrestlers, which Condit is not. Diaz wins by late sub or TKO. Keith Berry: I really want Condit in this fight. I think the “Natural Born Killer” will rise to the occasion and get the decision. Bart Palaszewski: Personally, I’m pulling for Carlos. Mark Bocek: Diaz [wins], I think, but it’s a good fight, [with] high-volume punching from Nick. But Condit beat Ellenberger ... it’s a great fight. Whoever makes the first mistake will lose. Jim Hettes: I gotta go with Diaz, not just because of his outstanding combination of jiu-jitsu and boxing, but [because] being employed by the UFC means I might actually come face-to-face with one of these fighters. I’m willing to bet Diaz will actually beat me up for picking against him (laughs), so let’s go Diaz. Shane Roller: Close fight -- leaning towards Condit. Travis Wiuff: Diaz is unbeatable right now. I don’t see anyone beating him, including GSP. Diaz wins by TKO in the third round after the ref stops the fight. Kyle Kingsbury: I got Diaz winning by chanting “209” until Condit taps. Javier Vazquez: These are two of my favorite fighters. I think it's going to be a great fight [and] it’s going to be a back-and-forth war. I think Diaz is going to set a crazy pace and try to take Condit into deep water. I think, eventually, Diaz will be too much for Condit and will either submit him in the fifth round or will stop him via TKO in the fifth. Nam Phan: Diaz all the way. Ben Askren: I think Diaz will win. His standup has continued to improve, [and] I think he will out-strike Condit. We already know Diaz has him if it goes to the ground, so I think, barring a KO, Diaz takes it. Johny Hendricks: Man, I am thinking that Carlos is going to win. He has heavy hands and good BJJ. I know Nick is the same type of fighter, which will [make for] a great fight to watch for the fans. I just think Carlos is going to win. Alan Belcher: Diaz all the way. I roll with the 209. Michael Guymon: Diaz-Condit is so evenly matched in my eyes. I just see Diaz winning this one with his constant pressure style. John Hackleman: I have Court McGee sitting right here next to me, and we both kind of agree. We both think Nick-Condit is going to be a lot like Nate [Diaz] and [Donald] Cerrone. Nick is a lot like Nate in style, and Cerrone’s style is a lot like Condit’s style. I think it’ll turn out the same. I think Condit will be sharper and land early. He might even cut Nick, heaven forbid. That’ll be a first (laughs). But I think Nick is going to weather an early storm, throw sharper techniques and he’s going to plow forward like he always does. I think he’s going to stop him in the third. So, yeah, the styles are the same, and it’s an interesting matchup because of that. Joe Duarte: I got Diaz. He is as tough as they come. He probably even mouthwashes with bleach. Condit is good, but this one is going to come down to who is tougher. Diaz takes it. Jeff Hougland: I can’t wait for this fight. I am a fan of both of these guys’ style. They are both well-rounded and don’t just fight to win; they fight to hurt their opponents. I think all the fans watching are in for an amazing fight. My pick is Diaz by third- or fourth-round TKO. I grew up in the 209, so I always root for the Diaz Brothers. [source]Benji Radach: This is going to be an awesome fight, but I gotta pull for Diaz. Both fighters are talented, but I think Diaz’s boxing is going to deliver the victory.  

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“People try to say, ‘Oh, Nick Diaz, you know, he’s crazy,’ or ‘He’s crazy’ or ‘He’s not crazy’ or ‘He’s fake crazy’ or whatever. I’m like, hey bro, what you see is what you get. I’m not out here trying to put on an act like I’m crazy. When you see me, what you see is what you get. And you get real martial arts; you get real fighting; you get a real warrior mentality. I’m sorry if people can’t handle it. Some people aren’t mature enough to handle it… In my opinion, everybody else is crazy out of their mind. They’re the ones putting on an act for you, doing what they’re told in front of the camera. The camera gives them a line and they say it 10 times over again, and then whoever goes back in the back and picks that out. They turn these guys into these robots. I’m just not going to be that guy. So don’t tell me I’m acting crazy. I’m out here acting natural. I’m the only one being realistic about this sort of thing.” — Nick Diaz, via MMA Mania, telling reporters everyone else is crazy, not him I don’t even bother trying to make sense of the things that Nick Diaz says anymore. He sees the world from a different lens than most of us and I’ve come to the conclusion that you just have to accept it and love/hate it for what it is. What I love about it though is how Nick manages to draw people in much like Chael Sonnen, but unlike Sonnen’s schtick, it’s actually real. Sonnen has to constantly come up with new material to keep people’s attention whereas Nick just has to show up and be himself. As much as I enjoy watching Sonnen do his thing, there’s no replacement for genuine insanity. That’s my take on it at least. Georges St. Pierre, on the hand, doesn’t buy that the Nick Diaz we see on camera is the real Nick Diaz. “Nick is not crazy. Nick is a very, very smart guy. People are like, “Oh Nick is crazy,” that’s a persona he has to intimidate people. He’s like a bully at school who tries to make you believe he’s ready to kill people. That’s not true, he’s a very, very clever guy. He’s a very smart guy. He’s very smart at what he does. And one of the reasons he is where he is in life, why he’s successful, is because he’s very smart. So I don’t buy this thing that “Oh, he’s crazy,” I don’t buy it. He’s a very smart guy. The way he portrays himself sometimes isn’t the way he truly is.” What do you think? Is Nick Diaz really “crazy” or a manipulative genius who has everyone fooled? Image via Esther Lin for Strikeforce/Showtime

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Georges St. Pierre explains why he wants to fight Nick Diaz in this interview with reporters at UFC 143. Video via MMA Fighting

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Nick Diaz fights Carlos Condit at UFC 143 on Saturday for the UFC interim welterweight championship. Diaz is a favorite here at the Bloody Elbow Judo Chop headquarters both for his very technical Jiu-Jitsu and also for his unique "pitter shatter" approach to boxing for MMA. Heading into UFC 143 we wanted to refresh everyone's appreciation for Diaz' technical acumen with a review of our past Judo Chops on the fighter. Enjoy these previous Judo Chops: Nick Diaz's Ground Game by Ben Thapa Nick Diaz Gogoplatas Takanori Gomi by Kid Nate The Unconventional MMA Boxing of Nick Diaz by Kid Nate I also wanted to highlight this comment from John Nash (formerly nottheface) regarding the provenance of Diaz' unusual approach to boxing in MMA: Diaz' style of boxing resembls some of the techniques used in old London Prizefighting ("bareknuckle") matches. Now I doubt he and Gracie went out and studied old Jem Mace fights but because grappling played a part in those fights (clinching and throwing your opponent to the ground was a big part of the game, and many fighters depended more on a good wrestling game than their striking ability. If one looks at Ed James's 1878 The Science of Boxing half the techniques shown are headlocks, throws, and trips.) and Diaz doesn't have thunderous power they have stumbled into a style for him that greatly resembles the proven techniques of yore. More from John Nash plus a bunch of animated gifs in the full entry. SBN coverage of UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit On the right is a nice gif that illustrates Diaz' approach to MMA striking in his October 2010 rematch with K.J. Noons. Note how Diaz rarely commits more force than necessary to his punches, generally throwing from the shoulders, but sometimes just throwing arm punches. The important thing in Diaz' approach is volume, volume, volume. He pitters, batters and plain wears down his opponents with a variety of low energy punches from a number of different angles. More from John Nash: Jean Joseph-Renaud an amazing pioneer in martial arts and specifically Defense Dans La Rue at the beginning of the 20th century described what bareknuckle fighting entailed. Formerly, in England, when fights took place without gloves, they lasted immensely longer. While the combatants employed wrestling techniques and threw each other to the ground with great force, perhaps five or six times each quarter of an hour, they were still at least as vigorous of those of today. They ought to have finished very quickly and yet their fights always lasted a long time; they most commonly ended because one of the adversaries was exhausted rather than beaten. Prizefighters fought this way because they didn't have gloves to protect their hands and because the rules allowed for grappling and throwing each other to the ground, often incorporating Devonshire, Cumberland, and Westmorland style wrestling. A new round started any time a fighter was knocked down and went to his knee, he was then given a 50-count to get back up and begin again. Because there is a time limit in mma Diaz has sped up the pace. Joseph-Renaud also described a type of fighter who stood outside and threw straights but without all his power so as to not to break his hand (even describing one type of punch as a "slap" and considering it effective), unlike the in-fighting that glove boxing developed. This slap fighter wouldn't lung so at to leave himself open to be grappled and would throw repetitive straights from the outside to the head and, more importantly, the body of his opponent. The goal with this style of scientific boxing was to wear down your opponent until they collapsed from cumulative damage and exhaustion. Sound familiar? ...And while I think Diaz fights a lot like Michael Nunn - and perhaps based his style on the same sources as Nunn - the modifications they've made to make it work in MMA have resulted in something that resembles something from old prizefighting: less upper body movement, less slipping and ducking, less lunging from the outside, less dancing. All the stuff that Nunn uses but could put you in a bad spot where grappling is allowed as it is in MMA - and London Prizefighting. The following is some analysis from The Unconventional MMA Boxing of Nick Diaz: On the right we've got the penultimate moments of Nick's 2009 early retirement party for Frank Shamrock. Note the way he sticks his left hand in Shamrock's face to bait Frank into putting up his guard. Once the ribs are unprotected Diaz actually winds up and unloads a vicious right hook to Shamrock's ribs. Here's MMA Fighting talking about the CompuStrike record that Diaz set in that round: Nick Diaz spent three minutes and 57 seconds swarming Frank Shamrock in the second round of their fight Saturday night before referee Big John McCarthy finally stopped it. If you watched the fight, you know that already. But you might not know that Diaz had what may have been the most active round in the history of MMA. CompuStrike, which tabulates statistics from MMA fights, says that Diaz attempted 181 strikes in the second round, making it the most total strikes thrown in any round that CompuStrike has recorded. The previous record was held by Michael Bisping, who threw 141 strikes in the first round of his UFC 70 fight with Elvis Sinosic. Diaz breaking that record is even more impressive when you remember that Bisping didn't finish Sinosic in the first round, meaning he had a full five minutes to throw 141 strikes. Diaz shattered the record in less than four. Of course, Diaz has never been the most accurate or powerful of punchers, and he only landed 79 of those 181 strikes. So Bisping still owns the record for strikes landed in a round. And here's a little taste of his grappling acumen from Nick Diaz's Ground Game by Ben Thapa: Gif via Grappo In this gif, we see Diaz in a position where he could move into side control, as Shamrock’s left side is relatively undefended. However, Nick chooses to move his left knee to pin down Shamrock’s right thigh, while maintaining the underhook on Shamrock’s left arm/allowing Shamrock to keep the overhook. The resulting position contorts Shamrock into an awkward position where his head is twisting in the opposite direction from his legs and Nick’s good top pressure allows him to stay there. As the gif shows, Nick takes the opportunity to punch Frank a few times in the head before Frank later regains guard (not show in the gif). Here's hoping we get to see more of Diaz great standing and ground technique against Condit who should be a stern test for the ex-Srikeforce champ in all ranges of fighting.

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UFC President Dana White and main event fighters Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit will meet the media on Thursday for the UFC 143 pre-fight press conference, and we'll carry the live video right here at MMAFighting.com. The pre-fight press conference is the final opportunity for members of the media to question the fighters, and for this particular card it should be particularly interesting to see Nick Diaz, who isn't exactly known for being in a great mood at press conferences, when he attends at all. The UFC 143 pre-fight press conference begins on Thursday at 4 PM ET and the video is below. More Coverage: UFC 143 Fight Card | UFC 143 ResultsWalkout Shirts: Nick Diaz | Carlos Condit | Roy Nelson

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UFC 143 main eventer Nick Diaz was nice enough to give MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani a few minutes of his time, and the results were gold. Diaz has always been known as a unique interview, and he definitely lives up to it here. He starts off in a pretty good mood, discussing how watching the Primetime special helps to get him motivated, and he shares a couple of stories from back in the day about a teacher from the special. His tone begins to change ever-so-slightly when he is asked about Georges St. Pierre though. He doesn't believe GSP is being genuine with his talk about rooting for Diaz because he wants to fight him: "A lot of people are putting a lot of pressure on him to say these sorts of things, it's not really him." After discussing the differences between Georges St. Pierre and Carlos Condit and referring to GSP repeatedly as a "strong guy", Diaz looked ready to head out. But Ariel had one more question, which took the interview from average Diaz interview to great Diaz interview in a matter of seconds. Helwani asked him if he's ever online, because he saw a video clip put out by the UFC and the first comment on the video was from "NickDiaz209" saying that was not what he said. Was that Nick? Yes it was. After thanking Ariel for bringing it up, Nick goes on a beautiful two minute rant about how the UFC edited the video, and even asked his brother Nate about they did it to him as well. It's definitely worth a watch just for the rant. Check it out.

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This weekend, former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz will look to make another step towards capturing the UFC Welterweight title from the hands of Georges St. Pierre, facing Carlos Condit for the Interim belt in the main event of UFC 143. Diaz spoke about his upcoming match-up with "The Natural Born Killer" in Las Vegas, Nevada, and his expectations from a man who has a total of 26 finishes out of 27 career victories on his professional Mixed Martial Arts record. Nick Diaz also spoke about

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The Nick Diaz story starts humbly in Stockton in 1983. Growing up without his biological father, as well as moving schools on a regular basis instillied an attitude in him that still baffles many in the sport today. A young Nick Diaz stumbled into BJJ at just 16, and took to grappling like a duck to water. Later years would see him bring his brother Nathan to the sport, intending to steer him clear of the gang culture notorious in the area. Training under Cesar Gracie, Diaz turned professional in

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Nick Diaz appears to have a new, mellower outlook on his public perception heading into his UFC 143 battle with Carlos Condit.

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UFC welterweight Nick Diaz chats with Megan Olivi on his fight with Carlos Condit and participating in triathlons.

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Carlos Condit breaks the bad news to Georges St-Pierre that he won't get a chance to face Nick Diaz later this year.

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Carlos Condit may not be as crazy as Nick Diaz, but UFC 143 will allow him to prove his mettle.

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I've got to come off like that just to get a fight. You're going to point the finger, make me the bad guy. I'm the bad guy. Now I get a fight. The only reason why I'm getting this fight is because everybody wants to see me take an a**-whipping right about now. - Nick Diaz People like stories. We always have and our attention generally gravitates towards the better storytellers among us - musicians, long-running television shows, hit movies, teenage angst novelists and so on. However, in the midst of all this story-consuming, we forget sometimes that each of these storytellers is attempting to assemble some kind of narrative that the public at large can jump on and devour. These people are not necessarily trying to tell us the most accurate story or the best story possible; they want to put out the story that makes the most money for the storytellers. This motive is the entire raison d'etre for having anything besides public access television on our screens at all: having a compelling narrative means people pay attention and when people pay attention, allowing advertisers to sell stuff equals money pouring in. The prevalence of this "compelling story = money" mode of thought has gotten so embedded into our culture that it is hard to prevent ourselves from the risky behavior of constantly constructing stories around certain facts - what I call the creation of a narrative or storyline- and then cherry-picking facts and signs to fit within that narrative. We run the risk of ignoring reality and the possible presence of facts that do not fit the narrative and yet the audience and the media keep building stories like how Sports Player X is "clutch" or that Steve Jobs was the next thing to a god on Earth. For whatever reasons, the stories we flip out over are rooted in conflict - which meshes well with live sports and mixed martial arts in particular. It is hard to get a more direct conflict than to have two people in a cage trying to beat each other up for pride, fame and fortune. That may very well be the essential appeal of the sport. The format of mixed martial arts at the highest levels lends itself readily to any storyline that the quartet of promoters, fighters, media and fans can make sticky - or memorable to the largest audience possible. So how do you sell Nick Diaz? Or Carlos Condit? Are they easily reduced to straightforward protagonist/antagonist roles and readily served up in bite-sized promo videos? Is doing the Countdown trash-talking and mean-mugging the best way to sell fights or can we shift to the Primetimes and independent serial videos like The Reem (despite their associated problems)? SBN coverage of UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit From a lifetime of observing and consuming these narratives in all forms, I can tell you that what really gets the gears going is when we see a hero fight a villain. The problem is that in elite mixed martial arts, there are no real heroes or villains. Everybody at the highest levels is already a somewhat similar combination of unusual talent and relentless dedication to self-improvement with plenty of ruthless dispatching of skilled opponents already in their past. Nobody stepping into the cage these days is a fat, grizzled felon who savaged their way to the top. We do not have the avatar of a monolithic Cold War side like Alexander Karelin to root against. The differences between fighters is more subtle these days and that makes marketing a bit more difficult. At this point, The Reem might be the most loved video serial in MMA. It does a brilliant job of marketing Alistair Overeem too. Eldar Gross and Fabrice Deters have nearly unrivaled access to a prominent fighter and their videos impart a sense of urgency and impending superstardom to the recent happenings in Overeem's career. But what happens if the upcoming title bout against Junior dos Santos fizzles as a PPV or if Alistair loses? Is the narrative wrecked? Or do they gloss over and/or ignore those inconvenient facts like they did with the Golden Glory split, the Strikeforce non-fighting, or the various nightclub incidents that Overeem has been in over the years? I see the appeal of The Reem, but I do not trust it fully and the words of Bas Rutten, who has been critical at times, and others only serve to reinforce that attitude. Plus, I suspect that the videos could be done better. From a videography point of view, the decision to make The Reem almost entirely in black and white is a curious one. This is not the mid-90's. Gross and Deters are not using film stock. The lighting seems to be relatively controlled despite the wide variance in conditions and locations. Perhaps what really drives the choice is the desire to appear "historic" - which is exactly what the narrative of The Reem is trying to sell: Alistair Overeem's historic rise to the top of the various combat sports he participates in. While I enjoy most of the music choices within The Reem, the soundtrack would never survive a first look at the potential copyright clearance budget. This video series is never going to be pieced together and released in a longer form that is as that we experience it now. What's more is that despite the Reem team's attempt to not use too much UFC footage (see the multiple jumps between video sources for the Brock Lesnar fight), Zuffa might have some qualms about such commercial usage of their product. All of that combines to drop The Reem down my list of favored combat sports narratives. At the same time, it opens the door for lesser knowns like Stuart Cooper and for random self-released videos like those of Jon Fitch and Pat Barry. Cooper, the British videographer, recently released The Rise of Toquinho, which was in full color, showed rare glimpses of training footage and had extended interviews with newsworthy figures in the life of Rousimar Palhares - all without music copyright violations or going all greyscale on us. Unfortunately, Cooper's last two videos - the Evolution of BJJ for Braulio Estima, the reigning ADCC Superfight champion, and Jeff Monson's Time for a Change - have gone greyscale (perhaps in response to The Reem). Given Cooper's access and connections, I would not be surprised if Cooper works with more fighters like Rafael dos Anjos to make more "Road to [Fight[" serials. How many of you saw the Pat Barry/Cro Cop singalong video? Jon Fitch chopping down the tree with his shin? These two fighters are perhaps the best at showing the randomity of life beyond the training and the cage. However, the audience has responded much more viscerally to Barry for whatever reasons - perhaps for his back and forth fights - and the sly humor of Fitch goes almost unnoticed. Seriously, why isn't Fitch and Dave Camarillo playing Skyrim and interacting with fans in a surprisingly honest way a bigger deal? My point is that the fighters themselves, with their Twitter accounts, video cameras and easy access to fans, have the power to build their own narratives and Overeem and Barry seem to be connecting well with people despite using very different approaches. Very few people lead simple enough lives to be fully encapsulated by a 30 second promo video. Nick Diaz certainly is not one of them, but his aggressive and insolent fight style lends itself well to snap judgments that go against his perceived character. His in-fight trash talking and unorthodox style fit the role of an antagonist better than anyone in recent MMA history. The promotional videos have made full use of this heel bonanza and the media frustrations with getting Nick to open up or to turn down his ornerniness level have led to a self-perpetuating cycle in which Nick believes everyone is making him out to be the bad guy and he is made out to be the bad guy because he rarely ever lets people see his good side or his interests outside of fighting and repping the difficulties of life in Stockton or Lodi, California. The missed press conference appearances, the unwillingness to talk to anyone outside his group of trusted friends and family and the occasional cuss word directed at a nameless or faceless audience that hates him or wants to see him lose all perpetuate this cycle. When other fighters jump on the "Nick Diaz is a bad guy" bandwagon, as GSP did, the resulting media attention probably drives Diaz nuts. This is where the Primetime series comes in - those videos are the single best chances for Nick to show that he is a multifaceted person who deserves to be spoken of with the same respect a "true" mixed martial arts athlete gets. Unfortunately, Nick doesn't care. The lack of give from Nick means that the people behind the Primetime series are having trouble constructing an easy-to-latch-onto narrative for Nick, so they try to split the difference and hope something sticks. Thus we get contradictions like Cesar Gracie telling us with those cold blue eyes that "Nick does not enjoy hurting people" while earlier, the narrator extolls Nick's brutal fight-winning patterns. What Cesar is telling us may be the truth, but it doesn't fit the narrative well and probably would have been left on the cutting room floor by a more unscrupulous editor. At least we have Nick as the bad boy to fall back on. The same thing is happening with Carlos Condit. His career has been primarily one of knocking people out or submitting them, often after a slow start and putting his all into highly entertaining bouts. Yet, he is not a mega-star within the promotion and his personal life is as diverse and unreducable as Nick's is. The Primetime folks have yet to figure out how to reduce Condit to something easily digestible. The nickname has never fit and seeing Condit do grown-up things like renovate a house and keep strong ties with his extended family only serves to diffuse the narrative into a nearly incoherent mush. Perhaps the approach of GSP is better: show nobody any hint of a personal life and focus all public attention on the incessant pursuit of mixed martial arts like some sort of real world Ivan Drago. The only problem with that is that the storyline is completely manufactured and the audience can turn on those Potemkin narratives as they do all the time in pro wrestling and other sports. The careers of both Condit and Diaz are littered with Fight of the Year contenders and nearly every performance both have put on in the last three years has been stellar, savage and hopefully star-making because both fight in a way that MMA fans seem to gravitate towards (primarily stand-up, but gets a high number of finishes on the ground or standing). The problem with these two is that to reach the next level of visibility and stardom, they themselves have to get involved in and comfortable with creating narratives that the masses can understand - or become Brock Lesnar. I suspect that shift in attitude will never happen with Diaz and the jury is still out on Condit waking up in that respect. Lest I seem facetious, I admit that creating a narrative with true stickiness is tough and the competing narratives put out by the aforementioned quartet can clash or blend to become a babble few pay attention to. Some narratives are more successful than others and short taglines and videos seem to dominate the format of the most effective pitches. Thus it is understandable that the biggest MMA promotions in the world try so very hard to attach some set of easily recognizable storylines to each event and record hype videos. Remember those taglines attached to the early numbered UFCs1? The tagline for UFC 143 should be "Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit". However, it is coming off more and more like "The next guy to fight GSP". 1UFC 26: Ultimate Field of Dreams is my favorite, as it conjures up the bizarre mental image of some kind of event held in a cornfield where the bloody spikes of Ty Cobb would have been perfectly at home.

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UFC Undisputed 3 predicts who will win when Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit clash this weekend at UFC 143.

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If time is money, then every stoner is a millionaire. On that same formula, the per capita income of Stockton, California makes it the richest city in the world. I guess Nick Diaz would be the mayor of this hypothetical version of the 209. LayzieTheSavage will be an honorary member of the political cabinet, and he'll raid it at night for sour cream and onion potato chips. A city run by Nick Diaz is change we can believe in -- then you can use the change to buy a pack of Ramen noodle and cook it with hot water from the coffee pot at your local 24-hour convenience store. So it's no surprise that a computer simulation run by Nick Diaz would undoubtedly be embedded with an unintentional marijuana reference. Check out this new UFC Undisputed 3 simulation of Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz, and notice the time at which the game predicts a victory by Nick Diaz.

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The day will come when Nick Diaz writes an autobiography and it’s published without the assistance of a copy-editor. That would be more effective in communicating message(s) he’s trying to send to fans and opponents alike. It also prevents the meaning of his words getting lost in translation from the 209 to whatever dialect of English they speak wherever it is you’re from. The book will probably sit atop the New York Times Bestseller’s list beside Forrest Griffin’s fourth installment about how vampires will conquer zombies in a post-apocalyptic Canadian frontier, but it’ll probably end up giving that book the finger and continue advancing to the top of reading charts nationwide. This is not a plug to pre-order a book that has yet to be written because we’re fans of Nick Diaz, instead, we’re merely trying to point out that trying to edit Nick Diaz will get you nowhere, even if you’re the UFC. Not only does Nick see everything, he’s not shy about correcting people when they’re wrong; like he did in the comments of this UFC uploaded video clip on Youtube. Props to IronForgesIron for the find. Here's the UFC 143 promo Nick Diaz is referring to. Apparently it all goes down at the 1:09 mark.

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“The way I see it, I am not the champion anymore on Saturday night. I have not fought since April, against my will, but I understand the champion must fight. You have to put the belt on the line in order to call yourself champion, the best in the world. Right now I am not the best in the world, I am injured. The winner of this fight on Saturday will be more than just the new No.1 contender, but he won’t be the new champion either. The winner of this fight will have to beat me to become the true world champion and I will have to beat the winner of this fight in order to call myself the best in the world again.” — Georges St. Pierre, via UFC.com, proclaiming he’s not the best in the world until he successfully defends his title again GSP makes no bones about it. He wants Nick Diaz to win Saturday night because he wants to fight him. He doesn’t “truly hate” Nick Diaz as a person, but he “hates” what Nick “brings to the sport with the disrespect and the unprofessional things he says and does.” GSP even said that during UFC 137 fight week he felt like he had to be ready to fight at all times in case he ran into Diaz. During UFC 137 (week) I felt like I had to walk around Las Vegas with my fists ready (to punch Diaz) because every time I came across him he wanted to fight there and then. Every time the elevator opened (in the hotel) I needed to be ready to fight in case he stepped in. I was on edge all week. This guy is crazy. While these may be some of the more pointed statements GSP has made recently, Nick Diaz has actually backed off of GSP a little since his “I don’t think Georges is hurt, I think he’s scared” post-fight comments at UFC 137. On the Hammerfisting MMA Podcast, Nick came around and basically said, yeah, GSP is legitimately injured. Transcription via Bleacher Report: “I don’t think so. I think he’s hurt,” Diaz responded, when asked if he believed St-Pierre was using his injury as an excuse to duck fights. “I think he might’ve hurt himself. He shouldn’t have done that. If it hurts, don’t do it.” “I had to go through a lot of fights like that. You know, there were things I couldn’t do, and I couldn’t come in at 100 percent. So basically, heal and worry about your weight cause that’s all you’re gonna be able to do is make the weight and go out there and fight. Sometimes you win some, sometimes you lose some, sometimes you can’t be at 100 percent.” St. Pierre adds that he’s targeting July to resume proper training. If that’s the case, we’re probably looking at him fighting in September-October at the earliest depending on how long of a training camp he needs. Image via Dave Mandel for Sherdog

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Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit will meet on Saturday night to determine who will wear the interim UFC Welterweight title. The current UFC Welterweight Champion, Georges St, Pierre is currently recovering from knee surgery and took some time out of his rehab and training to offer his thoughts on the upcoming bout. CHEERING FOR THE ENEMY“I respect Carlos Condit, but I want Diaz to win. It will be a weird feeling, sitting at the Mandalay Bay wanting Nick Diaz to win. I want this fight with Diaz so badly,

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A day late and a dollar short, but plenty to talk about if you're into gambling this weekend and Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit tickles your fancy.

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Carlos Condit takes on Nick Diaz for the UFC interim welterweight title this Saturday, Feb. 4 at UFC 143.

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"Nick Diaz is very good with his hands. He does what he does very, very well. It's not only that he does really well with his hands, but he sets a relentless pace and relentless cardio. Mostly, I'm impressed with his toughness. He's got some great skills: Good boxing, good jiu-jitsu, but just his warrior spirit. I feel I'm a more technical fighter than Diaz. I have more weapons in my arsenal -- I just bring different stuff to the table. I have good movement, use angles. Diaz, for the most part, just comes straightforward. I've been training for this fight since July, I've been putting in a lot of hard work, and I'm excited to go out and show the fans -- along with all the fighters in the division -- the new and improved Carlos Condit. I will defeat Nick Diaz and I will be the UFC welterweight champion." Carlos Condit admits that he's had a roller coaster ride in recent months, enduring opponent switches, injuries and a whole host of issues outside of his control that have kept him out of the Octagon since a knockout finish of Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 132 back in July 2011. Good things apparently do come to those who wait -- Condit is set to tangle with Nick Diaz in the UFC 143 main event inside the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Feb. 4, 2012. The winner of the five-round welterweight fight will win the interim 170-pound title and the opportunity to challenge division champion Georges St. Pierre later this year to unify the belts. "Rush" is currently rehabilitating a knee injury and expects to return in Nov. 2012. If Condit intends to make good on his prediction, he'll have to go through the self-proclaimed "most well-rounded fighter in the world," who literally has the endurance to fight for 25 rounds if required. For "The Natural Born Killer," even though he admits to putting in a "lot of hard work" it might be all in vain if he can't keep pace with the Stockton, Calif., scrap machine. Ring rust is a serious concern ... can Condit it knock it off and go shot-for-shot, or will Diaz simply overwhelm him like he does to most others?

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In case you haven’t heard, there’s a pretty big fight this weekend. Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit will meet at UFC 143 for the interim welterweight title in what is all but guaranteed to be a fight full of fireworks. What happens next isn’t so certain though. With Georges St. Pierre out of action until at least this summer, likely later this fall, the new interim champion could be faced with defending that title before GSP is ready to defend the real belt. If Diaz wins though, expect a little resistance from his camp to agree to another welterweight fight in the meantime because Cesar Gracie went on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani today and said he plans to advise Nick to wait for GSP. “If we’re fortunate and we win this fight, I would advise Nick to not take another fight before the GSP fight unless it was in different weight class,” he said. “We want to wait for that 170-pound thing. The people I speak with, they want to see the GSP fight if Nick is able to defeat Condit. That’s where I’m at with it. I’d advise Nick to not take another fight.” “There hasn’t been any hype in a GSP fight for a very long time to the point he cleaned out his division and they were talking about an Anderson Silva matchup just to get some kind of excitement,” he said. “Nick really brings that to table because he’s one of most gifted athletes in terms of technically sound fighters out there. And you saw GSP on primetime. [Nick] brings out the thing where GSP wants to fight. I think it would be an amazing fight. And so that’s the fight I would want.” His reasoning makes sense, though not completely without risks (see Rashad Evans). GSP vs. Nick Diaz is a huge fight that’s been thwarted twice. People want to see it and Diaz would stand to make a great deal of money from that fight. Losing in the meantime would completely kill it though and there’s plenty of hungry challengers who would be salivating at the opportunity to take it from him. So yes, waiting is the safer bet to securing that fight. Realistically though, St. Pierre probably isn’t going to be ready to return until late 2012 (he specifically mentioned November), so that would be an awfully long wait. Moreover, if Diaz wins this weekend, he’s going to be the interim champion and the UFC will surely want him to defend it this summer if GSP isn’t ready. Otherwise, what’s the point of creating the interim title? So while I understand where Gracie’s coming from, I can’t imagine the UFC being cool with Nick Diaz waiting around for GSP to recover. They can’t force him to fight but if they piss Dana White off enough, they can certainly snatch his number one contender’s status away as we’ve seen in the past. In other words, the UFC has the leverage so if they want Nick to fight bad enough, they’ll surely find a way to get him to. Of course, that’s all assuming Nick Diaz gets past Carlos Condit this weekend which is certainly not a given. First things first, as they say. Image via Tracy Lee for Yahoo! Sports

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On the latest episode of The MMA Hour Cesar Gracie said the following about the possibilty of Nick Diaz defending the Interim Welterweight Title should he defeat Carlos Condit: "If we're fortunate and we win this fight, I would advise Nick to not take another fight before the GSP fight unless it was in different weight class," he said. "We want to wait for that 170-pound thing. The people I speak with, they want to see the GSP fight if Nick is able to defeat Condit. That's where I'm at with it. I'd advise Nick to not take another fight." This is in stark contrast with what Carlos Condit's manager, Malki Kawa said on the topic: .........if and when he wins this belt, if [the UFC] wants to put him back out to fight again, Carlos is going to fight again and defend his belt against anyone who challenges him. We're not going to sit around and wait for anyone, not Georges or anybody. If there's fights out there, Carlos wants them. I am actually not very surprised that Nick, for all his bravado and tough guy attitude would turn down a fight. He did it with Mayhem Miller. I understand that GSP is the big money fight and not wanting to jeopardize that. It really is a double edged sword because if he loses the interim title defense, the fight with GSP doesn't happen and a huge opportuinity and a ton of money is lost, again. If my time here at HKL has taught me anything, it is that Nick Diaz doesn't give a damn about anything other than fighting. He is real, he is tough and all he wants to do is fight and beat people up. So with that in mind, if you are so confident in your skills and toughness, step up to the plate and defend your belt. In other words.... Don't be scared, homie.

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Viral videos FTW. UFC President Dana White passed along this clip of UFC 143 event headliner Nick Diaz walking the walk as he prepares to talk the talk this Saturday night (Feb. 4) in Las Vegas. Carlos Condit, where you at?

Posted in: nick diaz, nick, video, eye contact, car doors

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You remember how your friends told you they have a friend that knows a guy that can get marijuana? Nick Diaz probably knows that same guy. Diaz has tons of fans over in Singapore, but unfortunately he can not enjoy his appreciation of the sacred planet in that corner of the planet. In Singapore, if you test positive for marijuana you receive a mandatory prison sentence and if you're caught with a drug of any type, you will be hung. Yes folks, death is automatic if authorities find any amount of an illegal substance on you. Therefore, regardless of how amazing it would be for Nick Diaz to make a trip to Evolve MMA in Singapore, perhaps it's best that he stay in the 209. In just a few days we'll see if Georges St. Pierre vs. Nick Diaz will actually go down, but in the meantime at least we have these clever UFC 143 promos to hold us over. Props to Stullo for the find.

Posted in: diaz, nick, singapore, guy diaz, folks death

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Over the past year it has become quite clear that Ronda Rousey is not afraid to speak her mind. In a recent video, while talking about a variety of topics, it was time for Georges St. Pierre to feel her wrath. First the video: Quote (transcription via MixedMartialArts.com): I think that fighters that just try to win by points and come away with a win are actually bad for the sport. If you never saw MMA before, and you walked in and you saw GSP and Koscheck, and all this jabbing out the whole time, it looks like a boring boxing match. And I don't think you gain any fans with a fight like that. And so I really hope that Nick Diaz beats the crap out of him, because Nick Diaz is entertaining, and he's an entertaining character in general. He might not be popular but I mean I can't but watch every video he puts out youtube. I think it's funny as Hell. And every single one of his fights is a brawl. It's not like a pitter pat match where afterwards he goes "Were friends, were all friends" and then okay let's go home. I think that's boring. GSP was good for the sport for a while. He brought in some big sponsors like Gatorade and UnderArmor. But I think he's done everything he can in a positive way and he needs to step aside and let Nick Diaz kick his ass. I'd say that it's hard to say that the only guy currently on the roster who can push UFC pay-per-view buys to the one million mark isn't "good for the sport." But maybe that's just me.

Posted in: nick diaz, nick, video, sport, ronda rousey

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I get the feeling Strikeforce female fighting sensation Ronda Rousey is a fan of the 209. The "Rowdy" one, who battles Miesha Tate for the 135-pound title on March 3, 2012, in Columbus, Ohio, told the gang at Best of MMA in their Nov. 2011 interview (via MMA.tv) that winning is not enough, you also have to be entertaining. You know, like Nick Diaz. "It's not the Olympics. It's not about just coming home and bringing home a medal, and just having hardware and getting the win. It's about pulling more fans in, and being entertaining. I think that fighters that just try to win by points and come away with a win are actually bad for the sport. If you never saw MMA before, and you walked in and you saw GSP and Koscheck, and all this jabbing out the whole time, it looks like a boring boxing match. And I don't think you gain any fans with a fight like that. And so I really hope that Nick Diaz beats the crap out of him, because Nick Diaz is entertaining, and he's an entertaining character in general. He might not be popular but I mean I can't help but watch every video he puts out on YouTube. I think it's funny as hell. And every single one of his fights is a brawl. It's not like a pitter-pat match where afterwards he goes 'Were friends, were all friends, buy Gatorade and let's go home.' I think that's boring. GSP was good for the sport for a while. He brought in some big sponsors like Gatorade and UnderArmor. But I think he's done everything he can in a positive way and he needs to step aside and let Nick Diaz kick his ass." St. Pierre is currently on the sidelines rehabbing a bum knee; however, he is expected to face the winner of Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit, who fight at UFC 143 on Feb. 4 in Las Vegas for the Interim strap. Hear more from Rousey after the jump. GSP talk starts at the 3:45 mark. How about it Maniacs, anyone think she makes a fair point?

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, gsp, rousey

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[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on FighterXFashion.com, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] Following up on our first look at the Metal Mulisha Nick Diaz UFC 143 walkout shirt, here’s some behind the scenes footage of Diaz rocking his new signature tee during pre-fight training in the days leading up to his match against Carlos Condit. Step inside the gym with Nick and crew and get a good look at the new “Diaz Blades” T-shirt, while hearing what the Stockton, California fighter has to say about his upcoming interim UFC welterweight title match with Condit. Read More and Watch the Video

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick, diaz rocking, signature tee

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submitted by red1392 [link] [4 comments]

Posted in: nick, warrior, award, academy, actor

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I know this might stir up a shitstorm but whatever. I was chatting with a friend earlier today what the best gameplan would be for Condit to beat Diaz. Not discounting Condit's natural talents at all, but trying to highlight Diaz's weaknesses, the fight plan went pretty much something like this: Leg kicks and more leg kicks, circle back and away, use jabs to keep distance and kick Nick's right leg (his lead leg) mercilessly whenever given the opportunity. Do not get sucked into his taunting and play his game. Circle back and away, then punish his legs whenever possible. If it goes to the ground and he ends up in Nick's guard, just defend until the ref stands you back up. Sorry, crowds hate this 'lay n pray' shit, but it's all about getting the W. Once Nick's leg is sufficiently pulverized after a few rounds, he won't have a strong base to throw punches from and though he doesn't really do it as often these days, he'll probably try to go for takedowns. Hopefully he'll be broken down enough that his takedowns can be stuffed. Then Condit can turn on the punches and start using his own solid talents however he sees fit. Hopefully Condit can maintain sufficient stamina for the late rounds to deliver some punishment, as Nick's triathlete stamina is off the charts. If you're Diego Sanchez of course you could do something more like this: http://www.mmavideofights.net/3505/nick-diaz-diego-sanchez-video-ultimate-fighter-2-finale/ Upvote/downvote/whatever... just curious to see what other redditors think are the biggest weaknesses in Diaz's fight game and how best to capitalize on them. I should say, I'm a big Diaz fan and want him to win so it'll be a direct path to a fight with GSP next fall when GSP is fully healed up. I'll fly to Vegas for that, was going to be in Vegas this Feb 4th until I heard GSP got injured. tl;dr -- Leg kicks. submitted by tritiumpie [link] [54 comments]

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick, leg, condit

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In the lead up to the first episode of UFC Primetime, Dana White continuously referred to Nick Diaz as an "intriguing, mysterious character". This really had me wondering what the footage could be that would compel Dana to make such a statement. I had never found anything about Diaz to be particularly intriguing or mysterious so I was very curious to see what prompted such comments from the boss. When I saw the episode, "intriguing and mysterious" were not the adjectives that came to my mind to describe Nick Diaz. The words I thought of were "petulant" and "immature". He doesn't like the pretentiousness of what he has to do in the media and he would rather not do it. - Cesar Gracie This is absolute garbage. First off, you are a professional fighter who earns a hefty paycheck for your services and talents. Mixed Martial Arts is a sport but it is also a business. If you want to earn the money you say you deserve, then you have to play the game and part of the game is to talk to the media and sell yourself and the fight to the public. You cannot have it both ways. Not even the endlessly irritable and reclusive Brock Lesnar got to play that diva stuff and he was a bigger draw in this business than Nick Diaz has ever been and likely will ever be. Brock did the media he was required to do and therefore earned his paycheck by fulfilling his obligations. Imagine what would happen to you if you walked into your place of employment and told your boss, "I don't want to have to perform these required tasks in my job because I find it to be beneath me. I just don't like it so I won't be doing it and if you force me to do it, I will conduct myself in an incredibly unprofessional manner." Rest assured that your tenure will be very short lived from that point forward. If Nick wants the paycheck, he needs to do the job. He is not entitled to anything that other top tier fighters don't get. He hasn't earned it and if he was a top tier professional, he wouldn't ask for it or expect it. It's kinda hard to come off respectable when you are dealing with fighting. - Nick Diaz What a ridiculous cop out. The vast majority of mixed marital artists are incredibly respectful of the sport and their opponents. Respect is one of the major things that is learned from martial arts and if Nick cannot be respectful, he hasn't learned a damn thing from his training. That is, if things like respect and honor are being taught to him. To act like you can't be respectful of your opponent because you two are going to fight is so pathetic. It was just no fittin in anywhere. What happened was you know, I'd end up in these confrontations all the time because I was gonna fight with this kid and all is his friends were all like, "hey, you're gonna fight with this guy, you know, you're gonna fight Justin" and I'd be like, "hey, f*** you!" you know what I mean? Cause they think it's funny or they're talking sh** or some of them will come up and be like, "hey you're gonna fight Justin he's gonna whoop your ass" and I'd be like "hey, f*** you I'm gonna whoop your ass"....................high school was, high school was hard times. - Nick Diaz Wow. Nothing more intriguing and mysterious than a grown man whining about how high school was difficult for him, amirite? I've got news for Nick Diaz. No one had an easy time growing up. Even in the most ideal of situations growing up is very difficult. Life throws a lot of tough questions, curveballs and situations your way and dealing with those and improving yourself as a person either through them or in spite of them is all part of growing up. This performance that Nick is putting on about how he conducts himself the way he does because his life was so allegedly difficult is incredibly hollow and really shows his immaturity. No one had an easy childhood. We all got picked on, in fights and harassed by our peers. Nothing about that makes you special and nothing about that is a viable excuse for the way you conduct yourself in your adult life. Maybe the problem is that Nick Diaz has never grown up. His second grade teacher even expressed how he was "exactly the same" now as he was then. That is an incredibly sad and damning statement about Nick. If someone says you are exactly the same at 28 that you were at 7, there are a lot of problems there. There could be other contributing factors to the way Nick Diaz acts. Maybe it is the environment in which he trains and the people he surrounds himself with. Perhaps there is a mental disorder that needs to be diagnosed and treated. If the contributing factors, whatever they may be, are not addressed it could be a disaster for not only his career, but his life as well. He has already cost himself a huge payday and a shot at the most prestigious title in his potential fight against Georges St. Pierre by no-showing two consecutive media obligations. Hopefully for him, agreeing to do the Primetime show is a step in the right direction. I know the past was tough and growing up was difficult. I know you think you are above respecting your opponents and fulfilling the obligations of your chosen profession but do us all a favor Nick Diaz and suck it up. The rest of us in the work world do it and there is no reason you can't either. You are not special and you are not entitled to any kind of preferential treatment or free ride through life. It's time to drop the excuses and facade and be a grown up.

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick diaz, nick, life

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Back in 2005, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweights Diego Sanchez and Nick Diaz put on a memorable performance for the ages, headlining The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 2 Finale in Las Vegas, Nevada. The two scrappy fighter's battled tooth-and-nail for three rounds, and in the end, the judges awarded Sanchez the unanimous decision victory, much to the disappointment of Diaz. Diaz suffered back-to-back losses after that bout, but has since then gone a tear with a 15-1-1 record, solidifying himself as one of the most dangerous fighters in the division by capturing the 170-pound Strikeforce title before vacating it to rejoin the UFC ranks. Sanchez, on the other hand, remained with the UFC, bouncing around the lightweight and welterweight divisions, picking up a few "Fight of the Night" honors and losing a lightweight championship match against then 155-pound kingpin B.J. Penn along the way. Six years later, now that both are competing once again in the UFC's welterweight division, what would happen if the two were booked to rematch in the Octagon? "The Dream" tells OpposingViews.com that history would simply repeat itself. Check it out: "Man, everybody out there, straight up, I don't like to hear this crap about Nick Diaz. I'm hearing this stuff on Sherdog, 'Oh Diego Sanchez and Nick Diaz...gotta pick Nick Diaz, that was a long time ago and he's gotten so much better.' You know what man, we've all gotten better. Styles make fights! I'm still a guy that's gonna take down Nick Diaz, I'm still a guy that's gonna push the pace on Nick Diaz, I'm still the guy that's tough enough to take Nick Diaz's little pitter-patter punches. Styles make fights. Nick Diaz has this grappling that's on point and so do I. We get back in there again, I'm going to kick his ass again." Before the rematch ever even has the possibility of going down, both have dangerous upcoming opponents they have to worry about. The Stockton slugger will headline UFC 143 on Super Bowl weekend (Feb. 5, 2012) opposite Sanchez's training partner, Carlos Condit, for the interim welterweight title, while Sanchez will face a "Juggernaut" in Jake Ellenberger at UFC on Fuel TV 1 just 10 days later. A win for both Sanchez and Diaz could inch them closer to a possible rematch down the road. Then again, a loss for both could accomplish the same objective, too. Now that's a real dream.

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick, sanchez, im

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submitted by bluntmanchronic [link] [4 comments]

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, shot, bluntmanchronic

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"GSP's rehab could not be going better," said White. "I kid you not, he texts me every day. Tonight during the fight, he was texting me pictures of him kicking, of him doing things. He says, 'I am praying every night when I go to bed that Nick Diaz wins this fight.' I have never seen Georges St. Pierre ... hate somebody. He hates Nick Diaz. I've never seen him hate somebody. I've never seen him so motivated to fight somebody, and to beat somebody as he is Nick Diaz. He's ahead of schedule now, being

Posted in: fight, nick, fight somebody, somebody, i kid

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Embrace the hate, y'all. Apparently that's what UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre has done while he's been on the sidelines rehabbing his torn up knee. And it's helping the process along nicely, according to UFC President Dana White. If he keeps going like he's going, White believes it's entirely possible the 170-pound king can "Rush" back into action this summer, far sooner than the target return date of November St. Pierre pegged recently on an episode of Inside MMA. As White explains to Ariel Helwani, the French-Canadian is motivated by the extreme hate he feels for Nick Diaz. And he's praying every night that he beats Carlos Condit at UFC 143 on Feb. 4 in Las Vegas, Nevada. "GSP's rehab could not be going better. I kid you not, he texts me every day. Tonight during the fight, he was texting me pictures of him kicking, of him doing things. He says, 'I am praying every night when I go to bed that Nick Diaz wins this fight.' I have never seen Georges St. Pierre hate somebody. He hates Nick Diaz. I've never seen him hate somebody. I've never seen him so motivated to fight somebody and to beat somebody as he is Nick Diaz. He's ahead of schedule now, being the freak of nature that he is and the hard worker and dedicated athlete that he is, I think he's going to be back sooner than doctors anticipated. (Perhaps the summer time), yes." So if everything works out over the winter, we could be looking at Junior dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem for the heavyweight championship, Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva for the middleweight crown and Nick Diaz vs. Georges St. Pierre to unify the welterweight titles. Let's not be hasty, though. St. Pierre's knee injury was such that if he returns sooner than he should and something goes wrong, the results could be disastrous. Career-ending, even. Is that really worth the risk? Then again, he really is a freak of nature and maybe it will all work out in the end. Or maybe Carlos Condit will defeat Diaz and none of this will matter come Feb. 5. Stay tuned, Maniacs.

Posted in: diaz, nick, pierre, st, he

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Georges St. Pierre could be back in action a lot sooner than anyone expected, says UFC president Dana White. Dana told FUEL TV’s Ariel Helwani last night that GSP’s rehab “could not be going better” and thinks he’ll be ready to go “sooner than doctors anticpated.” “GSP’s rehab could not be going better,” White said. “He was texting me pictures of him kicking, doing everything. … I think he’s going to be back sooner than doctors anticipated.” It sounds like wishful thinking to me considering the nature of the injury. The last thing GSP wants to do is rush things when he’s recovering from a torn ACL. Furthermore, St. Pierre told Inside MMA just last week that he won’t be ready to fight until November. Regardless of when he returns though, GSP really hopes Nick Diaz is the fighter standing across from him when he does get back in the Octagon. “He says, ‘I am praying every night when I go to bed that Nick Diaz wins this fight,’” White said. “I have never seen Georges St. Pierre hate somebody. He hates Nick Diaz. I’ve never seen him so motivated to fight somebody and to beat somebody like Nick Diaz.” While we’re still a ways away from seeing St. Pierre back in the Octagon, it’s looking like we could see UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones back in action before the start of the summer. Jones hinted during last night’s UFC on FX 1 post-fight show that he could headline UFC 145 on April 21 in Atlanta. As we’ve already covered ad nauseam, Jones will likely end up facing either Rashad Evans or Dan Henderson, depending on the outcome of Evans’ headlining bout against Phil Davis next weekend at UFC on FOX 2. Check out Dana White’s full interview with Ariel Helwani below.

Posted in: ufc, nick, gsp, st, dana

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submitted by tekprodfx16 [link] [3 comments]

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, question, tekprodfx

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submitted by zxcvbn33 [link] [comment]

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, zxcvbn

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by Dustin De La Torre Joseph Sandoval sits down with Fight Hub TV correspondent Dustin De La Torre to talk about his upcoming fight versus Nick Denis at UFC on FX this Friday. “I know I am going to get the “W”, and I will be happy to get the win however it comes.” Sandoval [...]

Posted in: fight, nick, sandoval, fx bout, nick denis

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As today’s clip demonstrates a fight in hockey doesn’t always have to last for more than a minute to be highly entertaining. In fact, when the Ottawa Senators’ Nick Foligno and Toronto Maple Leafs’ Dion Phaneuf mix it up, they likely cover more ground while exchanging crisp crosses and jaw-jarring jabs than some players do in an entire game! Tweet

Posted in: fight, nick, hockey, hockey fight, jawjarring jabs

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UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre is targeting a November return to the Octagon after recovering from a knee injury and surgery and hopes to fight Nick Diaz in his first fight back. “Hard training will be in July, and fighting again I would say beginning of November,” St-Pierre said Monday on Inside MMA on HDNet. “Of course [I hope to fight this year]. Late October or the beginning of November would be good.” St-Pierre hopes Diaz wins his clash with Carlos Condit next month at UFC 143 for the interim welterweight title because it would set up a bigger fight for his return and a matchup that was previously scheduled twice. “The reason why I wish Nick Diaz to win that fight is because I want to fight Nick Diaz.  I don’t want to fight Carlos Condit, I want to fight Nick Diaz. I just hope the best man will win, but if the best man is Nick Diaz I will appreciate it more because it will be a better build up for a fight.” A November return would be more than 18 months after St-Pierre outpointed Jake Shields in his most-recent fight at UFC 129 this past April in front of a record crowd in Toronto, Canada for his 10th-straight win.

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick, november, stpierre

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submitted by KissMeBeard [link] [2 comments]

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick, house, homie

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Filed under: UFC, NewsUFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre could be considered a Nick Diaz fan, at least for the next several weeks. St-Pierre, who is currently rehabbing his right knee, says he prefers to see Diaz capture the interim title against Carlos Condit at UFC 143 on Feb. 4. "The reason why I wish Nick Diaz to win that fight is because I want to fight Nick Diaz," St-Pierre said Monday during a live studio appearance on HDNet's Inside MMA. "I don't want to fight Carlos Condit. I want to fight Nick Diaz. But in another way, I just hope the best man will win. But if the best man is Nick Diaz I will appreciate it more because it would be a better build up for the fight." St-Pierre's absolutely correct. From a marketing perspective, a St-Pierre showdown against Diaz would be an easy sell. First, there's the backstory of St-Pierre being the UFC champion and Diaz being the former Strikeforce welterweight titleholder. And there's even more anticipation now that the fight has fallen through twice. "That's the fight that had to happen in the beginning. It didn't happen," St- Pierre said. "At first he didn't show up for the promotion and after I got hurt and this whole thing happened. That's really the fight that I want to do." They've never trained together, but St-Pierre has closer ties to Condit, having called Greg Jackson's gym his team before making the full-time move to the TriStar gym. And although St-Pierre thinks highly of Condit, St-Pierre's preference to see Diaz emerge the victor is strictly professional. "Even though I like Carlos Condit better as a person," St-Pierre says. "I would rather fight Nick Diaz." St-Pierre also believes he'll be in exceptional form for a fight against the trash-talking Diaz. "I'm at my best when there's pressure on my shoulders," St-Pierre said. "I'm at my best when someone is picking on me." St-Pierre underwent successful knee surgery in December and said Monday he is planning to return to hard training in July. St-Pierre told Inside MMA he's eyeing late October, early November for his return. Or at least one fight by the end of the year. "I hope so, please," said St-Pierre, holding his hands in a prayer position. "Give it to me." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick, condit, stpierre

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On Sat., Feb. 4, 2012, Stockton slugger Nick Diaz will take on Carlos Condit at UFC 143 in Las Vegas, Nevada, to determine who will hold the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) interim welterweight title belt. Whoever emerges victorious will not only own a new shiny accessory for their waist, but will also have a ticket to be the first to fight Georges St. Pierre when he returns from his ACL injury. "GSP" is currently on the shelf for an indefinite amount of time because of surgery on his right knee, which will take significant time and grueling rehabilitation to fully recover. Regardless of who wins the interim title bout at UFC 143, it makes for an interesting match up. St. Pierre was supposed to fight both men on separate occasions, all within the span of a few days. However, because of some missed press conferences by Diaz, and then an injury suffered by St. Pierre, neither fight ended up going down. Tonight (Jan. 16, 2012), St. Pierre appeared on HDNet's "Inside MMA" to discuss his injury, as well as his feelings about "Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit." According to "Rush," he'd like to see Diaz come out on top: "I do actually care. There are two guys that are fighting, Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit -- Carlos Condit is a very nice guy. I never trained with him but I have trained in Albuquerque along with some of his teammates, and he's a very nice guy. I like him a lot. But, the reason why I wish Nick Diaz to win this fight is that I want to fight Nick Diaz. I don't wanna fight Carlos Condit. I wanna fight Nick Diaz. But, in another way, I just hope the best man will win. But if the best man is Nick Diaz, I will appreciate it more, because it will be a better build up for a fight." Regarding his injury, St. Pierre said that he feels like it was his own fault for possibly not listening to his body when he suffered a less painful injury to his left knee, sometime last year: "One of the reasons why I got that injury is that I didn't do that (take enough time rehabbing). I didn't listen to myself. I had a first injury to my left knee. I tried to come back too fast and I was compensating with my other leg. That's how I hurt myself." No champion wants to have his belt tossed around or his legacy tarnished by someone else walking around with the "interim" tag. For "GSP," the belt is irrelevant. It's just about winning the next fight: "For me, I try to not think about the belt. When I'm going into a fight, when I fight the winner of that fight, I'm not thinking 'I'm the champion.' I'm thinking I'm gonna fight for the title. Because, if you lose, you're gonna lose the title, even if you had it before or not. That won't matter." St. Pierre also spent a few minutes discussing some of the criticism he's taken during his career. Criticism that has gone so far as to label him as a "boring" or "safe" fighter. He acknowledges the naysayers and had a bit to say about what it's been like to be a champion under the magnifying glass: "The thing is, when you defend the title and do it a few times, there is a routine that comes with it and people expect you to win. And they not only expect you to win, they expect you to do great. Sometimes, it can play on your mind. That's a little bit of what happened to me. I felt like I lost a little bit of motivation. That's the danger that can happen with champions sometimes." At the end of the segment, St. Pierre reiterated just how much he is hoping for a Nick Diaz win at UFC 143. He likes Carlos Condit. He thinks he's a nice guy. But Diaz is, by far, the fight he desires: "That's really the fight that I wanted to have and the fight was going to happen in the beginning. And it didn't happen, because he (Diaz) didn't show up for the promotion. Then after I got hurt and this whole thing happened and -- that's really the fight that I wanted to have happen. Even though I like Carlos Condit better as a person, I would rather fight Nick Diaz." What do you think, Maniacs? Will "GSP" get his wish? Or will he find himself face-to-face with "The Natural Born Killer" next time he enters the Octagon? Opinions, please.

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick, pierre, carlo

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submitted by xKrazExMNUx [link] [9 comments]

Posted in: nick diaz, nick, xkrazexmnux, hand, freddie

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LayzieTheSavage eats like his life doesn't depend on it. Nick Diaz and I have tried to get him to a low-carb, gluten-free diet but the allure of hamburgers is entirely too much for him. Last weekend at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine, I chose to dive into LayzieTheSavage's world of eating unhealthy by gobbling up ten Hooters wings at 1:30 am Sunday morning. It resulted in me praying to the porcelain god for nearly a half-hour the next day. I've never grappled with Layzie before, but judging from his claim that 'he's not going to get this' when Nick Diaz has the ability to arm bar Galactus, then it's pretty evident that LayzieTheSavage is living in a universe that stems from the illusion that he can actually grapple. Check out this clip of Nick Diaz manhandling Layzie, and then Ronda Rousey just using his body as a grappling dummy in this MiddleEasy/MMAHeat collaboration.

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, ronda rousey, layziethesavage

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submitted by killzy707 [link] [1 comment]

Posted in: layzie, ronda, killzy, time, nick

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submitted by 2WAR [link] [2 comments]

Posted in: nick, war, bong

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submitted by lukeh15 [link] [2 comments]

Posted in: bj penn, nick, bj, lukeh, masse

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submitted by lukeh15 [link] [13 comments]

Posted in: bj penn, nick diaz, nick, bj, lukeh

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If you ever want Nick Diaz to be more socially open to you, my suggestion would be to embrace a gluten-free, low-carb diet. If you passed Diaz's strict dietary regime, then you will need to sporadically work out with him at 2:15 am in the morning. The two activities will facilitate a stronger relationship with Nick Diaz. That's the best advice I can give to MMA journalists that have been struggling for years to get an interview with the former Strikeforce middleweight champion. However, if you seek to build a bond with Nick or even Cesar Gracie, try not to call him out on Twitter. It's futile. Nick Diaz doesn't even read Twitter. He's responded to only one person on Twitter -- and it was me. However, Cesar Gracie does have a slight fetish with social media and he used GracieFighter.com to issue a response to BJ Penn after his short online tirade yesterday. "BJ Penn has apparently not come to terms with the beating he received at the hands of Nick Diaz." "At some point it is up to those around you to protect you from yourself. To take you aside and let you know you are wrong and help save you from your folly. Unfortunately for Penn he is surrounded by “Yes Men” that are unwilling to do that. The outcome will be predictable, resulting in a fighter that will never push himself to the fullest and will always have excuses for his losses." I wrote this entire article sitting in my underwear in a casino in Las Vegas. Apparently I have not come to terms with putting on clothes. [Source]

Posted in: diaz, bj penn, nick diaz, nick, cesar gracie

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submitted by BlueWg [link] [2 comments]

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, bluewg

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I haven't shaved since UFC 137 weekend, and judging by this tweet BJ Penn hasn't watched his fight with Nick Diaz since the last time I brought a razor to my face on Halloween weekend 2011. I thought that BJ and Nick were back to being all buddy buddy after their war in the Bay at Mandalay. Nick even invited BJ to come train with him...Apparently not. BJ must have just watched the fight this morning, because he is none too pleased and just tweeted the following: Penn/Diaz is the fight that just keeps on giving. Fifteen minutes of awesome in the cage, an epic post fight press conference, now this? That said, BJ should change all of his t-shirts from 'Just Scrap' to 'Just Scrap From the Beginning'. Here's the Fight Metric stats from that fateful night if you wanted to look at them. Also, does this mean BJ isn't retired? I'm so confused. [Source]

Posted in: fight, nick diaz, nick, bj, time i

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submitted by Kalamestari [link] [13 comments]

Posted in: bj penn, nick diaz, nick, bj, twitter

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submitted by vikhound [link] [5 comments]

Posted in: nick diaz, nick, training, vikhound, ronda

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Nate Diaz talks to UFC.com about his early days of getting into training and eventually ending up on the Ultimate Fighter. Both events seem to have been spurred on by his brother Nick, which is kinda surprising since you'd think all the advice Nick gives out would lead to incarceration or an early grave, not wealth and success. “We were sitting at home when they started The Ultimate Fighter, and we’re like ‘this s**t is ridiculous,’” said Nate. “We were just criticizing it horribly and we’re laughing at it, saying ‘hell no, I would never do that.’ And then they called him for The Ultimate Fighter, but Nick was like ‘I’m not doing that show.’”Nick refused a spot on season four of TUF, but when the call came in for season five, it was for Nate. The younger Diaz refused, even though Cesar Gracie believed he should do it. Then Nick entered the picture.“I think you should do it,” Nick told his brother.So he did, but as soon as taping began, he wanted out.“I said I’m getting out of here,” recalled Nate. “I don’t even know why I’m here.”But then his first fight against Rob Emerson was set.“At that point I couldn’t leave, because if I left, it would be like I didn’t want to fight somebody.”Diaz beat Emerson, and again, he would lie awake at night plotting for a way to leave. He didn’t do it though, and after beating Corey Hill, Gray Maynard, and Manny Gamburyan, he won the season title and a UFC contract.“It was a good thing I stayed because it was like a shortcut and it got me right into the UFC,” he said. “It was the best thing that could have happened. I had no money, I was broke, I was a kid, and I had no direction, and at that point it kinda gave me a direction.” Nate's time on the Ultimate Fighter also solidified his reputation as 'the sane Diaz brother', with the one major spat on the show involving him being mostly Karo Parisyan's fault. Although to be fair to Karo, did Nate know who he was bro?

Posted in: diaz, nick, ’t, i ’m, nate

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Nate Diaz was a boy among men…literally. In a gym that housed not only Cesar Gracie, but UFC standouts David Terrell and Gil Castillo, Nate’s brother Nick, and up and comers Jake Shields and Gilbert Melendez, every day was a fight for survival for the Stockton teenager.“It was really intimidating going down there,” said Diaz during an interview for the recent Countdown to UFC 141 show. “I went down to Cesar’s and it was Dave Terrell, Gil Castillo, Cesar, Nick and Jake, and Nick and Jake were just the young guys there too. Nick would be like ‘don’t get tapped out today.’ So I’d go in there with this competitive attitude and it was really hard to not get tapped out in that gym. Most likely it wasn’t gonna happen.”Yet Diaz kept showing up, which in his neighborhood was more than half the battle. His mother Melissa did her part, working long hours as a waitress while putting her two sons and their sister in various sports to keep them from straying to the streets. But there was always an imminent sense of danger.“Growing up here, there’s a lot of tension, a lot of gang activity, a lot of tough guys,” he said. “There’s just a lot going on. Like any city, it’s got good parts and bad parts, so you gotta watch out where you’re at. I wasn’t trying to be in no trouble, but it was definitely hard to stay out of trouble. But you just keep on the right path and stay going the way you need to go.”For Nate, that path was paved by his older brother, who had already started on his road into professional fighting, and one day Nick decided it was time for Nate to do the same.“As soon as I finished school, I’d be sitting around the house and I wasn’t doing much,” remembered Nate. “Nick said ‘What are you doing? Why don’t you come train with me?’ And he threw a pair of gi pants at me.”Right then and there, the die was cast, though as Nate recalls, “Back then fighting and training in jiu-jitsu wasn’t a trendy thing.”So the early days weren’t filled with interviews, photo shoots, and quick graduations to the UFC. Instead, it was a situation where a bunch of friends put that friendship aside for hours at a time in order to beat each other up and learn how to become fighters. Nate especially found a kindred spirit in future Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez.“I remember having wars with him,” said Diaz, who would shake off any idea of skipping practice when he knew “El Nino” was showing up that day.“That was a rush just going down there. I’d tell Nick I’m gonna hang out a bit, and he’d say ‘Gilbert’s coming.’ All right, let’s go. (Laughs) It was really good because it was a competitive thing, and at the same time they were our friends.”Eventually, Nate would join his brother, Melendez, and Shields on the pro fighting circuit, mixing in MMA bouts with boxing smokers and Toughman contests. By 2006, he was a respected prospect, but after a WEC loss to Hermes Franca, he was at a crossroads at only 21 years old. Enter The Ultimate Fighter, an avenue into the UFC that neither Diaz brother wanted any part of.“We were sitting at home when they started The Ultimate Fighter, and we’re like ‘this s**t is ridiculous,’” said Nate. “We were just criticizing it horribly and we’re laughing at it, saying ‘hell no, I would never do that.’ And then they called him for The Ultimate Fighter, but Nick was like ‘I’m not doing that show.’”Nick refused a spot on season four of TUF, but when the call came in for season five, it was for Nate. The younger Diaz refused, even though Cesar Gracie believed he should do it. Then Nick entered the picture.“I think you should do it,” Nick told his brother. So he did, but as soon as taping began, he wanted out.“I said I’m getting out of here,” recalled Nate. “I don’t even know why I’m here.”But then his first fight against Rob Emerson was set.“At that point I couldn’t leave, because if I left, it would be like I didn’t want to fight somebody.”Diaz beat Emerson, and again, he would lie awake at night plotting for a way to leave. He didn’t do it though, and after beating Corey Hill, Gray Maynard, and Manny Gamburyan, he won the season title and a UFC contract.“It was a good thing I stayed because it was like a shortcut and it got me right into the UFC,” he said. “It was the best thing that could have happened. I had no money, I was broke, I was a kid, and I had no direction, and at that point it kinda gave me a direction.”He’s kept moving since then, racking up an 8-5 record in his post-Gamburyan UFC career, and on Friday, he moves up to a Pay-Per-View co-main event slot against streaking Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. In the lead-up to the bout, the phrase “Fight of the Night” is almost always attached to the matchup, and the way Diaz sees it, that’s with good reason.“He’s actually one of the guys who likes to fight in the UFC, compared to people who like to wrestle and jump around, point scoring and doing all that funny stuff,” said Diaz, 26, whose September submission of former PRIDE champion Takanori Gomi was his most impressive win to date, which is saying something when you’re talking about a fighter with seven post-fight awards in his 14 Octagon bouts.But Diaz isn’t about the awards or the acclaim; he’s all about the fight, an attitude some competitors lose along the way. And no matter how you feel about Diaz, you have to respect that he is always consistent and always looking to put on a show for the fans. More than a decade after he stepped into Cesar Gracie’s gym for the first time, that much will never change.“When I fight, I’m mad,” he said. “I’m starving, I had to make weight, I trained my ass off, and I’m there to entertain. I’m just trying to do what I gotta do. Some people are out there trying to be the nicest guy, but I feel like a lot of that is frontin’. I think the difference between me and other people is that they’re playing the nice guy role and they’re just really well-behaved on camera. I meet a lot of people and they’re like ‘you’re not such a bad guy.’ What does that mean? When you see me on camera I’ve got to fight another person, and I’m not gonna put on a front.”It’s a fight. Nate Diaz won’t let you forget it.  

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Whatever you think Nick Diaz is doing at this exact moment, he's not doing it. That's just using applied statistics. The probability of a person doing or thinking the same thing as you during the same moment is astronomically against you. The best anyone can do is cull historical data and use it to predict what a person is doing at any given time. That's basically we did in our new list of 'The Top Ten Curiously Interesting Videos Nick Diaz has Favorited on YouTube.' Nick Diaz hasn't exactly embraced social media with open arms. Not at all. It's more like he's been taunting social media and slapped it in its face a couple times. However, the 209er has been an active participant of YouTube for nearly five years. We decided to dive into the NickDiaz209 channel and see what we can truly find out about the former Strikeforce welterweight champion. It's a shame that I have to explain the science of 'Blaster Master' to an entire generation of kids that's never stepped foot in an arcade or even methodically blew into a NES cartridge in hopes that it would work. Before Kinect, Xbox 360 and Runescape, there was Blaster Master. It was revolutionary simply because it provided the player an option to experience the game both within a vehicle and on foot. That's right, back in 1988 you didn't really have to do much to make our heads ignite in amazement. Blaster Master follows the storyline of every young kid in the late-80s: Boy is in love with frog, frog escapes the oppressive glass container the boy put him in, frog jumps into a radioactive container conveniently placed in the boy's backyard, frog grows to mythic proportions and burrows deep within the earth, boy irresponsibly jumps in the hole only to find a fully equipped armored vehicle with a giant gun attached and armor in the driver seat. Granted it's no ordinary gun. Not at all. This one has the unique ability of 360 degree firing for the sake of conquering evil. I've never finished the game. It still remains as an unwritten chapter in my life. What I remember is using an exploit where you shoot a grenade at the first boss, push pause, and while the game is frozen, the boss still takes damage and eventually dies. Perhaps Nick Diaz favorited this video in order to reacquaint himself with perhaps the greatest theme music that's ever been placed in an 8-bit game. That music is the stuff gods are made out of. That music will make you want to strap on a headband and climb a really tall tree.   This guy I know from the 209 named 'Brock' told me that at some point in their life, all 209ers will be handcuffed for a brief period of time. It must be one of those 'rites of passages' things that you see on the Discovery channel when tribes force kids to endure incredibly difficult tasks just to be considered a man. The art of escaping handcuffs is something that any reasonable citizen should learn. We're not saying Nick Diaz has been shackled before, but he's taking preventive measures -- and that should be admired. It's impossible to 'be scared, homie' when you're 'prepared, homie.' Take note, and explore the techniques of escaping handcuffs. Nick Diaz has, and he's riding an 11-0 winning streak. Coincidence? I think not.   If you're not familiar with Alex Grey, then you've deprived yourself from staring at one of his psychedelic masterpieces while listening to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. If you've never done ayahuasca, then you've deprived yourself from actually visiting the dark side of the moon while being a psychedelic masterpiece. I'll try to write the rest of this without consulting Wikipedia or Erowid since I've spent the better part of my life listening to every Terence McKenna lecture that's been released on tape. Back in the days before modern transportation and television, the shamans of South America used to keep busy by consuming massive amounts of hallucinogenics. These substances would transport the shamans to radically new planes of existence and when they finally 'return' back to earth, they will have extracted some sort of esoteric knowledge to bring back to their tribe. This could be anything from finding an apparent cure to an illness, or something as insignificant as recognizing that the back of one's hand looks mindblowing under the influence of psychedelics. Through endlessly wandering through the Amazon rainforest, shamans found a vine that was incredibly dense in 5-MeO-Dimethyltryptamine (perhaps the strongest hallucinogenic ever discovered, a derivative of regular DMT which is actually found within your body). However, in order to experience the substance, one would need to combine the vine with an MAO inhibitor so that the psychedelic properties won't get destroyed in digestion. Somehow these shamans randomly found a leaf that serves as the perfect MAO inhibitor, which was naturally grown hundreds of miles away on the opposite end of the Amazon rainforest. Once both substances are combined, the result is called 'ayahuasca' and it will literally transport you to another time and place -- just ask Robin Quivers. For Nick Diaz to favorite this video on YouTube, we're assuming he already knows the process of ayahuasca -- and that's amazing.   Stop for one second and imagine a thirteen-year-old Nick Diaz jamming out to Sneaker Pimps' debut album inside his room in Stockton, California. I share the same birthday with Diaz, so I was most likely be doing the same thing. While Portishead may have given birth to the trip-hop movement in the early 90s, Sneaker Pimps undoubtedly defined the genre for years to come. With Kelli Dayton's vampirish vocals and Liam Howe's electronica-inspired production, Sneaker Pimps' 'Becoming X' had six singles from the album rise to the top of US, UK and Australian dance charts. The album even went gold, and the video for '6 Underground' became a MTV staple in the mid/late 90s. So what do you do when you have an incredibly successful album with a singer that every teenager in high-school crushed on? Well, you kick the singer out of the band on your sophomore album and replace her vocals with your androgynous guitar player. There's nothing necessarily bad with 'Splinter,' Sneaker Pimps' second album. The video for 'Low Five' even starts off with a little slow-motion jiu-jitsu. However, everyone seems to overlook that it's an incredibly dick thing to kick out the lead singer of the band just because every photographer wanted to feature Kelli Dayton as the focus of every photo captured of Sneaker Pimps. She can't help it if she's uniquely attractive (and she still is). The band went on to create 'Bloodsport,' an album that is actually on par with Becoming X. Since this is MiddleEasy and we have a strong fascination with going deep into details that some may deem insignificant, Sneaker Pimps eventually disbanded in 2005 and Chris Corner went on to create IAMX. The inspiration for IAMX's debut album seemed to be derived from an exploration in depression, promiscuous sexual practices, casual drug use, the death of religion and a strong questioning against authority. It's basically a manifesto for everyone in the 209. Unfortunately, Nick Diaz's musical interests has never ventured to the many projects that spawned from Sneaker Pimps, including Kelli Dayton's 2008 album 'Rocking Horse' which is so far from the music she created on Becoming X. I'm assuming Nick Diaz favorited 'Six Underground' in hopes that the band will one day reunite and reignite trip-hop. Either that, or he's still obsessed with Kelli Dayton. Both explanations I can totally understand.   If Jon Bones Jones admits to learning moves from fight scenes he's watched on YouTube, the MMA world can only hope that for his next fight, Nick Diaz will rock a Jheri curl while simultaneously ripping off his shirt and screaming for no apparent reason. This following fight scene is from a 1993 movie called 'Undefeatable' (yes, that's actually the name of the movie) and according to IMDB, the storyline is equally as complex. "Kristi Jones (Cynthia Rothrock) avenges her sister's death at the hands of a crazed martial arts rapist." As Miguel Torres and Forrest Griffin taught us, there's nothing funny with 'rape' and 'martial arts.' However, when you throw in two grunting men that would much rather prefer to lick knives and forcefully remove their shirts instead of actually fighting, then it's downright hilarious. Check out the 'best fight scene of all time' from Undefeatable, a clip that Diaz has probably laughed at an innumerable amount of times.   Ayn Rand's theory of objectivism is so perfect of a philosophy, that it will never be widely accepted in Western culture. According to Rand, the acceptance of God gives humans the right to act irrationally and that by not believing in God, it forces humanity to follow an objective path of reason. I just granted every college student 6-9 credits towards their bachelors in philosophy with that explanation. Essentially, every question that could ever be asked regarding Ayn Rand is just another variation of the answer that I just provided. Don't believe me, go ahead and try. Judging from other videos Nick Diaz favorited on YouTube, he appears to be an atheist on the constant exploration of disapproving his own belief. Ayn Rand would appreciate that, and so would every philosophy professor that gave me a 'C' at The University of Arizona. Check out this clip of the smartest woman who has ever lived going head-to-head with Phil Donahue in the early 80s.   When I was in after-school daycare, I would lug around a pirated tape of this movie and convince the supervisors to throw 'Bloodsport' in the VCR and let our entire class watch it. They didn't care about the gratuitous violence nor did they worry about the entire premise of the movie, which essentially involves a no-ruled fighting tournament in which the loser is executed by his opponent. The only thing they were concerned about was nudity within the film, and fortunately Bloodsport's only nude scene is a very brief portion where Jean-Claude Van Damme's rear-end shows as he pulls up his underwear. Granted, that's more of a miraculous moment in cinema history than it is 'nudity.' Nick Diaz grew up with the same fascination of Frank Dux that everyone else had in our generation. The only thing is, he followed his dreams whereas everyone else settled for a second-rate existence trapped in a cubicle at some job they don't even like. It's safe to assume that if Nick Diaz had a theme song for every time he made a public appearance, 'Fight to Survive' would be playing in the background.   The fact that Nick Diaz sat in front of his computer and watched this mundane interview regarding antidepressant studies is so incredible -- that it's depressing in itself. Perhaps the greatest thing is if you look at the comment section on the YouTube page, it's filled with stuff like 'Stockton 209 bitches!' and 'Nick Diaz!' I'm sure this isn't what iHealthTube intended, but at the end of the day, if Nick Diaz didn't favorite this video, no one out there would even know it existed.   When I worked in the produce department of Albertsons just before college, my manager was a stout believer this planet has no core. He believed that it was actually hollow inside and one must enter the inside of earth from the North Pole. There's actually a name for it. It's called 'Hollow Earth Theory' and some people believe that explorers in the past have actually visited the 'inner earth' and discovered a race of giants that lived in lush gardens in very sustainable temperature. Sure it's a theory that could be proven through rudimentary topographical data of the North Pole, however believers in the Hollow Earth Theory claim that no such evidence exists. The reason for the 'North Pole passage' is to 'neutralize the pressure' between the outer earth and the inner earth. Look, I can't pretend like I understand any of this stuff. You should probably watch this video explaining the theory, something that Nick Diaz has watched one afternoon in Stockton, California.   100 years from now, Dan Quinn's Youtube clips will be studied by historians and they will all collectively agree that he was ahead of his time. Way ahead of his time. Dan Quinn claims that he's discovered an elixir for eternal youth which also doubles as a fuel source that can save the earth. It's all based on a cocktail of Stevia, marijuana and 'pure-h20'. Apparently this mixture has enabled Dan Quinn to have an MMA record of 5-6-1. Now the dude has aimed his bong inspired Youtube rants directly at Nick Diaz. Originally, my plan was to present you guys with the completed 'The Saint of Stevia' film, something that we started on in November 2010. Around this time last year, we released a trailer with the promise that the feature documentary would soon follow. Well, a year later we're still not done with the project. It's coming, but so is a lot of other stuff at MiddleEasy. Hopefully this video of Dan Quinn directly addressing Nick Diaz will hold you over until then.

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Matthew Roth: 2011 was a gigantic year for combat sports, what was your favorite moment(s) of the year? Not talking fight of the year, I'm talking moments. The kind that gave you goosebumps or made you jump out of your seat. Tim Burke: Two moments made me run around my house like a crazy person. The first was Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira knocking out Brendan Schaub. That ruled on so many levels. The second was the very next bout, when Shogun bounced Forrest Griffin's head off the mat like a basketball. UFC 134 made my Pride fanboy year. There was also UFC 135, when Mark Hunt went for that armbar... Matthew Roth: For me, my favorite moments didn't actually take place in MMA. My first favorite moment was Mark "Fight Shark" Miller's return to kickboxing. Mark has one of those amazing stories where he's dealt with adversity his entire life. Being able to return to kickboxing after open heart surgery was huge. Winning in seconds just made it an incredible moment for me. Just so much going on that I had a personal investment in the fight. My other favorite moment was Badr Hari's walk out in France against Tony Gregory. The fight was complete ass but the walkout was Muhammed Ali in Africa-esque. He was swarmed by fans who awaited his return. It literally gave me goosebumps. Tim Burke: If we're including other sports, Jim Gray eviscerating Russell Mora after his terrible reffing in the first Mares/Agbeko fight makes it there for me too. Gray is generally a moron, but he was absolutely awesome in those few moments. More after the jump... Ben Thapa: 2011 was the year that Nick Diaz ascended to stardom. By now, it is apparent to almost all combat sports fans that Nick is fundamentally not built to fight in a non-entertaining way. His start to the year with the Evangelista Santos fight was fun, but his next fight with Paul Daley would yield maybe the most exciting round in the history of mixed martial arts. I watched it live, jumped out of my seat upon the first knockdown, stayed up hollering at the TV like a demented monkey until the surprising end and still cannot watch that fight months afterwards without getting charged up. Then Nick went out and put on the B.J. Penn fight. His fighting skills were on full display, but the star-making performance came from his particular brand of volatile complaining interspersed with extremely quotable and directed verbal jabs at future opponents and those around him. Nick touched all kinds of nerves that night and everything was right to give him the shot against Georges St. Pierre. Unfortunately, the injury saga of GSP has tabled that fight, but we still get to see Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz fight soon. How awesome is that? And it's all due to Nick Diaz being a stubborn, squeaky wheel type who won't back down from anyone and has the skills to back it up. Dallas Winston: Maybe it's more recent and still weighing on my mind, but The Korean Zombie's KO of Hominick is my choice. The guy has a knack for pulling off amazing accomplishments and no one giving him a chance in hell made it that much sweeter. Honorable mention would be Nick Diaz's UFC debut against Penn. I like and respect both fighters but Diaz replicating the same level of pitter-patter domination he did in Strikeforce made for a phenomenal statement. David Castillo: Easy pick: the end of round 1 as Frankie Edgar walks to his corner at UFC 136. Edgar/Maynard 3 may not be the best fight of the year when all is said and done, but that moment could not have been more vivid or surreal. Edgar gets smashed in round 1, and we're left wiping the reality windshield like Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park as if we're not sure we aren't watching a replay of the second fight earlier this year. But specifically following round 1 at 136, you just weren't sure. Would Maynard, having learned his lesson, finally capitalize? Or would it be all Edgar from here on out just like in the 2nd fight? A moment in MMA that was at once, confusing, exhilarating, and important. Plus the fight capped off an end to one of the few, and truly great trilogies in MMA history (and no the first fight wasn't that bad). KJ Gould: Time to give some non-MMA, lower profile combat sports some love. Bubba Jenkins upsetting Penn State's David Taylor in the 157lbs NCAA Division I final, in Pennsylvania, rubbing it in the face of his former team and of his former coach Cael Sanderson. Jordan Burroughs going from his second NCAA championship to being World Freestyle champion just a few months later. Vinny Magalhaes gutting his way through a Fabricio Werdum applied armbar to a points victory that won him Heavyweight gold at ADCC in Nottingham, England. Andre Galvao winning his division and the open weight Absolute at ADCC, showing an improvement in his wrestling, the ability to survive a Rousimar Palhares heelhook attempt, and finishing Pablo Popovitch with a Frank Gotch-esque toehold. With the double gold Galvao has the right to claim to be the best active submission grappler in the world. Ben Thapa: Marcelo Garcia ripping through the Mundials and ADCCs was incredible too. I think Murilo Santana might have been the only person to score points on him this year. Anyone ever get the feeling watching grappling tournaments that we've been thisfreakinclose to seeing Rickson pull a Jordan and re-enter competition? Seeing that craggy, super-intense face matside is probably up there with having John Smith walking the mats during college wrestling meets. Also, Burke, no mention of this magical CM Punk moment? Is this a secret shame of yours like owning Mandy Moore's first album? KJ Gould: Oh, you have to add Anthony Robles to the list. One legged wrestler who competed against and beat able bodied opponents to become an NCAA Division I champion? Plus is now going round giving motivational seminars and the like? This young man wins at life. T.P. Grant: Robles would be near the top of the list, as is vinny weathering werdum's armbar at adcc. UFC Rio as a show was just awesome. KJ took most of my moments in the world of grappling. For me 2011 was the year of the UFC mega card between UFC 111 and UFC Rio those two cards were just plain special in a way I hadn't experienced since UFC 100. Matthew Roth: 2011 has produced so many moments where I went 'woah'. Even inside MMA with seeing Frankie Edgar's knockout over Gray Maynard from press row. That was so ridiculous. No one expected it.Obviously Anderson's front kick to Vitor's face is up there. But for me the most memorable moment in MMA this year was Henderson beating Fedor. That was the best of the year. Junior Dos Santos' reaction to beating Cain Velasquez is a close second. Josh Nason: There were so many great moments in the cage or ring that I want to change gears and mention two "Holy sh*t" moments I'll always remember 2011 for that happened outside of it. The first was when I got the text on Saturday, March 12 that UFC had bought Strikeforce. I thought it was a joke and then, my Twitter feed exploded. I couldn't wrap my head around what happened and couldn't get enough news on what the story was. The other was the first wide shot from April's UFC 129 in Toronto. The sheer visual of that many people in one place to watch the UFC was something to see. Tim Burke: The SF buy was a total 'no way' moment for me too. Good call Jason. Fraser Coffeen: Roth hit the nail on the head with Mark Miller's big KO. I wish I could give more from the world of kickboxing, but not too much else really stuck out and grabbed me this year there.As for MMA, I've already written maybe 3 articles on what I think is the singular moment of the year, but I have no issues writing about it again: Tito Ortiz. UFC 132. Grave digger. Love Tito or hate Tito, if you've been a fan of the UFC for more than a few years, you have seen a lot of Tito Ortiz in the Octagon. And you've likely seen him in some absolutely incredible, dramatic wars. Fights against Frank Shamrock, Ken Shamrock (the 1st fight), Forrest Griffin (again, the 1st), the two Chuck Liddell fights - Tito brought a level of emotion and excitement to so many classic UFC showdowns. I'm a fan, but I admit it - I thought he was done, and that Bader would knock him out hard. Didn't happen. The run down, beat up champ got that one last win, and then did what he does better than anyone else in the business - celebrate. The grave digger routine, the leap onto the cage, the shouted message to the fans - it was like watching 2002 all over again, and I ate it up.The sport will always have icons, and people will, over time, surpass Tito Ortiz. But for a distinct period of UFC history, he was THE icon, the superstar, the legend. To see him have his one final moment of glory was a beautiful thing. Josh Nason: You know, for a singular "Wow!" moment, that Ortiz submission over Ryan Bader was incredible. I think that got overlooked with the amount of title matches.

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The opening line for the Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz battle at UFC 143 dropped last night, and frankly I was a little bit shocked at it. Condit opened as a very slight favorite at -125 to Nick's -105. As the title implies though, bettors know juicy lines when they see them and less that 24 hours later, the line now looks like this (courtesy of bodog.ca): Nick Diaz -150Carlos Condit +120 I expect more money to come in on Diaz in the next few days, and wouldn't be surprised to see him swell up into the -180 range. Of course, the late money will probably come in on Condit and bring it back closer to even, so if you think there's money to be made on Condit, you'll want to watch the line very closely over the next few weeks and strike when the line settles down. And if you wanted to make serious money on Diaz...well, you missed the boat last night. More SBN coverage of UFC 143

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submitted by mposha [link] [2 comments]

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Cesar Gracie had it all wrong. Nick Diaz isn't the Rosa Parks of MMA, he's the Ron Paul. Walk into any living room in the United States and ask the residents their opinion on either Nick Diaz or Ron Paul (or both) and the answers will be as varied as the people themselves. Sometimes they will gladly invite you inside to sit down and tell you about how much they love Nick Diaz's varied striking and lethal ground game as they fix you a warm mug of hot cocoa. Others will declare their backing of another candidate, slam the door in your face, then pull the shades aside and yell out the window about Nick not punching hard. Sometimes the things Nick and Ron say might sound 'crazy' and 'scary', but that's exactly what the truth is. Crazy and scary. LayzieTheSavage just dropped his latest quake inducing Nick Diaz highlight: Fight to the Finish Line. It's the spiritual sequel to Hey Nick, Nice Shot and it was a long time coming. Finally, it's here to reduce us to tears of rawesomeness. [Source]

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, ron paul, rosa parks

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Rising up through the ranks, Nick Macias hopes to upset Tyler Toner's hopes of returning to the UFC when the two meet in the Ring of Fire 42 main event on Saturday night.

Posted in: nick, fire, tyler toner, tyler toners, tyler

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Nick Newell is about as unique a fighter as there is in MMA today. On first glance, one would think the Connecticut-based fighter would have an uphill battle with every bout he takes because he's a congenital amputee, meaning he was born without his left hand, but don't tell him that. Despite his missing extremity, Newell was a very successful wrestler and his athletic feats continues in the cage when he decided to give the spot his full attention. With a victory earlier this month at XFC 15: Tribute against Denis Hernandez, Newell now sports a spotless 6-0 professional record with all six wins coming via first round stoppage. One need only take a look at the incredible video of his performance to understand just how violent "Notorious" Newell is capable of being. The inspirational combatant spoke with MMAmania.com to talk about his most recent victory, his challenges and his goals for his mixed martial arts career. See for yourself: Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): First I'd like to talk about your most recent fight. You had this incredible performance against Denis Hernandez. It was a very entertaining albeit brief bout. This was something I was wondering, when you were having that staredown before the fight and he was mad-dogging you a little bit, was that almost a good feeling to see that he was looking at you as a fighter, as any other opponent? Nick Newell: Yeah, I haven't had a staredown like that in every fight that's for sure. He let me know he meant business at weigh-ins because at weigh-ins I was being awfully friendly to him. I shook his hand and then he got right in my face and it kind of made me a little mad (laughs) and I'm fired up, but I'd be just as fired up if he were the coolest person in the world or if I hate the guy. I didn't have any ill feelings towards Denis, I actually think he's a really cool guy now but definitely it actually got me more pumped up that he was ready to fight. I knew it was gonna be awesome. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): It was a terrific all-around performance by you as well. You went out there and showcased your wrestling early, your ground and pound and I felt that it was a really slick transition. You went from being in his full guard to dropping back on a heel hook. Can you talk about what was going through your mind that made you think that would be such a good idea? Nick Newell: Well, we were standing up and I thought I hurt him with my first punch, actually. I backed him up and I dropped down with my first shot and it worked and I was like, "I hurt him!" and I went in to throw an elbow and I missed and kinda fell over off balance but at that point he was already backed up against the cage and I was down low so I felt, "I might as well take him down," and I did that pretty easy. He's a better wrestler than most, he has wrestling skill but I didn't feel like it was on the same level as my wrestling. I took him down and when I fell back for the heel hook, it was basically me thinking, "If I got it, I got it and if I don't get it, we can scramble back our feet and start again." He was doing a good job of controlling me off his back and was keeping me from doing too much damage with my ground and pound I thought, although I did land a couple good elbows. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): With that hell hook, is it almost like your missing hand helps with your leverage, like it seemed tighter because you slipped it in easily and it looked like a very solid hold, the way you had him wrapped up. Nick Newell: Yeah, everyone's been saying that. I feel I could have got the other side too, but that was just the side that was open and it just worked out perfect for me and I got it really tight, really fast and luckily for him, I didn't hear anything pop but I definitely wold have taken it home with me if he didn't tap out. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): I'd like to go into your history a bit. After you finished wrestling collegiately and transitioned to mixed martial arts, I heard you started training for about years before you started fighting professionally. Is that true? Nick Newell: Well, I started training when I was a freshman in college, but I just did it for fun. I'd do like two weeks and then I'd go once a week for like a month and it was just kind of on and off training. I got into it for a little while and then I stopped and just focused on wrestling. I really had about three months total experience after years of training. I took an amateur fight and once I was done wrestling after my senior year of college in 2008, I really started training every day and taking it super serious. I haven't really been doing it for too long and there's a lot of room for improvement. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You've mentioned that finding opponents has been an issue, but do you feel now that you've secured the deal with XFC, you've been seen on HDNet, you put on a great show, that it's not going to be nearly as much of an issue moving forward? Nick Newell: The XFC is one of the top promotions around and they're only getting bigger. They're doing a good job of bringing in top up-and-coming talent mixed with former UFC talent and stuff like that. I think that I won't have trouble finding fights and there's a lot of people that want to fight on TV. Right now, even though I'll always be known as the "One-Armed Fighter," I'm really more of a legitimate fighter and I feel I'm getting taken more seriously now as a real fighter who also just happens to have one hand instead of a just a one-handed fighter. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Have things changed for you already since Friday night? I saw you were already getting interviewed on ESPN radio, they talked about you on Yahoo! Sports and it seems like your popularity is exploding since your nationally televised debut. Nick Newell: Yeah, I feel like a rock star, it's awesome. When I started fighting, and the work I put in and the people I put it in with, I always kind of knew that I'd make it to the next level and I knew I'd be a serious threat and a serious fighter because that's what I treat myself as and I don't settle for anything less. No matter what I achieve, I can do more. When I really noticed the difference was right after the fight was over. Everyone was crazy. When I fight, I zone that out. The crowd is completely out of my mind and I could have fought in a dark, empty room with the same amount of focus. I just wanted to give my mom a hug after the fight but they kind of rushed me out so I went through the crowd to go to my mom because she was outside and I just got swarmed by people and I took pictures with people for like half an hour. That's never happened to me at a local show before that. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): What are your thoughts about being an inspirational story to people, being something people can draw motivation from? Nick Newell: I think it's a great thing. If you can get your motivation from me to go out there and follow your dreams and really just give it a go, how are you going to know unless you go at it and give it your all? I think I prove that if you want something bad enough, you go out and give it all you got. If I can inspire someone to do that, that's awesome because that's the attitude that I've kind of always had. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): The contract that you got from XFC, it was from your friend Abi Mestre after he unfortunately passed away. You both tried out for that XFC contract together, how close were you to getting the contract? Did you make the final cut initially? Nick Newell: Well, I made it through and then they narrowed it down to a couple finalists and I made the group of finalists but at the end of the day, the one who they chose was Abi and honestly, he deserved it. He was an excellent fighter and it's really a shame that he never got an opportunity to showcase how good he actually is. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Yeah, it's a shame how that turned out. Did it weigh on you at all heading into this fight? Nick Newell: Well, I had a fight before this after he died and it was very emotional because the last time before then that I'd fought, he had been in my corner. I visited all the same places as I did the last time and it was very emotional for me. This time, I love him and I miss him just as much and people were saying, "You have to win for Abi," and the fact of the matter is that I didn't have to go out there and do anything other than give it my all. I didn't have to win, like he wouldn't like me any less or be ashamed because I didn't win, you know? I was going to work hard and go out there and give everything I got and win or lose, I know he'd be proud of me. I gave everything I got and I won. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): My last questions are more of the technical variety. I'm interested in how you adapt your style with the fact that you are missing your left hand. Is it more difficult in the clinch or to get chokes, how do you adapt your style to what the instructors would typically be teaching? Nick Newell: I just have to be able to get it deeper. I don't have the same reach-around for a grip so when I actually do get a grip on you, it's that much tighter but it is harder for me to get it because I have to reach further. I have to commit more and I think me committing when I fight, I take a lot of risks and it's been paying off for me because I'm 6-0 as a pro with six first round stoppages and going back to my amateur fights, I'm on an eight fight winning streak all in the first round. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Do you feel like you're ready for this next level now, to go up there against some top prospects or veterans? Nick Newell: Yes, definitely. I've never been scared of a fight and I've never turned one down. I've had fights against guys who were supposed to be tough. I look forward to the challenge and I'm gonna keep working harder. Everyone better watch out because I'm coming for that top spot. I really believe in myself. No one believes in themself more than I do and my undying self confidence and my work ethic are going to take me far in this sport. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): One last question for you Nick, you seem like a very confident fighter, what are your goals? What does your endgame look like? How far do you want to take this? Nick Newell: My one goal is to never settle. Okay, now I fight in the XFC, but I want to be the champion. Let's take it to the next level. I want to be a world champion. I want to be number one in the world but then if you're number one in the world, you can't peak, you've got to stay there. You want to win more matches than anyone's ever won. I understand that some people believe it's far-fetched but I really believe in myself and I'm really looking forward to the challenge. At some point along the way, I probably will get beat as will everyone else. I'm not running away from it though, I'm ready for it. Nick would like to thank Overthrow Gear, Clinch Gear, FitCon, Fighting Arts Academy, Ultimate MMA in North Haven, Connecticut, Combat Sports Agency and his friend's charity Tap Cancer Out. You can follow him on twitter @NotoriousNewell you can check him out on Facebook. So what do you think, Maniacs? What do you think of Newell's uncanny ability to destroy everyone in his path thus far in his career despite his apparent disadvantage? How far do you think he can go? Sound off! Here's the video of his most recent fight just for kicks. Fight of the Week - Hernandez vs Newell (via HDNetFights)

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Quantum physics dictate that on a long enough time span, if you were to throw a dictionary in the air and blow it up with a shotgun, the words 'don't be scared homie' will eventually emerge from the charred remains in exactly that same order. While those chances may entirely too astronomic for human comprehension, the probability of it happening is greater than your chance of fully understanding this Nick Diaz parody video. The clip comes from a guy that's notorious for stealing our videos and covering up our watermark -- something that we'll be contacting YouTube about later today. Nevertheless, this guy has made a rather intriguing Napoleon Dynamite inspired Nick Diaz video that is so senseless that we had to publish it on MiddleEasy.com. My suggestion is you better watch this video as soon as possible, before we have this guy's YouTube channel shutdown for copyright infringement. Props to Two Tree for the banner picture. Enjoy!

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He'll be He is back. Carlos Condit has once again been named the UFC welterweight number one contender -- right alongside fellow 170-pounder Nick Diaz, which is why they'll hook 'em up in the main event of UFC 143 on Feb. 4 in Las Vegas for the Interim strap. That's because reigning champion Georges St. Pierre got a little weak in the knees over this whole division title chase, one that saw a revolving door of contenders since he disposed of Jake Shields earlier this year. St. Pierre won't be in any "Rush" to get back inside the Octagon, but that's not entirely his fault. The ruptured ACL in his right knee -- coming just a few weeks after spraining the MCL in his left -- will require surgery resulting in a minimum 10-month layoff. Hasta la vista, Georgie. Condit, who was yanked from his "Sin City" match-up against Josh Koscheck to give Diaz a date to the big dance, tells USA Today the Stockton slugger is "definitely a better stylistic match-up for him than Georges or Koscheck." See for yourself: "Nick is very, very tough. He's got a great skillset. He's tough as nails. The guy's like the Terminator -- no matter what you hit him with, he just keeps coming forward. But stylistically, it's definitely a better stylistic match-up for me than Georges or Koscheck. I think I have more tools when it comes to the striking aspect. I'm a more dynamic kickboxer. He's got great boxing and unorthodox style that works really well for him, but I feel like I have a lot more tools. I think that's really the main difference -- I have more weapons at my disposal. Diaz, for the most part, I would say, 90% of his strikes are punches. I like to mix it up, throw kicks, knees, elbows. I have a more versatile striking game. He's pretty predictable in the sense that he does the same thing: Comes forward, throws lots of punches; he's not afraid to take a punch at all. I like his striking style. He mixes it up. He throws great combinations. He keeps guys guessing. Some of the best guys in the sport have yet to figure out that puzzle." What do you think, Maniacs? Do we have ourselves a fantastic main event? Or have you abandoned ship now that St. Pierre is riding the pine? And will a win at UFC 143 produce a legitimate champion -- or just a commercial until the GSP show gets back on the air? Get up to speed on the GSP/Diaz/Condit triangle here, here and here. For more UFC 143 news click here.

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"So ... another change of opponents. It's been kind of a crazy ride the last couple months, but you know, just gotta kinda roll with it. The good thing is that I've been training and focusing on what I need to be doing to win a fight no matter who they put in front of me. I'm really excited. I've been wanting to step into the Octagon with Nick Diaz for a really long time. Great fighter. Great skill set. I think that we're really going to put on a good show for the fans. I'm sure everybody's excited. Like I said, I'm stoked. I will be the UFC interim champion. And then when Georges gets better, I will be the undisputed UFC champion." -- Carlos Condit's glass is always half full and eventually, good things happen to those who wait. Then again, the rollercoaster continues, as Condit has once again been reinserted into a welterweight championship fight thanks to an injury suffered by Georges St. Pierre. Because "Rush" will be out of action for up to 10 months, Condit will now fight Nick Diaz at UFC 143 on Feb. 5, 2012, in Las Vegas for an interim 170-pound title. "The Natural Born Killer" says he's "stoked" to win that belt before unifying it with the strap St. Pierre is still carrying around once the French-Canadian is healthy enough to compete again. A winning attitude is half the battle, folks, and Condit has that market cornered. What are the chances he fulfills his ambitious goals, though?

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Carlos Condit is ready to face Nick Diaz for the UFC interim welterweight title in February, then he'll set his sights on Georges St-Pierre.

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MMA is a lot like Highlander but with more blunt trauma and tap outs. We speak often about one fighter taking another fighter's soul, or the very real and scientific method of MMA Math, but none of that can compare to just talking to a guy who has seen it all. Like Frank Shamrock for example. After countless hours of playing EA MMA and hearing Frank talk about his fight with Nick Diaz, we decided we had to get him on the horn and ask him what his thought's were on the latest welterweight shakeup between GSP, Carlos Condit and Mr 209. Luckily The Legend had some free time away from cornering Brian Ebersole and The Hairrow™ up in Toronto to answer our call. So what do you think of GSP getting shelved for the year? Who do you have Diaz or Condit? Hoo, man. I think Nick's gonna beat him and I think Nick's gonna take the entire three way tournament there...   Do you think that because you personally fought Diaz? Hmmm, I don't know. Yeah...Yeah I think I do. I know through fighting him that he's gonna go and kick those guy's asses. Yeah. He's an unstoppable fighting machine with extreme cardio. I think he beats them up. I wonder what Frank thinks about the future of that kid who single legged Phil Baroni.

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As reported earlier today, Georges St. Pierre blew his knee out and has been forced to withdraw from his title fight with Nick Diaz @ UFC 143. Dana White announced that the new game plan for the Welterweight division is Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit for the interim title. I feel terrible for Georges and of wish him all the best. I hope he gets his riddum back as soon as possible but, ladies and gentlemen...... WE HAVE A SERIOUS FIGHT ON OUR HANDS! Carlos Condit will be getting his title shot back that was awarded to him after Nick Diaz went AWOL leading up to UFC 137. The same title shot that was taken from him after Georges withdrew from that fight and subsequently given back to Diaz after he steamrolled BJ Penn that same night. That performance by Diaz all but erased any harm done by him irresponsibly pissing away his shot at St. Pierre by no showing repeated media obligations. What a mad world this is. Carlos Condit - The former WEC Welterweight Champion. The man who has 25 of his 26 career wins via submission or TKO. The man who ether'd Dan Hardy sending Robert Downey Jr. into orbit, flying kneed the previously unbeaten Dong Hyun Kim back to the prelims and mounted a huge comeback against Rory MacDonald beating him down in terrifying fashion with only seconds left in the bout. Nick Diaz - The former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion. He has annihilated Marius Zaromskis and Paul Daley standing up, took home the arms of Evangelista Santos and Hayato Sakurai and methodically beat BJ Penn into retirement. I'll tell you the truth for once. I am more thrilled at the prospect of this fight than I ever was for St. Pierre v. Diaz or St. Pierre v. Condit. Both of those fights had a very high likelihood of being 50-45 GSP across the cards. This fight for the interim title is straight up nasty. Two of the most aggressive men in the sport are going to go in the cage with the goal of destroying the man across from them beyond recognition. There will be no point fighting or takedowns to steal the round. This will be unharnessed violence. We are talking about unchecked aggression here, Dude. Putting these two men in the cage opposite each other should almost make Dana White and Joe Silva accomplices to a crime given the bad intentions that will be behind every punch, kick, knee and attempted submission. This is going to be an absolute barnburner and I for one cannot wait. Poll Who ya got? Nick Diaz Carlos Condit   68 votes | Results

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A UFC newcomer and three young prospects looking to get back in the win column are part of a pair of matchups that have been added to two UFC cards in January: Bantamweights Nick Denis and Joseph Sandoval will square off at UFC on FX 1 in Nashville, and middleweights Chris Camozzi and Dustin Jacoby will throw down the following week at UFC on Fox 2. The UFC announced both bouts via Twitter this afternoon: Sandoval/Nick Denis at FX. Plus Jacoby/Camozzi join middleweight mayhem at UFC on FOX 2 in Chicago. Nick Denis's signing was reported last week and now the "Ninja of Love", fresh off a dramatic KO-via-suplex victory against Nick Mamalis is set to make his debut against Texas native, Joseph Sandoval who made his own UFC debut just two months ago. Sandoval suffered a quick TKO in that fight against Walel Watson, the first loss of his career, and now he'll have to avoid the KO power of Denis in Nashville. Camozzi, who competed on the 11th season of TUF, found himself with a second chance at UFC success when he was booked to face Francis Carmont at UFC 137, after being released by the promotion at the beginning of this year. Unfortunately for Camozzi, Carmont came away with the victory via decision, but the UFC brass apparently though Camozzi's performance was solid enough for him to get another fight. Jacoby also made his debut on the UFC 137 card, taking on another UFC rookie in Clifford Starks, and although Starks came away with the win, the bout was fairly evenly-matched, and so Jacoby gets another chance to make a case for his roster spot. UFC on FX 1 coverage UFX on Fox 2 coverage

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Cesar Gracie, head trainer for top welterweight contender Nick Diaz, has commented on the news breaking earlier today that UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre has suffered yet another knee injury; forcing him out of the much anticipated title fight against Diaz that was scheduled for UFC 143 over the Super Bowl weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada. This latest injury marks the second time their clash has been scratched. Their initial encounter was set to go down at UFC 137 back on October 29, 2011; however, Diaz was pulled from the fight due to not participating in scheduled press conferences. "Rush" was then pegged to face Carlos Condit in the main event, but an injury forced the UFC welterweight champion out of the event and sent "The Natural Born Killer" to the sidelines without an opponent. Diaz then re-earned his title shot against the Canadian by defeating B.J. Penn in a three round war in the UFC 137 main event. So how is the Cesar Gracie fight team taking the news of yet another GSP injury? Make the jump to find out: Speaking to Middle Easy, Gracie had this to say about the unfortunate turn of events. "It's disappointing, it's the fight we have been trying to get for the last two years you know, Nick vs. GSP. Now that Nick is in the UFC we figured that for sure it would happen and the last two times you know, this time and last time, GSP keeps getting injured and events keep happening and it's kind of a weird thing so, you know were disappointed by it but we have to turn the page and we have a different fight on our hands." On Carlos Condit as a replacement: "I think he has better stand up actually than Georges. He kicks better, he throws better punches, he is taller. From a fans perspective, and I am a fan myself, it's actually a more intriguing matchup, and I think it's a more exciting match up because we're going to see some people throwing down in this one. In the GSP fight, I don't think we were going to have any of that to be honest with you despite what GSP said about being better everywhere than Nick. I don't think he was going to stand with Nick for very long. I don't think Condit is going to be shooting for takedowns as much as GSP would have. I really think this is going to be a rock em' sock em' fight." On whether Nick Diaz will wait for GSP should he come out victorious against Condit or take another fight: "They are making this an interim fight and I think it should be the championship fight because since the Jake Shields fight, by the time GSP fights again it's going to be about two years. A champion being out for a couple years, my idea is that they should actually strip him. I know these things happen and I am sure it's not his fault but, it's kind of like, Nick deserves a championship fight, and with it being an interim title there is always going to be people saying you're not the real champion. " Nick Diaz or Georges St. Pierre have yet to comment on the injury. What's your take Gracie's comments? Should St. Pierre be stripped of his title for lack of competing -- and is Condit vs. Diaz a better fight from a fan's perspective? For more on St. Pierre's injury click here.

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Less than eighteen hours ago, the Vancouver Sun published an interview with Georges St. Pierre in which he states he's 'ready for Nick Diaz.' Sure I could ask questions like 'Why would you give an interview to a massive media source to promote a fight with the knowledge that you are unable to compete?' but at the end of the day, we will never know. Just minutes ago, Dana White broke everyone's heart when he announced that Georges St. Pierre is out of his bout with Nick Diaz, and instead we will see Carlos Condit take his place in a UFC welterweight interim title fight. That's ten months we won't see the UFC welterweight title contested. Folks, that's October 2012. Here's what Dana White tweeted just moments ago:

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The "Ninja of Love" is making his way to the Octagon. Canadian bantamweight, Nick Denis, has signed with the UFC according to multiple sources, while his profile has also appeared on UFC.com. The Ottawa native and Sengoku and King of the Cage veteran brings a 10-2 record record and has never gone to a decision in his professional career. Most recently, Denis scored a spectacular KO by suplex against former Bellator bantamweight tournament finalist, Nick Mamalis. Striking is Denis's strength with 9 of his 10 career wins ending in KO or TKO. No debut date or opponent for Denis has been confirmed yet, but we'll keep you posted when that news breaks. Nick "The Ninja of Love" Denis (10-2)W Nick Mamalis (KO - suplex) - Wreck MMA: Unfinished BusinessL Yuji Hoshino (submission - guillotine) - Sengoku 12W Sean Quinn (KO - punches) - Wreck MMA: Fight for the Troops

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Nick Diaz may soon be able to call himself UFC welterweight champion and Stockton, Calif. most recognized citizen of 2011.

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, ‘ stocktonian, stockton calif

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UFC Welterweight Champion Georges "Rush" St. Pierre shared thoughts about his upcoming bout with Nick Diaz, and the decision to turn down the fight with Carlos Condit. Once again, St. Pierre stated that Nick Diaz is currently the #1 contender for the UFC Welterweight title, and a perfect match-up for an exciting fight for the fans. GSP also related to the recent comments from Jake Ellenberger, claiming that the Omaha, Nebraska native will have his chance for a shot at the title. Further Reading: Nick Diaz

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Sure Josh Koscheck would like another shot at Georges St-Pierre, but right now, he's a Nick Diaz fan.

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Fabricio Werdum is, as musician Jack Johnson once said, "Sitting, waiting, wishing." The 34-year-old heavyweight is currently stuck in limbo as UFC parent company Zuffa, LLC and Showtime are behind closed doors deciding what may or may not become of the (still fairly recently purchased) Strikeforce promotion. Werdum would like nothing more than the ability to transition over to the UFC like former colleagues Dan Henderson, Alistair Overeem, Nick Diaz, Jason "Mayhem" Miller and Cung Le have done in recent months.

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Miguel Torres was furious on twitter last night following Nick Pace's failure to make weight. He's also had a rough career since dropping the WEC bantamweight belt to Brian Bowles. Tonight was reminiscent of the old Miguel Torres. Immediately establishing his boxing and reach, Torres quickly jumped ahead on all cards. Nick Pace was unable to close the distance to land punches and when he clinched against the cage, Torres was just too active with knees and punches. Miguel used a kimura to get the takedown but Nick Pace was able to scramble and stand.  The second round was more of the same with Miguel Torres landing some big knees and leg kicks. He also beat Nick Pace up in the clinch with short punches and elbows. Pace did get the takedown but didn't land any punches while on top. Torres was throwing short elbows and punches before hipping out and standing up. He was clearly back in his element.  The third and final round was possibly the best round of Torres' UFC career. He landed some big punches and knees while continuously pushing forward. In the clinch he just didn't allow Nick to create any space using his head to grind into Pace's jaw. To close out the round he attempted a Rolling Thunder kick. He won the Unanimous Decision with all judges seeing the fight 30-27. Miguel Torres is 2-1 in the UFC and 39-4 overall. Since his loss to Brian Bowles at WEC 42, he hasn't really been able to mentally open up and attack at the same pace he was known for. Tonight he looked like the old Miguel Torres. Nick Pace drops to 1-2 in the UFC and has lost his last two fights. SBN coverage of UFC 139: Henderson vs. Rua

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If there's a tough fight to be made, call Nick Pace. The New York native eats, breathes and sleeps MMA, living in a room at the training facility of Tiger Schulmann Fight Team alongside top competitors like former Bellator welterweight champion Lyman Good and recent Ultimate Fighter season 14 competitors Louis Gaudinot and Jimmie Rivera. Pace began training in martial arts at just 10 years old and he hasn't looked back since. In fact, he's never held another job other than being a professional fighter outside of occasionally instructing at the gym and holding weekend seminars. A former Ring of Combat bantamweight champion, Pace has been in a trial by fire with his current run with Zuffa, drawing recent title challenger Demetrious Johnson in his WEC debut and then earning a bout with tough veteran Ivan Menjivar this past August.  Continuing his string of scary opposition, Pace will take on former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres this Saturday night (November 19, 2011) on the preliminary card of UFC 139 in San Jose. Pace spoke with MMAmania.com during a recent guest appearance on The Verbal Submission where he discussed learning from his past mistakes, finding motivation and which cast member of The Jersey Shore he'd like to choke out. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You've got a huge fight coming up with Miguel Torres. You go from Ivan Menjivar to Miguel Torres so they're definitely throwing you in there against some of the best guys. I saw about a year and a half ago you were listing your dream fights. You listed three fights, Dominick Cruz, Brian Bowles and Miguel Torres, so this is one of your dream fights. How does that feel? Nick Pace: Yeah man, I want all hard fights. My last fight didn't go the way I wanted it to but with every loss, actually, when you win, when I won with the Pace choke, it was like, I won and all I really learned how to do from that was how to respond to people asking me, "Holy crap man, how'd you think of that?" or I learned how to write my name a little better because I was signing a lot of autographs from that but when you lose, you learn so much more. I learned a lot from that fight and I'm gonna be ready. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): I didn't think it was a bad loss in your last fight. It looked like you had Menjivar on the ropes there in the third round after landing a nice knee. Did you just feel like you'd done enough to get the decision? Nick Pace: Of course, I was disappointed with the result and I knew that I hurt him and I was going after him but it was just a lack of experience on my part and I definitely fixed up that part. I need to get in at it more. I need to go really hard after I knew I hurt him and I didn't. It's all good. I'll make sure that'll never happen again. When you lose, you learn so much more from when you win, it's all good. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): So what was something specific that you took out of the loss? I'd love to hear what you learned that you adapted to your game in preparation for this fight. Nick Pace: Well, number one, my punch output has to be a lot more. That's one. Number two, when a kick is getting thrown at me, a low kick is getting thrown at me, regardless of if it's a bullshit slap or if it's hard especially, I should check it. When I was in the fight, the adrenaline's pumping and he kept throwing the low kicks at me. They were like slaps with his foot and I was like, "That's nothing. That's really not bothering me at all. I'll just walk right through it," and that's what happened and I knew the low kicks definitely accumulated after a couple of rounds. Not that it was bothering me or hurting me at all but the points, after a while those points accumulate and that's the decision of the round right there so I learned that. Also just to have more of a killer instinct. When you see that you hurt somebody, instead of just chasing them around, learn to cut off the ring, take them down and what I learned the most from that fight was I was a little too headstrong on the fact that I had to stand up and bang with him because I don't know, there was something in my mind saying, usually in my fights I throw hands, go for the takedown and get the submission, that's usually my thing but what I really got out of my last fight is I need to learn how to adapt and go with what's working in the fight. I was standing with him and we were going toe to toe with each other but when I took him down, a lot of respect to Ivan Menjivar but when I took him down and I think he's a BJJ black belt or something like that, I passed his guard, got to side mount, got on his back, I cinched in the choke and it wasn't in all the way but I had his back and I felt comfortable. What I should have done was stick to that gameplan and throw my hands, then shoot again, go for the takedown again and the result of the fight might have been a little different. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): I want to get the word out on what makes Nick Pace tick a little bit, reading up on your history, you're one of the rare fighters in that, you're only job in your entire career has been involved with mixed martial arts. I've heard reports that you started training at 10 years old or eight years old. Maybe we can set the record straight. Nick Pace: I was 10, yup. Basically I was 10 years old and I started karate and I took my first introductory class and I actually came home that night and I had my gi and I slept in my gi I loved it so much it was definitely what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Basically, I've been there my whole life. My parents split up and I was doing the wrong things for about a year and I didn't think the divorce was really effecting me but it did and I was doing a lot of bad stuff and then my instructor, sensei Delaney, he came back and he saw my father one day at the supermarket and he said, "You've got to get him back." I started working there and it's been my life ever since. I'm living the dream right now. I'm loving life and all I do is literally eat, sleep and train. That's literally all I do. I live up at my training facility. They made a nice room for me and a couple of the boys that are up there, Louis Gaudinot and Jimmy Rivera, Lyman Good and we all stay up there when we have fights and that's it. It's what I love to do. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Also on that note, you actually teach martial arts to beginner students don't you? Does that help you refine your technique with your fundamentals, going over the basics like that? Nick Pace: Well, for the past about a year and a half, I haven't been teaching at the school. I was teaching in Brooklyn for a while and when I got called in to fight in the WEC, I actually went on unemployment and I just started training full time. Now, on the weekends, like today I had to drive out to Pennsylvania and I did a seminar. I do seminars pretty much every Sunday or every other Sunday for the Tiger Schulmann's schools and stuff like that. To answer your question, it definitely helped out when I was fighting in the other pro events like Ring of Combat over here on the east coast. I was training in the morning and then I would go teach and it definitely helps because when you're on the outside looking in and then you're going over moves slow like the jab or the cross, you're going over a guillotine or a triangle choke or whatever it is, it helped you learn. You're using your mind rather than using your body in that sense. It was definitely good. I love teaching the kids. That's like my favorite thing, seeing little kids. It's a very rewarding job and I loved it when I did it and after I'm done fighting, I'm looking to open up my own gym and go back to that. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Reading your twitter, it seems like you've got a fascination with the haters, the people that talk down to you. What's that all about? Do you just try to use that as fuel, motivation when you're training? Nick Pace: Yeah, exactly. I was actually doing an interview last week and it was a video interview and I went down to the radio station and I was rocking my Tiger Schulmann's hoodie and I had my "I <3 Haters" hat and underneath it, it says "motivation" right underneath the brim of the hat and the guy was asking me about it. Basically, it is motivation. If you don't like the way I walk, if you don't like the way I talk, you don't my swagger, you don't like the way I fight, that's on you. You don't have to like me. You're a hater, you know what I mean? Keep hating on me. It's all good. That gives me motivation to keep fighting and train hard. My friend Louis, with the green hair, he came into the school, I don't know if this is true or not but he said, "Yo, did you see that thing? I read up on Miguel Torres, he said something like he doesn't think I should be in the same cage as him and he doesn't think he should be fighting me," and look, I've got nothing bad to say about him, I'm not one to start any problems or talk shit. That's just not my thing. I try to stay humble and speak with my actions, my fighting, but if he's gonna try to hate on me or underestimate me, go ahead. It's all good. I don't care. I know when I go out to the west coast, he's gonna get more applause than I will but it don't matter. People are gonna like me for who I am, not for any other reason. Ben Thapa: Are you one of those guys where you fight in a really calm state or do you get really pumped up? Where are you in terms of before you step in the cage, excited or trying to keep it level? Nick Pace: Well, I like having fun when I'm out there. I know when I'm relaxed and I'm having fun, that's when I pull out great stuff like when I fought for Bellator, I pulled off a flying knee knockout and that was a highlight reel. I was just relaxed and having fun and then I pulled off that choke that people call "The Pace Choke" so I like to get pumped up, but not to where I'm mad at the person. I'm not mad at him. I know I've got to go in there and do my thing but I'll be bouncing around before the fight, I'll have a smile on my face and I'll be happy. My coach'll be like, "Yo, get your game face on!" and I'll have a smile on my face, "This is my game face, man! I'm good, I'm ready. Let's go, let's go!" It's just not me. Some of the guys say I'm too nice but when I get in there, I just need to be relaxed and I need to have fun. Ben Thapa: I've got to ask you, what's with the back takes? In  your last few fights you've taken the back of your opponents rather easily but you can't seem to finish the choke. It's like there's something missing there. Are you working on that? Nick Pace: Yeah, for sure. I definitely love getting the back and trying to get that submission in there and I've been working on that a lot but also, this is a game of mixed martial arts. It's not the game of jiu-jitsu so I'm still young in this sport and I've also learned from when I get someone's back, listen, when you have someone's back, you don't have to just go for the submission right away. I mean, if it's there, take it, but dude we've got gloves on and a mouthpiece for a reason, you're supposed to be using your hands. You're supposed to be punching, punching, punching and then looking for the submission so I've been working on my submission game and also working on ground and pound so that's what was missing a little bit too. Ben Thapa: Who are the ones that you look up to, the fighters you aspire to be like? Nick Pace: My favorite fighter is Nick Diaz. He's been  my favorite fighter. Even when he got kicked out of the UFC and he was in Strikeforce, I was still following him. If I watch the UFC, I was watching it last night and I see some really good stuff, like how tough Leben is, his heart, you can't really teach heart but if you see how tough he is and he keeps coming forward even when he gets hurt or you watch some of these guys like Renan Barao who fought Brad Pickett, how quick he jumped on his back and he stood toe to toe and he didn't really have respect for him, you try to take a little bit from each fighter to make yourself a great fighter and also trust in yourself that you're a great fighter too. Ben Thapa: Do you feel like jiu-jitsu may not be as valuable in developing the rest of your game? Are you already okay with that and now feel that it's other things that should be improved? Nick Pace: I think my jiu-jitsu game is very good. I never took a Brazilian jiu-jitsu class. I've never gotten a white belt in jiu-jitsu but I roll with jiu-jitsu black belts, brown belts all the time and I do very well. I don't really know. You can never be content with yourself. You've always got to be pushing and getting better at every single thing you're doing. I think I'm pretty well-rounded and you've got to keep getting better at everything you do. You can't just hold off. Everyone that's in the UFC is a really good fighter. This is the top level, the major leagues of mixed martial arts. Everyone has to keep getting better or you're gonna fall. Your opponents will capitalize that. Gerry Rodriguez: Moving away from the whole MMA thing. This is out there, but are you a fan of The Jersey Shore? Nick Pace: Oh dude, come on! No, not really a fan of The Jersey Shore. Everyone sees me, I'm "Shore" they're saying. There's dudes from Staten Island and I actually can't stand, Staten Island is home. I could go live out in Jersey for two months for my fight or have my own camp or stuff like that but Staten Island is home to me. On the other hand, there's a lot of kids out here, it's definitely not my scene. I'm not really big into clubs at all or anything like that. I like to watch Family Guy, Beavis and Butthead, I like Epic Meal Time. That's my shit right there. I love that stuff. I'm not a big Jersey Shore fan. It gives me a headache. I get stressed out watching that stuff. Gerry Rodriguez: If you had to choke one of the guys out from The Jersey Shore, you can only pick one, which one would it be? Nick Pace: First person that pops in my head is Mike, "The Situation" but on the other hand, it's Ronnie because, you know what bro? What are you doing with this girl. Ohh, it's terrible. You're getting me stressed out thinking about it man. I don't know, I guess I'll have to say Mike. The girls are all gross too, man. I guess Sammy's not but she ain't worth it. She is not worth it, dude. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): I actually saw you were a fan of Epic Meal Time beforehand and I've got to ask you, is it hard being a fan of Epic Meal Time but also helping out fight childhood obesity with members of the New York State Assembly? Is that a difficult balance for you? Nick Pace: Yes and no, and on the other hand I'm watching Epic Meal Time, I've got to cut 20 pounds, it's like it sucks. I don't know, I just love bacon, what can I say? I watch that, Man vs. Food or The Food Network, whatever it is. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): When you visualize success in your head, how do you see the fight playing out with you getting a win? Nick Pace: How do I see it? I see it being awesome and I know that's not what you mean. You want me to say how I think I can get it but I don't know. I really don't even know. All I know is that's gonna be the best feeling ever and I can't say that I'm gonna knock him out or I'm gonna get him in a guillotine. What I can say is that it's about to go down. That's all I can say.  Nick would like to thank his team, Tiger Schulmann's Mixed Martial Arts on the east coast, his sponsors, Hayabusa, Jakt, Lexani and lastly Epic Meal Time. Nick wants to get sponsored by Epic Meal Time. Get the fans to reach out to them and see if they can get something working together. So what do you think Maniacs? Pace is a pretty big underdog heading into Saturday's fight with Torres, but does he have what it takes to pull it off? Will he be able to relax like he wants to when he sees the former champion staring across from him in the Octagon? Sound off! For the complete audio of our interview with Nick Pace, click here.

Posted in: fight, nick, im, dont, that

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Stop this hype train, Marty wants to get off. UFC welterweight stalwart Martin Kampmann is fighting Rick Story this Saturday night (Nov. 19, 2011) at UFC 139 from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. A win over the "Horror" and the "Hitman" may find himself back in the 170-pound title chase, which at some point in the very near future, could have him standing across the cage from Nick Diaz. The same Diaz who nearly retired B.J. Penn at UFC 137 last month for his eleventh straight win. Kampmann was not impressed. In fact, the Dane claims the Stockton slugger "isn't that good" in an interview with MMA Sucka and that the only thing Diaz excels at is "running his mouth" and "being a punk." Check it out: "I personally think Carlos Condit got screwed. Nick Diaz has been pretty good at hyping himself up. To be honest, I don’t think Diaz is that good. Anytime he has fought any good wrestlers he has had problems. I think he’s going to lose badly to GSP. Diaz is good at running his mouth and doing his thing … you know … being a punk. I would love to fight Nick Diaz sooner than later. I would absolutely love to fight him somewhere down the line." Diaz will fight Georges St. Pierre at UFC 143 on Feb. 4, 2012, in a bit of unfortunate matchmaking for Carlos Condit, who was oh-so-close to getting his hands on the gold before St. Pierre blew out his knee and had to postpone their pending dance. Or as Kampmann says, "He got screwed." That's because Diaz, who was the original number one contender for UFC 137 but was removed and re-inserted for reasons too convoluted to explain (click here if you must know), was sent to the front of the line after handling "The Prodigy" in "Sin City." Whether or not Kampmann will ever get to fight Diaz remains to be seen. He's got a stiff test in San Jose and Diaz will be concentrating on "Rush" for the foreseeable future. After that, it's anyone's guess. And speaking of guesses, who wants to take a stab at the winner of a "Kampmann vs. Diaz" bout? Have at it.

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick, carlos condit, kampmann

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Spotlighting UFC 139's bantamweight prelim bout between former WEC champion Miguel Torres and Nick Pace.

Posted in: ufc, nick, champion, bantamweight, wec

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UFC 139 play-by-play of Miguel Torres vs. Nick Pace on Saturday, Nov. 19, in San Jose, California.

Posted in: ufc, nick, vs, pace, playbyplay

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Filed under: UFCGSP vs. Nick Diaz headlines the UFC 143 fight card in a UFC welterweight championship bout on Feb. 4, 2012 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. This will be the promotion's second attempt at the matchup after Diaz was stripped of a title shot last October at UFC 137 for skipping out of his press conference commitments. Carlos Condit was then elevated to face St-Pierre. However, Diaz, who was later brought back on the UFC 137 card, defeated B.J. Penn and dramatically called out St-Pierre, prompting UFC president Dana White the same evening to announce St-Pierre vs. Diaz for SuperBowl weekend. Check out the current lineup below. Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz Dustin Poirier vs. Erik Koch Josh Koscheck vs. Carlos Condit* *not yet officially announced Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick, vs, stpierre

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("Gee willikers, me smoke? That would not only be illegal but immoral!" Pic via Combat Lifestyle) Dana White can breath a bit easier as one of the last potential impediments to making Georges St Pierre vs Nick Diaz has been removed. UFC 137 drug screening results are in and everyone tested negative. 17 of the 22 fighters on the card were checked but let's be real here ... Nick Diaz was the only one who would have elicited a "Yeah, not very surprising" response if his piss came back hot.Everyone knows about Nick Diaz's predilection for a certain leafy plant with interesting psychoactive effects. In the past, this fondness has resulted in victories being overturned or even entire fights being scrapped. And while we wouldn't put it past Nick to muck up his drug testing again in the week leading up to his big GSP title shot, at least he's shown he is capable of getting past this hurdle like everyone else does.

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, everyone, drug testing

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submitted by ProbablyLying [link] [3 comments]

Posted in: nick diaz, nick, training, miguel cotto, probablylying

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Controversial UFC welterweight Nick Diaz appeared on HDNet's Inside MMA last night and we've got some of the goods after the jump.

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, mma, nick, jump

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You remember how your friends told you they have a friend that knows a guy that can get marijuana? Nick Diaz probably knows that same guy. Diaz has tons of fans over in Singapore, but unfortunately he can not enjoy his appreciation of the sacred planet in that corner of the planet. In Singapore, if you test positive for marijuana you receive a mandatory prison sentence and if you're caught with a drug of any type, you will be hung. Yes folks, death is automatic if authorities find any amount of an illegal substance on you. Therefore, regardless of how amazing it would be for Nick Diaz to make a trip to Evolve MMA in Singapore, perhaps it's best that he stay in the 209. Yesterday, Mike Kogan managed to track down Nick Diaz long enough get him on the live edition of Inside MMA to tell us he's almost forced to 'be the bad guy' in order to get the fights that he wants. [Source] {iframe}http://blip.tv/play/h5R0gtz2HgI.html{/iframe}

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, guy, nick, singapore

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Nick Diaz was a guest on Monday's edition of "Inside MMA," where he talked about being the villain and possibly being in for a good "ass-whooping."

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, mondays edition, villain

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Nick Diaz waxes poetic about his upcoming fight with Georges St. Pierre.

Posted in: diaz, nick, pierre, mmasupremacy, waxe

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A host of notables has been added to next month's "XFC 15: Tribute" event. Felice Herrig, Corey Hill, Nick Newell, Shonie Carter and others have been slotted for the HDNet-televised main card. "XFC 15: Tribute" takes place Dec. 2 at St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., and the headliner features lightweights Eric Reynolds vs. Jonatas Novaes.

Posted in: nick, xfc, tampa fla, carter, felice

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submitted by knees [link] [1 comment]

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“[Nick Diaz] likes to run his mouth, I don’t get him. He just likes to talk and he is what he is… He’s gonna get his coming against GSP. GSP’s motivated, I don’t see what Nick’s going to bring to the table. Jake Shields was a more difficult fight for GSP… GSP’s a lot faster than Diaz, Diaz has no power, he’s not going to knock him out. He should have finished BJ and he couldn’t even do that… His slap-box game… I would like to fight Diaz. Ideally I’d love to fight Diaz, his little patty-cake game he plays, man if he played that with me I’d put him down for sure, 100 per cent. If you did that where I come from, you get your ass whooped… But GSP’s faster than him, he can take him down and he’s better than him everywhere. So I don’t see the point of that fight.” — Jake Ellenberger telling ESPN UK he wants to fight Nick Diaz Well, it looks like someone is trying to pick a fight with the sport’s hottest welterweight. I definitely wouldn’t characterize Nick Diaz’s style of striking as a “little game of patty-cake.” After all. he has battered, bloodied and bruised every man he’s fought in the last few years with his “slap-box” style, but if Jake Ellenberger wants to climb the ladder and make it to a title shot, picking a fight with Nick Diaz isn’t a bad place to start, especially if Nick ends up with the belt next year. Image via Dave Mandel for Sherdog

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If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. B.J. Penn shocked the mixed martial arts world last weekend at UFC 137 by announcing his retirement after losing to former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz. After having his right eye swollen shot by Diaz after three rounds of pure stand up action, Penn stated: "I'm done, I can't go home looking like this." Fans and media alike were not ready to see the former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion hang up his gloves for good. Among them ... Cesar Gracie, head trainer at Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Speaking to Pedro Carrasco of BJPenn.com, Gracie talks about his history with Penn and officially makes an offer to unite Team Penn and Team Gracie into one powerful force. "I'm watching this guys fight and I'm very impressed with his abilities, number one. Not a lot of guys can stand up like that with a Nick Diaz and not a lot of guys can win a round like that.I see the heart that BJ has but I see, well, wait a minute, how come a guy with this much heart with this much technique and natural god given ability, why isn't it happening for him now." "What's wrong here is the stuff around him. I don't know his coaches or anything like that but for whatever reason it's not happening. This guy is coming into a fight and it's not that he is totally out of shape, but he is not in world class shape and that's what it takes these days to make it to the upper levels of fighting." "I've had a relationship with BJ since he was 16 years old, so I obviously always like the kid, always knew of his talent. He's a genuine person; he's a guy that fights with his heart. He's not a steroid user like a lot of these guys he's not a cheater and you know there's respect for a guy like that." "I think the joining of our camps, of our teams together, a sort of coalition would benefit him incredibly and it would benefit us too. Guys like BJ Penn, Reagan Penn, Nick and Nathan, you know, Gilbert Melendez all the guys on our team would benefit from having those guys around.  He's got too much talent to quit right now and he needs to get with some world class athletes and this is the perfect opportunity, the time is ticking and it's time to do it." "It's just a good fit, everyone is talking about BJ's cardio, Nick, Nathan and Gilbert, these guys are the kings of cardio, and they do not get tired. BJ has to change some things up, he's gotta change his diet up a little bit too. BJ has been running off talent and talent alone and that's not good enough to make it these days." "BJ' best days are in front of him. This is a wonderful opportunity to turn the page and look towards the future. He can rewrite his whole future right now, he can do it. This a formal invitation. I talked to Nathan Diaz just a few minutes ago because he is one of the guys I haven't discussed this with yet and he said ‘absolutely!' Nick Diaz told BJ not to quit after the fight because BJ was talking about quitting and that really upset Nick because this guy just gave him a war and he's thinking the same thing I am thinking, No way don't quit." "For the cause of saving MMA in the world these guys need to get together because people are inspired by that kind of fighting and if we keep having these other guys that just want to hold you and not fight it's going to destroy the sport that we love that we have been involved with our whole lives." Cesar Gracie's camp is certainly one of the best in the nation, housing talent such as former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz, current Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez, former Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields and Nate Diaz, among others. Would a change of scenery and an alliance between the two camps be enough to convince "The Prodigy" that indeed his best days are ahead of him -- and that he can still make a run in the UFC? Time will tell.

Posted in: diaz, guy, nick, penn, bj

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Nick Diaz did exactly what he needed to do take his title shot back from Carlos Condit last Saturday night. He went out and put on an epic performance against BJ Penn and sealed the deal by accusing Georges St. Pierre of faking his injuries as GSP stood watching from cageside. As fired up as Diaz was after the fight, he probably would have called out GSP no matter what, however a voice from his camp could be heard in the background yelling “call that motherf***er out!” Yeah, that was Cesar Gracie. When asked about it on The MMA Show with Mauro Ranallo, Gracie explained that he was merely talking to Nick in a language he would understand — “209ese.” Gracie also revealed that UFC matchmaker Joe Silva advised them to call out GSP if they wanted the title shot back. Transcription via MMA Mania: “Well what’s going on is unfortunately for me, I had a mic on and I didn’t realize that or else I wouldn’t have said that. Why did I say it? That’s the language these guys speak. Before the fight, after the weigh ins, we were told by Joe Silva ‘if you guys want it, you guys call people out. That’s how the fights get done, you call em out,” and I wanted to make sure that Nick knew that. I speak several languages. I’m speaking to you in English, so if I spoke Japanese or Portuguese or something, you wouldn’t understand what I’m saying. When I speak to Nick, I have to speak in ’209ese’ and that’s the language he understands. If I said ‘Hey Nick, would you like to explain your position and articulate how you would like to fight Mr. St. Pierre,’ he wouldn’t know what the hell I was talking about. That was directed at him (GSP), I didn’t think he was going to hear it obviously. This has nothing to do with GSP, I actually like the guy.” Funny guy, that Cesar Gracie. The fact of the matter is, if the timing is right, calling someone out is a very effective way to get the fight you want. Now if you pull a Roy Nelson and try to call out the champ when you’ve just won your first fight in 18 months, then no, you’re probably not going to get Joe Silva’s attention. But I think Roy Nelson already knew that.

Posted in: fight, guy, nick, gsp, gracie

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Many mixed martial arts fans and pundits had mixed reactions to Cesar Gracie screaming at Nick Diaz after his UFC 137 main event win over B.J. Penn, who told his fighter to "call that mother- f***er out!" Well, apparently Cesar had to speak that way, or Nick wouldn't have understood him. He meant no disrespect to reigning welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, it's just that Diaz only speaks a special language, "209ese." Speaking to Mauro Ranallo on "The MMA Show," Cesar elaborated: "Well what's going on is unfortunately for me, I had a mic on and I didn't realize that or else I wouldn't have said that. Why did I say it? That's the language these guys speak. Before the fight, after the weigh ins, we were told by Joe Silva 'if you guys want it, you guys call people out. That's how the fights get done, you call em out," and I wanted to make sure that Nick knew that. I speak several languages. I'm speaking to you in English, so if I spoke Japanese or Portuguese or something, you wouldn't understand what I'm saying. When I speak to Nick, I have to speak in '209ese' and that's the language he understands. If I said 'Hey Nick, would you like to explain your position and articulate how you would like to fight Mr. St. Pierre,' he wouldn't know what the hell I was talking about. That was directed at him (GSP), I didn't think he was going to hear it obviously. This has nothing to do with GSP, I actually like the guy." Makes sense to me. "Newfanese" is a dialect only a few can understand, so I can appreciate the 209 having their own way with words. IE: "Hows ya getting on! Not bad by what ya at da weekend now den? Few beers down to the store ya know. Dont be contrary dere now and come get on er. Taker easy by!" What are your thoughts on Joe Silva apparently telling them to call people out? I wonder if the UFC matchmaker had the same chat with Chael Sonnen at UFC 136 just a few weeks ago. The plot thickens...

Posted in: guy, nick, joe silva, cesar, language

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It wasn't too long ago when Cesar Gracie called Nick Diaz the 'Rosa Parks' of MMA due to his constant persecution in his fight career. MMA, a place where a fighter can be compared to one of the greatest civil right activists of all times. I love this sport. Many of you heard Nick Diaz yell 'Joe Rogan podcast by night,' a sound bite so legendary that Rogan now uses it to open his weekly podcasts and even stated that 'it made his month.' However, we all remember what was uttered just before Nick Diaz's post-fight speech, and it came from Cesar Gracie's larynx. Try using 'Call that motherf***** out!' at some point this weekend. If you're at a restaurant with friends and the food is sub-par, jump out of your seat and scream 'Call that motherf***** out!' in the middle of the place. I will guarantee someone in there will clap and agree with you. On yesterday's episode of Mauro Ranallo's 'The MMA Show,' Cesar Gracie finally explained that he was actually speaking in '209' when he screamed the now infamous phrase. "Well what's going on is unfortunately for me, I had a mic on and I didn't realize that or else I wouldn't have said that." "Why did I say it? Well that's the language these guys speak." "Before the fight, after the weigh-ins we were told by Joe Silva 'If you guys want, you guys call people out. That's how the fights get done, you call 'em out' and I wanted to make sure Nick knew that. Now I speak several different languages, I'm speaking to you in English so if I speak in Japanese or Portuguese or something, you wouldn't understand what I'm saying. When I speak to Nick, I have to speak in '209enese' and that's the language that he understands. If I said 'Hey Nick, would you like to explain your position and articulate how you would like to fight Mr. St. Pierre, he wouldn't know what the hell I was talking about." "This wasn't directed at him [Georges St. Pierre], I didn't think he was going to hear it obviously. This has nothing to do with Georges St. Pierre, I actually like the guy." When I was in Stockton, California for a Strikeforce Challengers card this year, I was finally introduced to this elusive 209enese language. It usually began with 'Hey, look what I just grew' and was followed by 'Do you have a lighter?' 209enese is a language LayzieTheSavage could teach a Harvard linguistics class in. index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1074

Posted in: guy, nick, cesar gracie, cesar, language

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If you're off to find the hero of the day, look no further than Nick Diaz. That's according to longtime coach and manager Cesar Gracie, who reminds the haters who constantly bring up the Stockton slugger's missed media appearances that without Diaz, UFC 137 would have been doomed. Probably because "little star guy," who mixed martial arts fans may recognize by his birth name, Georges St. Pierre, blew out his knee in training camp, forcing the cancellation of his Oct. 29 headliner against Carlos Condit in Las Vegas. The promotion had little choice but to elevate "Penn vs. Diaz" to main event status after "Rush" found himself on the injured reserves until early 2012. Gracie tells Sherdog's "Rewind Show"" that Diaz, once again, delivered: "You can't pull a guy off a card and then bring him back on: ‘Oh, he's not good enough to fight. We pulled him out of the card. He can't be in the main event. Yeah, here you go. Oh, wait a minute, guess what happened? Our little star guy over here, his knee hurts. Oh my God, we need Nick Diaz. Let's put him back in the main event.' Everybody wants to see that fight. He delivers. Well, little star guy didn't fight and Nick Diaz did, but they pulled a lot of money from Nick's purse because it wasn't structured for him to make as much if it wasn't GSP, even though he was the main event now and put the people in the seats. Nick Diaz saved that card. OK? That's what people need to remember when they talk about responsibility, is that he showed up, hamstring injury, knee injury, whatever. He had the same thing. He's the guy that showed up. He's the guy that fought his heart out, him and B.J. Penn. They put on a show. They're two great warriors. They saved the UFC that night." After a close first round, Diaz pulled away from the Hawaiian "Prodigy" in rounds two and three of the UFC 137 headliner, battering and bruising the former division champion and forcing a premature declaration of retirement. The emphatic win, along with a little post-fight call out, convinced UFC President Dana White that Diaz had done enough to warrant bumping Condit from his GSP title shot and giving it back to Diaz, who actually had it earlier this year before media-gate. Alright Maniacs, let's get your thoughts on this. After an abysmal co-main event between Cheick Kongo and Matt Mitrione, do you agree that Diaz saved the UFC 137 pay-per-view? Or did he just save his 170-pound title shot? Opinions, please.

Posted in: ufc, diaz, guy, nick, star guy

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For fans, Nick Diaz is an endless supply of entertainment. Either when he fights, or speaks, what he has to say is as exciting as how he speaks with his fists in the cage. The critics are less forgiving. To them, Diaz is just a child. Not literally, but childish enough to look down on him in a "Stockton kids say the darndest things!" way. And when he fumbles the opportunities given to him, he has no one to blame but himself. Even moderate observers feel forced into having a strong opinion. In case you missed the press conference following UFC 137, Nick Diaz was granted what he wanted: a title shot in the UFC. But when the news broke, he went on a lengthy rant. At this point, I don't consider Nick's rambling incoherent, or aimless. Nick's "polemic" is certainly structured that way. His points meander from location A to location B like billiard balls in the presence of a drunken 16 year old playing pool for the first time. But Nick's point is simple: it's not funny (as if having listened to a David Cross album). By "it", I mean life. Well, I guess. I'm not sure, but in the interest of writing an article, I'm pretending to be sure. There's a moment during the press conference when Nick begins talking about what it's like to run from his house, presumably in a low income neighborhood, to the higher income section. To Nick, this is insulting. And what's worse, media members laugh at this anecdote (which Nick explicitly takes issue with).  Dana White actually takes Nick to task, and perhaps rightfully so. "Bro, you have enough money to move if you want to". Nick's jumbled response is to reference how unlike GSP, Nick trains all the time, and can't take time out of his fight schedule to move elsewhere. He can't just 'pull out with a fraudulent injury', like he believes GSP has done. On this point, Jordan Breen articulated this theme on Sherdog radio: "Another factor there is that when Nick Diaz has a camera on him, it's the intersection point of a lot of things he doesn't like. He doesn't like a whole lot of people he doesn't know. He doesn't really like to have to talk and sell fights in that way, and to have to constantly explain himself and his thoughts. He doesn't like being looked at by an entire room of people who are inevitably judging him if not outright laughing at him due to some of the things that come out of his mouth. The situations that normally give rise to Nick Diaz' rants...comes from very muhc the same place. He's suddenly confronted with all of these thoughts where people are asking him about fighting for titles, and in his mind he knows he doesn't make as much as boxers he's seen on television. It becomes this volatile witches brew that seems to make him go positively ape and air his dirty laundry in a very visceral and public way." Nick Diaz, and forgive me for stating the obvious, is an angry dude. Something Breen points out further along through the show, are the mental gymnastics required for Nick to perceive an opponent as an enemy. Nick's not just fighting GSP for the title. He's fighting GSP who faked an injury to pull out of their fight. Now scared, GSP is holding Nick back from making more money while Nick must sacrifice everything, including the quality of life, just to get a shot. Amidst this self imposed turmoil, Nick's gotta be the bad guy for the media because that's how title shots happen (indicating that perhaps Nick has always known how to play the game). It'd be easy to sit here and mock Nick's logic. Yes, it's ridiculous. But it's a familiar kind of ridiculous for boxing aficionados, who know their history all too well, and what it's like to encounter an athlete who must compete as much with his opponents as he does with himself. The MMA media just isn't used to "real fighters". I'm quoting that because I don't consider Nick any different from anyone else. Nick Diaz is a dedicated fighter. So are plenty of other fighters, and I mean fighters who don't make 200 thousand in one fight (as Nick does), yet lead peaceful lives and don't bitch about life every press conference or youtube video. But I can't help but feel if it wasn't for that angry spirit, he wouldn't fight the way he does. Russell Crowe once asked, "are you not entertained?!" Nick is asking the world the same question, with the exact same sneer. Nick is everything the critics say he is: spoiled, paranoid, selfish, bitter, and quixotic. These adjectives inform Nick's character. But that character, in turn, informs his performance. There is a sort of hypocrisy to exalting one side while condemning the other, and if so, consider me a hypocrite. I despise Nick's attitude. But Nick...please don't ever change.

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick, point, doesnt

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“What happened is you can’t pull a guy off a card and then bring him back on: ‘Oh, he’s not good enough to fight. We pulled him out of the card. He can’t be in the main event. Yeah, here you go. Oh, wait a minute, guess what happened? Our little star guy over here, his knee hurts. Oh my God, we need Nick Diaz. Let’s put him back in the main event.’ Everybody wants to see that fight. He delivers. Well, little star guy didn’t fight and Nick Diaz did, but they pulled a lot of money from Nick’s purse because it wasn’t structured for him to make as much if it wasn’t GSP, even though he was the main event now and put the people in the seats… Nick Diaz saved that card. OK?. That’s what people need to remember when they talk about responsibility, is that he showed up, hamstring injury, knee injury, whatever. He had the same thing. He’s the guy that showed up. He’s the guy that fought his heart out, him and B.J. Penn. They put on a show. They’re two great warriors. They saved the UFC that night… [Nick’s pay cut] is a hard pill to swallow. I think it’s patently unfair. Myself, in my opinion, that’s unfair. I think Nick obviously knows it’s unfair, and these are talks we’re going to have with Dana White and with the UFC… We’ve had good negotiations with Dana before. We’re going to put everything on the table, and I’m confident that we’re going to be able to iron all of this out and that Dana will make it right.” — Cesar Gracie telling Sherdog that Nick Diaz saved UFC 137 It’s not hard to read between the lines here. Nick Diaz reportedly lost out on a potential seven-figure payday when he lost the Georges St. Pierre fight and now that he has his title shot back, they want their big payday back too. I can’t say how it will turn out, but the Diaz camp does have a little bit of leverage here. It’s a fight the fans badly want and Dana White already announced it, presumably without a bout agreement signed. If Dana can’t get the fight done, he stands to lose a considerable amount of goodwill with fans — the same fans he takes pride in giving the fights they want to see. In other words, Dana White has to get this fight signed, even if it means giving Nick Diaz his pay-per-view bonus back. Image via Tracy Lee for Yahoo! Sports

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick diaz, nick, dana

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Nick Diaz and coach/manager Cesar Gracie are a treasure for the media. Any question addressed to either man might get a Quote of the Year level response. Money is always a topic that seems to get the pair going and it's no different in the wake of UFC 137. After beating B.J. Penn in a tremendous fight it was time for Diaz to complain that he doesn't make enough money despite making tens of thousands of dollars more than the median home price in Stockton for a single fight. It's simply tremendously entertaining stuff. And now Gracie is taking his turn, this time talking to Sherdog's "Rewind" show: "What happened," said Gracie, Diaz's longtime coach and manager, "is you can't pull a guy off a card and then bring him back on: ‘Oh, he's not good enough to fight. We pulled him out of the card. He can't be in the main event. Yeah, here you go. Oh, wait a minute, guess what happened? Our little star guy over here, his knee hurts. Oh my God, we need Nick Diaz. Let's put him back in the main event.' Everybody wants to see that fight. He delivers. Well, little star guy didn't fight and Nick Diaz did, but they pulled a lot of money from Nick's purse because it wasn't structured for him to make as much if it wasn't GSP, even though he was the main event now and put the people in the seats." Personally, I'll always be conflicted on Diaz. In a perfect world every card would feature a Nick Diaz fight. But the constant whining and lack of he and his team owning up to their own behavior and it's repercussions is frustrating. Diaz threw around Floyd Mayweather Jr. making $25 million for his last fight but Floyd is also undisputed as one of the two best in his sport and that fight sold close to a million more pay-per-view buys than 137 will. And Diaz was clearly rewarded for "saving the show" by the UFC going back on their word that Carlos Condit would get the title shot against Georges St. Pierre ("little star guy") and giving it to Diaz instead. Seems fair enough to me. SBN coverage of UFC 137 Results: Penn vs. Diaz

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When Georges St. Pierre went down with injury a few weeks ago, forcing him out of a main event match-up with Carlos Condit at UFC 137, the UFC had a godsend in the form of another fan-friendly pairing on the card between popular welterweights BJ Penn and Nick Diaz. As expected, Diaz and Penn went to war in the show’s featured tilt and delivered one of 2011’s most memorable in-ring encounters. Now Diaz’s manger, Cesar Gracie, believes his client deserves to be taken care of financially for the impact he had on helping dig UFC 137 out of the hole GSP’s withdrawal created. “You can’t pull a guy off a card and then bring him back on,” Gracie began in an interview with Sherdog Radio before mimicking the UFC’s position, saying, “‘Oh, he’s not good enough to fight. We pulled him out of the card. He can’t be in the main event. Yeah, here you go. Oh, wait a minute, guess what happened? Our little star guy over here, his knee hurts. Oh my God, we need Nick Diaz. Let’s put him back in the main event.’” “Everybody wants to see that fight,” Gracie continued on Diaz’s dance with Penn. “He delivers. Well, little star guy didn’t fight and Nick Diaz did, but they pulled a lot of money from Nick’s purse because it wasn’t structured for him to make as much if it wasn’t GSP, even though he was the main event now and put the people in the seats.” “Nick Diaz saved that card. OK?” Gracie boldly stated. “That’s what people need to remember when they talk about responsibility, is that he showed up, hamstring injury, knee injury, whatever. He had the same thing. He’s the guy that showed up. He’s the guy that fought his heart out, him and BJ Penn. They put on a show. They’re two great warriors. They saved the UFC that night.” Though some might argue Diaz leapfrogging Condit for a title-shot the “Natural Born Killer” had been promised prior to Saturday night’s show could be a reward in itself, it could also be argued that Gracie makes a fair point in terms of Diaz’s role as a headliner and the effect it had on buyrates/tickets. Diaz vs. GSP Targeted for Super Bowl Weekend In the end, the famed teacher and outspoken manager made his confidence clear regarding the parties’ ability to find a satisfactory resolution. “We’re going to put everything on the table, and I’m confident that we’re going to be able to iron all of this out and that Dana (White) will make it right,” Gracie concluded. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE Tweet

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick, ’t, gracie

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Nick Diaz is violent, angry and a little confused, according to MMA Nation's Jonathan Snowden. But that's part of what makes him such a dangerous fighter. Find out why by clicking here.

Posted in: nick diaz, nick, nation, snowden, thats part

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Filed under: UFC, NewsSporting a shiner from his UFC 137 loss to Cheick Kongo, Matt Mitrione visited The MMA Hour and said he wished his fight had looked more like the main event. "It sucked. It was boring," Mitrione said of his unanimous decision loss to Kongo. "I want to put on exciting fights" Mitrione said that immediately following his loss, he and his friend and training partner Chris Lytle went back to the locker room and watched the main event, Nick Diaz vs. B.J. Penn, on a backstage TV. Seeing the great showing Diaz put on in beating Penn by unanimous decision, Mitrione said he instantly recognized what he should have been doing. "As soon as I watched it I thought, 'That was exactly how I should have fought Cheick.' Exactly how Nick Diaz fought B.J. is how I should have fought Cheick," Mitrione said. "Nick was aggressive and constantly threw punches at B.J. even if B.J. didn't want to commit." Mitrione said he could hear the crowd booing during his fight with Kongo and realizes that he didn't make the fans happy. "Both of our performances -- I think it was just a dull fight," Mitrione said. "It was just a lot of chasing him down." The loss was the first of Mitrione's professional MMA career (he also lost a fight during his time on The Ultimate Fighter), and he said the lesson he learned from it is that if he's going to lose he'd rather go down with guns blazing. "It was a learning experience but it sucks at the same time," Mitrione said. "I'd rather get my ass kicked in dramatic fashion than lose with the crowd booing." Mitrione said he wants to spend some time in the gym getting better before he commits to another fight, but that when he does return to the Octagon (likely some time in the spring of 2012), he's either going to win or get knocked out trying. "I can tell you it won't happen again," Mitrione said of the style of his loss to Kongo. "If I lose again it's going to be because I get my ass kicked in an ugly, ugly way." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick, loss, mitrione

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Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz have some grievances they want to share with you.

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, condit, carlos condit

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“You know, I’m the champion and the way that works is, I don’t pick my fights. They pick the opponents, and it’s my job to be ready to face whoever it is. But this guy, he said so many things, things that aren’t true. He said these personal things and the way he acted, I don’t like that. I don’t agree with that. I wanted this fight. It is the best thing for me to fight Nick Diaz. He wanted his opportunity, but you know, I wanted my opportunity to fight him, too… This is a fight I am looking forward to very much, and it’s a fight that I wanted very badly. This is a very important fight to me personally. I am glad that the UFC did it for us.” — Georges St. Pierre telling Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole that he wants to fight Nick Diaz With the way Dana White described Georges St. Pierre’s backstage reaction to Nick Diaz at UFC 137, I was hoping we might actually get some fiery quotes from the welterweight champ, but I guess that was wishful thinking. That’s okay though. I guess the hook works better if GSP upholds his squeaky clean, nice guy image while a deranged Nick Diaz polishes his bird flipping technique for the press conference he may or may not show up to. The guy who is genuinely pissed about the whole situation though is Carlos Condit. Well, at least that’s what his manager, Malki Kawa, says. Speaking with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour today, Kawa explained that not only did Condit not “step aside” like Dana White suggested, he’s also pretty upset with GSP for asking to fight Nick Diaz. “I could understand them coming to us like that,” Kawa said on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. “The issue with the whole ‘he decided to step aside,’ obviously, that wasn’t the case. There was no just stepping aside. There was a little bit more than that. It’s going to take more than that. I think we’re way more upset with Georges and the way Georges handled it than we are with the way Dana presented it or anything like that.” “[Carlos'] words were, ‘My heart hurts,’” he said. “Are we pissed off about it? Absolutely,” he said. “But it’s not like I’ve never been on other end of stick where I put one of my fighters ahead of someone else and another guy got shafted or screwed over. It’s just business, it’s not personal. It’s nothing personal with Georges. Are we upset with him? Absolutely.” I’m sure it sucks to finally get the title shot you’ve always wanted only to have it yanked right out from under you a few weeks later, but the reality of the situation is it was Nick Diaz’s title shot in the first place. We can argue till we’re blue in the face about who deserves it more, but Condit only got it because Diaz missed a pair of press conferences. As MMA Nation’s Jonathan Snowden put it earlier today, it was Nick’s shot. Condit was just keeping it warm. Gif via MMA Mania

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick, way, george

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submitted by ImaG [link] [6 comments]

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UFC Central looks back at Nick Diaz's triumph over BJ Penn at UFC 137, and his comments made towards Georges St-Pierre.

Posted in: ufc, bj penn, nick, george, stpierre

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9R8BfMa08Y Awesome [6] submitted by xKrazExMNUx [link] [7 comments]

Posted in: diaz, nick, xkrazexmnux, train, rogan

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submitted by donnie_brasco [link] [comment]

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UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre reiterated Monday that he wants a piece of Nick Diaz.

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, monday, fight i

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If there's one thing Zuffa excels at, it's keeping the narrative train running. Until the main event between Nick Diaz and B.J Penn, the card was lackluster. Despite that, there were a lot of things worth talking about, and so Tim Burke, ever the diligent fellow, helped me answer five essential questions following the Vegas weekend. GSP vs. Nick Diaz. Let's sort of break it down. Will Nick avoid GSP's conservative top control? Or can Diaz actually pull this one off? Tim: There's no way Nick keeps this standing, and GSP while GSP hasn't ever shown off incredible top control, Diaz is going to create enough scrambles to catch a sub or even get up for any length of time. St. Pierre also has a very different and dare I say underrated form of standup. He doesn't get much credit for it because he's not knocking anyone out lately and he's using it more and more to set up takedowns, but it's extremely good, top 5 in the division for sure. I honestly don't think Nick can hang anywhere, even standing. It has 50-45 and an angry Nick Diaz losing his mind after the fight written all over it. The only thing 209 will stand for in that fight is how long Diaz managed to stay standing for. 2:09 out of 25 minutes. David: Agreed. In the unfortunately immortal words of Roy Jones Jr,, "ya'll must have forgot". GSP is still a damn good striker, and there's no way he gets suck into a brawl. Even on the feet I think GSP acquits himself well, keeping range, and maintaining his "risk aversion" even with a firebrand like Nick in his face. I do think it's a great fight though, and the modest improvements over the years that Nick has made, make him a relatively live dog. I don't expect Nick to win, but I do expect to see GSP bleed. Penn and Filipovic. Let's hear your favorite memory of each. Tim: I have a lot of favorite BJ memories (shut it), in and out of the cage. In the cage, the first defeat of Hughes; trapping Pulver's arm with his leg as he sunk in the choke (and held it a little too long to make a point); opening up the grand canyon on Diego's head with that kick. Outside the cage, it was the stuff he said - calling out blood dopers, saying they were easy to spot because you could "see it in their nipples", or whatever it was. All the backhanded compliments towards GSP, that continue to this day; and honestly, what he said after Saturday's fight. That was a very fitting way to go out, if he really does hang 'em up. As for Cro Cop, it's always going to be the head kick knockouts, especially on Aleksander Emelianenko and Alberto Del Rio. Gonzaga knocking him out and watching his leg bend in a disgusting fashion always comes to mind too, unfortunately. Caving in Bob Sappu's face was pretty awesome. I really liked the fact that his true personality came out near the end of his UFC run though. He was a pretty funny dude, and it made him appear a lot more human and it was easier to root for him even if his career was on a downturn. David: I don't ever remember BJ claiming steroid use was detectable through mammary glands, but thanks for giving me a new favorite. Also, his treatment of Andy Wang (gif inside). In addition, I'll never forget the game of ping pong he played with Jens Pulver, where Penn's cardio problems continued to follow him. Still, two fights stick out to me. First, against Sherk. Sherk was considered a proper nemesis, and Penn's destruction of him capped off one of the best cards in recent UFC history. On top of that, his boxing was on display to a greater degree than in most of his fights. Which is why the first GSP fight is so memorable for me. In addition, his supernatural talent showed in the 2nd round when he dodged a leg kick by hopping over it. As for Mirko, I'll always remember him for both fights with Wand. From the staredown that sparked their first fight, to the brutal, calculating finish in the rematch, both fights illustrated his strengths in his prime: awesome, underrated hands and a leg kick that was a nightmare for opponents even when it landed to the body. With the HW action being uninspired this weekend, what's your favorite 'so bad it's good' HW tilt (listing Weizorek vs. Shipp is considered cheating)? Tim: Lately it was Joey Beltran vs. Aaron Rosa or Mark Hunt vs. Ben Rothwell. They're all tougher than three-dollar stakes (copyright Jim Ross). Does Hong-Man Choi vs. Fedor count? I loved that one. Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson always amuses me. Tank Abbott vs. Cabbage Correia? Loved that. David: Well, no 'so bad it's good' HW fight list is complete without Dave Huckaba vs. Jon Murphy. Because an armbar submission attempt without the arm made the fight the equivalent of a Lloyd Kaufman film. Cerrone vs. (Nate) Diaz has to happen. Since we can assume Joe Silva knows how to do his job, who do you have in this one? Tim: It's happening at UFC 141. I've got Cerrone. Nate can box, but he's not a great kickboxer. I'd say Cerrone has a huge advantage on the feet, and I can't see Nate submitting him unless Cerrone makes a huge mistake. I don't know what has gotten into Cowboy since he came over to the UFC, but 225k worth of bonuses and the chance to win 5 UFC fights in 11 months is insane. If he beats Nate, he's my fighter of the year for 2011, champions be damned. David: I have a hard time predicting this fight, in part because the awesomeness doesn't allow me to think straight. Cerrone is a LW version of Carlos Condit, and Nate shares Nick's genetic ancestry. Plus they smoke out of the same bong, and practice with the same set of sais. It's Condit vs. Nick Diaz in a shrunken parallel universe. Except this is real life. I can't analyze this fight. I can only drool in response to it. Despite Hatsu Hioki's inspired post fight speech, are critics wrong to mock his message? Tim: There are problems at many levels of JMMA, this is well-known. Even the mantra of "big-time JMMA is dead, but there's always Shooto, DEEP, etc) is kind of falling apart now with Shooto's scandals and the earthquake/tsunami doing a number on the country. People can mock whatever they want, but I respect Hioki and his message. Especially since he said it in English. He can't singlehandedly save JMMA, no one man can. But he's their best shot at UFC gold right now, that's for damn sure. A Japanese guy holding a UFC belt would be a boost for them, no doubt. David: I agree with your general sentiment, and if he had submitted Roop inside the first round, his message would have galvanized the hardcore fanbase, and made even harshest critics do a double take. But he didn't. He struggled, and couldn't find any rhythm whatsoever. For that reason, he's not their best shot. I still follow Shooto, and Japanese MMA in general. Why? Because depending on the card, just as with Bellator, it can provide for some exciting MMA. Despite that, Hioki doesn't match up well with any of his UFC peers. Certainly not with Aldo. Hioki is similar to Florian, except his flaws are not as well hidden, and even then we saw what happened to Florian.

Posted in: ufc, fight, nick, vs, gsp

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The NSAC has released the fighter salaries for UFC 137. Keep in mind, these figures represent the base contracted pay the fighter receives from the promotion. These figures do not include any additional undisclosed discretionary bonuses, pay-per-view revenue sharing bonuses or sponsorship money, which in many cases exceeds a fighter’s base pay. These numbers also do not account for taxes, insurance, and license fees. For someone who cries poor so often, Nick Diaz sure makes a hell of a lot of money. Up from the $175,000 he made for his last fight in Strikeforce, Diaz pocketed a flat fee of $200,000 plus another $75,000 in Fight of the Night bonus money for his headlining fight against BJ Penn. It’s not the seven-figure payday he could have gotten if he had fought Georges St. Pierre, but I don’t think anyone is going to feel sorry for Nick making over a quarter million for one fight, especially not the other fighters who sat at the post-fight press conference and listened to him complain about money for the umpteenth time. BJ Penn was right Nick with a grand total of $225,000 after his FOTN bonus. Next was Cheick Kongo who received $140,000 for beating up Matt Mitrione for one round. Then came Donald Cerrone. With his Submission of the Night bonus, he made another six-figure payday, $129,000 to be exact. So far, Cerrone has made a whopping $389,000 in 2011 since joining the UFC, and he still has one more fight to go before the year is out. It’s probably safe to say no one is more happy about the UFC-WEC merger than Cowboy. Brandon Vera continues to make big bucks off lackluster performances. That armbar Elliot Marshall nearly finished him with would have cost him a cool $60,000 had he tapped. Instead, Vera hung on, took the decision and pocketed $120,000. And last but not least, Bart Palaszewski also broke the six-figure mark with a little help from his opponent Tyson Griffin. When Griffin missed weight he was forced to forfeit 25% of his $34,000 purse to Palaszewski. That put Palaszewski right over the edge with a $103,500 payday after his KO bonus. Payouts Courtesy of MMA Junkie: Nick Diaz: $200,000 B.J. Penn: $150,000 Cheick Kongo: $140,000 ($70k + $70k) Matt Mitrione: $10,000 Roy Nelson: $40,000 ($20k + $20k) Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic: $75,000 Scott Jorgensen: $33,000 ($16.5k + $16.5k) Jeff Curran: $8,000 Hatsu Hioki: $30,000 ($15k + $15k) George Roop: $8,000 Donald Cerrone: $54,000 ($27k + $27k) Dennis Siver: $27,000 Bart Palaszewski: $28,500 ($10k + $10k + Griffin’s $8,500 weight fine) Tyson Griffin: $25,500 ($34k – Griffin’s $8,500 weight fine) Brandon Vera: $120,000 ($60k + $60k) Eliot Marshall: $15,000 Ramsey Nijem: $20,000 ($10k + $10k) Danny Downes: $5,000 Francis Carmont: $12,000 ($6k + $6k) Chris Camozzi: $8,000 Clifford Starks: $12,000 ($6k + $6k) Dustin Jacoby: $6,000 Bonuses $75,000 bonus to each fighter. Knockout of the Night – Bart Palaszewski Submission of the Night – Donald Cerrone Fight of the Night – Nick Diaz vs. BJ Penn Total Payout A disclosed total of $1,327,000, including all bonuses, was paid out to the fighters.

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UFC 137 headliners Nick Diaz ($200,000) and BJ Penn  ($150,000) topped the $1 million-plus fighter payroll for Saturday’s UFC 137 event in Las Vegas, the Nevada State Athletic Commission announced today. Other top earners included Cheick Kongo ($140,000), Brandon Vera ($120,000), and Mirko Cro Cop ($75,000). The official salaries for UFC 137, which don’t include bonuses, sponsorships, or expenses, were (via MMAjunkie): Nick Diaz: $200,000 (no win bonus) def. B.J. Penn: $150,000 Cheick Kongo: $140,000 (includes $70,000 win bonus) def. Matt Mitrione: $10,000 Roy Nelson: $40,000 ($20,000 win bonus) def. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic: $75,000 Scott Jorgensen: $33,000 ($16,500 win bonus) def. Jeff Curran: $8,000 Hatsu Hioki: $30,000 ($15,000 win bonus) def. George Roop: $8,000 Donald Cerrone: $54,000 ($27,000 win bonus) def. Dennis Siver: $27,000 Bart Palaszewski: $20,000 ($10,000 win bonus) def. Tyson Griffin: $34,000 Brandon Vera: $120,000 ($60,000 win bonus) def. Eliot Marshall: $15,000 Ramsey Nijem: $20,000 ($10,000 win bonus) def. Danny Downes: $5,000 Francis Carmont: $12,000 ($6,000 win bonus) def. Chris Camozzi: $8,000 Clifford Starks: $12,000 ($6,000 win bonus) def. Dustin Jacoby: $6,000 To check out MMAFrenzy.com’s complete UFC 137 coverage, click here. Pictured: Nick Diaz (via UFC.com)

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Read the full article at MMA Frenzy

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned to pay-per-view last Saturday night (Oct. 29, 2011) with UFC 137: "Penn vs. Diaz," featuring former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz staking his claim to the title shot that was always his by beating up B.J. Penn for 15-minutes strong. But that's not all. Cheick Kongo maintained his status as the gatekeeper of the heavyweight division by outperforming Matt Mitrione in the co-main event of the evening. And what else is there to say about the final fight in the career of Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic? In cased you missed any or all of it -- or just want to keep the discussion alive -- below are links to all the major storylines borne from Saturday night's event in Las Vegas, Nevada. In we go. UFC 137: "Penn vs. Diaz " Results and live blow-by-blow Recap and discussion Post-fight press conference video Bonuses and awards Event photo gallery B.J. Penn vs. Nick Diaz video highlights Facebook "Prelims" results and recap Fight recap: Nick Diaz overwhelms B.J. Penn in decision win Fight recap: Cheick Kongo takes a decision from Matt Mitrione Fight recap: Roy Nelson finishes Mirko Cro Cop Fight recap: Scott Jorgensen gets it done against Jeff Curran Fight recap: Hatsu Hioki wins a split decision over George Roop Fight recap: Donald Cerrone chokes out Dennis Siver Fight recap: Bart Palaszewski knocks out Tyson Griffin Fight review and analysis: Scott Jorgensen vs. Jeff Curran Fight review and analysis: Roy Nelson vs. Mirko Cro Cop Fight review and analysis: Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione Fight review and analysis: B.J. Penn vs. Nick Diaz UFC 137 post-fight fallout Big winners and lowly losers B.J. Penn retires from MMA B.J. Penn's coach says "The Prodigy" will be back The Nick Diaz vs. B.J. Penn fight metric report shows a straight Stockton style beatdown Nick Diaz vs. Georges St. Pierre re-booked for Feb. 4, 2012, in Las Vegas Cesar Gracie says Diaz vs. St. Pierre will be the biggest fight in UFC history Nick Diaz thinks Georges St. Pierre is scared, homie Georges St. Pierre calls Nick Diaz the most disrespectful human being he's ever met Carlos Condit didn't step aside, GSP just really wants to smash Nick Diaz Nick Diaz flips the bird to all the doubters by smashing B.J. Penn B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz hug it out after duking it out Saying goodbye to B.J. Penn, just in case he really leaves Saying goodbye to Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, who really is leaving Mirko Cro Cop announces his retirement Roy Nelson was happy to win but sad to see Cro Cop go George Roop vs. Hatsu Hioki fight metric report is rather interesting At lightweight or not, Donald Cerrone just wants to fight Donald Cerrone gets his wish to remain active, booked to fight Nate Diaz at UFC 141 on Dec. 30 That my friends, should be enough to keep you talking -- at least for the time being. What gets your vote for the biggest story coming out of UFC 137? Sound off, Maniacs.

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As you may have noticed, there will be no Sunday Morning Rumor Mill today. There was only one significant thing that happened last week, and if you read the Nick Diaz article, then you already know it. Also, if you have access to a steamer and raw catfish, don't use the steamer to cook the raw cat fish. It will always be raw. There's nothing modern science can do to fix this problem. Nick Diaz could punch the raw catfish in the face for an entire evening, but unfortunately that won't result in it being cooked. Not at all. If Nick Diaz punched a raw catfish, then he must be expressing his disdain that 'catfish' can't pur. They aren't even cats at all, and that may make Nick Diaz a very angry person. FightMetric broke down last night's UFC 137 main event and discovered that Nick Diaz now holds the record for the most significant strikes in a UFC fight. He managed to get 178 significant strikes on The Prodigy, enough punches to send a normal man into paralysis while flying head-first into the front door of another dimension. Check out the statistical breakdown below.

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, ufc fight, catfish

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Nick Diaz set a new record at UFC 137.According to FightMetric, the official statistics gathering site of the UFC, Diaz now holds the record for ‘Most...

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick, record, ufc diaz

Read the full article at Fighters Only

"It's five rounds with Nick Diaz. That's a long time to have that guy in the cage with you. Three rounds is long enough, five rounds is very tough. I know GSP is a great athlete, he's a great black belt but Nick Diaz is an animal. I think that's going to be the biggest fight in the history of the UFC, I really do." Whether or not you think Nick Diaz never even should have been removed from his UFC 137 main event title shot against Georges St. Pierre to begin with, the two are set to scrap once again on Feb. 4, 2012. That's Super Bowl weekend and thanks to some well-timed trash talk from Diaz that has St. Pierre as animated as he's ever been, Cesar Gracie believes this will be the biggest fight in UFC history. Agree or disagree? For more on St. Pierre vs. Diaz click here.

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick diaz, nick, pierre

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UFC 137 will be remembered by fans for numerous reasons but none more prevalent than the all-out war between headliners Nick Diaz and B.J. Penn. From the moment the main event match-up was made it had the makings of one of 2011’s top tussles and delivered in full with both welterweights leaving it all inside the Octagon, Diaz’s fluidity on his feet ultimately making the difference in earning the judges’ favor. The bout was also marked by the possible retirement of former double-divisional champion Penn who said he was focusing on his family in the future after being shown he can’t compete at the highest level. However, the proud Hawaiian is known for being emotional and nearly called it quits after his fight with Jon Fitch earlier this year. Were that not enough, Diaz’s profanity-laden rant after having his hand raised was enough to light a fire under Georges St. Pierre’s typically cool exterior to the point the Canadian urged his superiors to book the two of them in a bout as had originally been planned for last night’s event and they obliged. Now the UFC has offered a look at the moments leading up to their classic clash including access to Diaz and Penn before the pre-event press conference, as well as during and after their shoving contest at the weigh-ins. “B.J. kinda came up a little hard, was looking and trying to get in the soul of Nick, and one thing I’ve learned (is) you don’t out-crazy Nick,” Cesar Gracie explained of his prize pupil before pointing to the fact Diaz, like Penn, is a fighter at his core and it boiled over for both of them in that moment. Diaz is also seen discussing his return to the UFC, saying, “I expected to be back here in the UFC fighting. I expected to come back and fight for the title. I don’t like to come out and say I’m the baddest…I’m the best. I try to train hard so people will try to recognize that sort of thing but nobody understands when you do that. If I’m not hitting a tire or pushing a car or something crazy it’s not the same to people.” Another highlight involves Diaz’s sarcastic reply to Dana White after the UFC President kids him about making a media-related event. Check out the entire video below: PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick, penn, moment

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

UFC 137: "Penn vs. Diaz" took place last night (Sat., Oct. 29, 2011) from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, featuring Stockton's own Nick Diaz representing the 209 by putting a beaten on the pride of Hilo, Hawaii, B.J. Penn, in a three-round, 15-minute war. For his efforts -- and his mouth -- Diaz has been re-inserted into a welterweight title fight against Georges St. Pierre over the Super Bowl weekend early next year. Matt Mitrione's rise through the heavyweight ranks ran into a brick wall named Cheick Kongo, as he was neutralized for the better party of three rounds en route to a decision loss. In other action, Roy Nelson sent Mirko Filipovic off to retirement with a third round technical knockout loss. Hatsu Hioki was successful in his UFC debut with a split decision win over George Roop, while Scott Jorgensen took care of business against Jeff Curran. A photo gallery (via UFC.com) is available for your viewing pleasure after the jump. Nick Diaz vs. B.J. Penn Matt Mitrione vs. Cheick Kongo Roy Nelson vs. Mirko Filipovic Scott Jorgensen vs. Jeff Curran Hatsu Hioki vs. George Roop Donald Cerrone vs. Dennis Siver Bart Palaszewski vs. Tyson Griffin

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MMA Nation's Jonathan Snowden takes a look at the timeline that eventually leads to Nick Diaz receiving his welterweight title shot.

Posted in: nick diaz, nick, nation, snowden, timeline

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Nick Diaz, in a raw, emotionally charged press conference, gave everyone an unveiled look into his complex character that broils inside of him.

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Nick Diaz was in rare Nick Diaz form after his big win over B.J. Penn on Saturday night. You don't want to miss this video.

Posted in: saturday night, diaz, nick diaz, nick, fight day

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Nick Diaz may not show competence when it comes to his obligations to hype a fight. In fact, it has become an assumption that Diaz will either show up late, or not show up at all to conference calls or press conferences without someone holding his hand. When it comes to stepping into the cage, however, there is no doubt in Diaz's resolve. The former Strikeforce welterweight champion proved once again that he always shows up to fight, bombarding the defenses of UFC legend B.J. Penn from the second round on to win by unanimous decision on Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Penn was supposed to provide a technically superior striking game to thwart Diaz's stubborn, aggressive stand-up game, and in the first round -- Penn was proving his superiority. By the second round, however, the dominance we've come to expect from Diaz began to show. Penn's shots from range couldn't counter the constant pressure from Diaz, and it became more apparent as seconds ticked off the clock that Penn's conditioning was faltering in the face of adversity. The third round was more of the same, and the only consolation that Penn could extract from the loss is that he survived to the final bell.  Surprisingly, very few people predicted that Diaz could walk through a legend like B.J. Penn similarly to how he defeated Paul Daley, Evangelista Santos, and KJ Noons. Those fighters don't possess the offensive prowess of Penn, yet Diaz made it look easy, barreling through Penn's power without taking a step back or slowing his output. The question that arises from such a dominant win is whether Diaz can compete with an overpowering champion like Georges St. Pierre. Most fans gave Diaz slim chances against the wrestling-centric champion when they were previously matched against each other as the UFC 137 headliner. Strangely, the circumstances that led to Diaz being pulled from the main event gave him the opportunity to prove he's more dangerous than people believed.  UFC President Dana White seems to agree, pushing Carlos Condit aside and pitting Diaz against St. Pierre for the UFC welterweight title. After Diaz's win at UFC 137, the intrigue in a title showdown is even higher. Despite the lessened pay-per-view presence UFC 137 will have due to the absence of St. Pierre, Diaz has undoubtedly created a buzz around himself that we've never seen before. The event's main event shake-up, in all its confusion and disappointment, has put Diaz in a better position. Diaz punched his ticket to the opportunity of a lifetime on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Not only does he have the chance to solve his perceived financial problems, there is evidence to suggest Diaz could become a household name among the UFC's casual fanbase. Diaz has been away from the UFC for roughly six years, yet he became somewhat of a phenomenon that fans went out of their way to watch when he fought under the Strikeforce banner. Those fans have long been staples of the UFC's fanbase, perhaps more of a hardcore base than casual. With the UFC's marketing behind Diaz and performances like the one he put together against Penn, who's to say Diaz, despite his strive for obscurity, can't reach the newer generation of fans? The Nick Diaz who failed against Sean Sherk, Joe Riggs, and Diego Sanchez isn't the Nick Diaz of today. Will the more matured skills of Nick Diaz finally help him achieve the moniker of undisputed world champion? We can't look past the possibility now.

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick diaz, nick, penn

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Video highlights of the UFC 137 post-fight press conference via MMA Fighting. Other fighters were there, but it was definitely the Nick Diaz show.

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Read the full article at MMA Convert

The fine folks at MMA Fighting put together the highlights from last night's post-fight press conference for us since the UFC did not stream them live. UFC 137 was Nick Diaz' coming out party for many UFC fans who have never seen the kid from Stockton fight. His utter dominance of B.J. Penn is the biggest story coming out of this weekend.    Nick Diaz was late to the presser because he was unable to urinate for his post-fight drug test even after drinking 10 bottles of water.  Nick wasn't 100% for the fight. He had some issues and he isn't happy with his performance. Nick still believes that Georges St. Pierre is trying to avoid the fight with him. Not having that fight was mentally draining and difficult to find motivation. Dana White announces that Nick Diaz will receive the next shot at Georges St. Pierre. Dana expects Diaz to be elated. Diaz goes off on a rant about how he has to be the villain to get the fight. He claims that he's only getting it because fans want to see him get beat up. He sounds angry about getting the fight.  Carlos Condit has agreed to step aside to let Diaz fight GSP first. He'll also fight on the Superbowl weekend card.  Diaz claims there's not enough money in the sport. Floyd Mayweather made $25million and can't stop the double leg.  Dana finally gets frustrated at Nick's ranting and starts going off about how the night could have been better if he didn't screw Diaz out of his title shot.  It's a great post fight presser and shows why Nick Diaz is one of the most loved fighters in the sport. Highlight is Diaz making the crowd of media laugh and then claiming his toils aren't funny.  SBN coverage of UFC 137 Results: Penn vs. Diaz

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For one round, it looked like everyone that thought B.J. Penn was too much for Nick Diaz appeared to be correct. For one round, B.J. Penn showed terrific movement, offensive grappling and crisp boxing. Unfortunately for "The Prodigy" last night (October 29, 2011) in the main event of UFC 137, the fight was for three full rounds. In those final two rounds, the former Strikeforce welterweight champion Diaz picked the Hawaiian apart with his patented volume punching and crazy offensive onslaught, an attack so brutal that fans were shocked to hear the announcement of Penn's retirement after the bout was over. So what was the key factor that allowed Nick Diaz pull off the minor upset? And what's next for both fighters? (You should probably know this one already.) B.J. Penn got off to a strong start. He hung out in the pocket, darted in and out and landed his strong punches against Diaz's defensive liabilities in the stand-up. He ducked down with a beautiful takedown and nearly took Diaz's back during a scramble. Penn ducked down with a beautiful takedown, grabbing a leg and swiftly taking Diaz to the canvas. Diaz attempted to defend with a guillotine choke but Penn rolled through it and nearly took Diaz's back during the resulting scramble. Notice how as Penn attempts to get his second hook in, Diaz swiftly pushes it off with both hands and forces Penn to have to work from his back with just the one hook. This would allow Diaz to escape the dangerous position moments later. It was some very clever defense from the Cesar Gracie trained black belt  Once back to the feet, Penn initiated a clinch and simply never allowed the Stockton native to put much offense together.  Round two, on the other hand, was the turning point of the bout. Diaz appeared to have let his Octagon jitters subside and he began to really go to work with his patented taunting and trash talk. "The Prodigy" found himself pinned against the fence in the clinch, but that's not a place to relax against Nick Diaz. Instead, Diaz pounded on Penn with some dirty boxing and short, swift knees. He really knows how to put some offense together from that position.  After stuffing a takedown attempt from Penn, Diaz unloaded with a combination to the body that appears to take some of the fight out of the multi-divisional champion. Some tremendous footwork allowed Diaz to get Penn right where he wanted him, with his back against the fence and in perfect range to be on the end of his full offensive onslaught of punches.  At this point, Nick Diaz simply began to just beat B.J. Penn up. Penn was stuck on the outside with no escape routes. Every time he tried to move to the side, Diaz cut him off and began unloading on him with his patented "Stockton slaps" as Mike Goldberg calls them. Watch how Diaz is simply able to overwhelm Penn with sheer offense. He's not showcasing any defense but Penn does not have the time to counter. He was in pure survival mode for the final two minutes of the second round. Diaz also drops to the body just long enough to keep Penn honest with his defense.  It truly was a thing of beauty to witness live, seeing Diaz work against a very high level opponent like that. Penn showed true heart in round three, refusing to wilt under the pressure of Diaz's offense, even backing the Team Cesar Gracie fighter up at times, but he simply couldn't keep up with the pace that the occasional triathlete was able to set. The third round was closer than the second, as Penn did get some offense off, but the ridiculous volume of Diaz's attack made up for anything that "The Prodigy" was able to muster.  In the end, the judges decided unanimously in Nick Diaz's favor, all three giving him the final two rounds, with one even giving Diaz a 10-8 score in round two. It was the prototypical Nick Diaz performance. The key factors in the victory for the pride of Stockton were:  a.) Body punches - Diaz really began to work the body of B.J. Penn early in round two and it really began to play a factor as the Hawaiian faded badly in the final two minutes. You could tell that his lateral quickness had been affected as well as his endurance. I believe the body punches of Nick Diaz were the most important factor in his victory as they laid the groundwork for his offensive onslaught in the later rounds. b.) Range - Nick Diaz found his range in the second round. From about the four minute mark on until the remainder of the fight, he was able to connect on Penn with nearly every strike he threw while the former two-time UFC champ routinely came up short with his counter strikes. c.) Footwork - The last place you would ever want to be against Nick Diaz is with your back pinned against the fence while he's in perfect range to keep you on the end of his punches, yet B.J. Penn found himself there routinely in the final two rounds of the fight. Credit this to Nick Diaz's excellent use of footwork which enabled him to maneuver Penn into the fence. He also cut Penn off every time he tried to escape the position, trapping him along the fence time and time again. d.) Endurance - The Cesar Gracie black belt has some of the best cardio in MMA, bar none. He overwhelmed Penn in round two, connected with over 100 punches and he didn't even look like he was breathing hard in between rounds. The fact that he's able to push that sort of pace and not get tired was huge. e.) Volume - Once Diaz got going after his typical slow start, Penn got overwhelmed by the pure volume of strikes being thrown in his his direction. Even though Diaz wasn't using great defensive boxing, Penn was never able to capitalize on an opening because he was constantly on the defensive. For B.J. Penn, he put up one great round against Diaz, but his inability to score a takedown or put his opponent in the clinch in the beginning of the second round was his downfall. He allowed Diaz to get comfortable, which is the last thing in the world you want to do. He announced his retirement after the fight, but Penn is also incredibly emotional after his fights. He may stick with it, and with an 0-2 record against both champions at lightweight and welterweight, this may be a legitimate retirement. If he doesn't call it quits, though, don't be surprised to see Penn return to lightweight and face someone like Gray Maynard or Melvin Guillard. For Nick Diaz, this was his true coming out party to UFC fans around the world. Everyone got a taste of what the Stockton bad boy brings to the table and they loved every second of it. Dana White announced during the post-fight press conference that Diaz, not Carlos Condit, would be getting the next title shot against Georges St. Pierre, and quite a bit of it had to do with Diaz calling out GSP in his post-fight speech, claiming he was faking an injury to duck him. This has the potential to be a huge pay-per-view for the UFC if they market it correctly, as it will go down on Super Bowl weekend. So what do you think Maniacs? Were you shocked by what Nick Diaz was able to do last night to one of the UFC's all-time greats? Do you think Penn's retirement will stick? Sound off! For complete UFC 137 results, including blow-by-blow, fight-by-fight coverage of the entire pay-per-view (PPV) event as well as immediate post-fight reaction click here, here and here. All gifs by Zombie Prophet via IronForgesIron.com.

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Nick Diaz's bloodying of BJ Penn at UFC 137 earned him a unanimous decision and sent Penn into retirement talk, but Diaz was not pleased.

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Georges St-Pierre is more motivated than ever to face Nick Diaz and responds to the former Strikeforce champion following UFC 137.

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Whether you love Nick Diaz or hate him, the man is suddenly one of MMA’s hottest properties.

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UFC 137 BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz video highlights via ESPN.

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Carlos Condit didn't exactly step aside to allow Nick Diaz to take his shot at the UFC welterweight title.

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Mercurial former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz will get his crack at Georges St-Pierre after all.

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Read the full article at Heavy MMA

UFC 137 was a decent enough card on paper. The Spike telecast boded well for the night with two excellent performances by its victors. Unfortunately once the main card got going, the night slowed to a crawl with relatively lackluster performances. To say Nick Diaz and BJ Penn more than made up for it would be an understatement. In fact, it's an insult. The only thing more insulting than mentioning the rest of the main card in the same sentence as Penn/Diaz is the fact that it was three rounds. Granted, two more rounds, and Penn might have died in that cage, but it's the principle of the matter. Elite fighters should fight 25 minutes. Period.  For Penn, his exit highlights one of the more unique careers in mixed martial arts. I'll have more to say about Penn in the future, but for now I just want to say that the sport has lost one of its consummate prizefighters. If I were to introduce a person to MMA, there are few fighters that elaborate on what the sport's about better than Penn through performance. He doesn't bore you. He doesn't fight for points. His abilities no matter what aspect of MMA we're talking about are not mockable (see Aoki). He only ever confounds you with his talent, even in defeat. And as Nick proved, he's also one tough sonofabitch. With Penn's head having been genetically fused with a coconut's exocarp, BJ is not a fighter you put down with one punch. After a competitive first round that Penn won, Nick began to run away with the fight, specifically in the 2nd round. It was worth asking whether Penn's corner should consider stopping the fight. They didn't, and it seemed like the correct decision, as BJ still had considerable fight left in him.  I'm not sure what will come of it, but Nick called out Georges St. Pierre. In an atypical display, GSP mocked the idea that he "was scared". Still, it's unclear whether or not Dana will give Nick the shot with Carlos Condit having been "promised". Of course, Condit is merely taking the shot Nick fumbled by being Nick.  Update: According to Dana White, Nick Diaz is indeed set to face GSP. I often feel like the village idiot, so it's with considerable pleasure that I say, I told you so. I always felt like Nick would present Penn with the interesting task of dealing with someone who would get in his face, and wouldn't be discouraged with BJ's counterpunching prowess. We're talking about a guy that took Paul Daley's best, and still kept coming. On top of that, I felt like Nick's reach wouldn't leave him open to as many counters as he might otherwise take. Granted, he still took a ton of shots, but where he keeps his head is just as important. He inches forward and maintains his range which keeps him from taking the entire force of the punches that he does absorb. It's still not great technique, and it's owed in large part to his chin, but it works for Nick because it allows him to stay active to the body, head, body, etc. Here's where I go back to being the village idiot: I still think Carlos Condit is a more compelling matchup for GSP. Not by much, but St. Pierre won't stand with Diaz at all. And if he does, Nick will need time to land a barrage. Carlos still has the ability to kill in one shot. Either way, I'm not confidant either man can submit GSP from their back. Having said that, I'm perfectly fine with Nick getting the title shot next. Now he can say he's truly earned it. A win over Penn is simply more than what Condit has accomplished. Oh Heavyweight MMA: you're the gift that keeps on giving the opposite of inspiration, and acumen. I feel bad saying that about Mirko, who should have retired well before this fight, but in a way his presence is symbolic. The division is so lacking that it allows fighters to stay relevant even passed their expiration date. I don't think any of the HW's were impressive. Kongo is still too tentative, and gets confused when fighters rush him. And as he and Roy Nelson were the winners, I'm confidant in saying there's nothing that interests about a Nelson/Kongo matchup except that I have to talk about it.          "Japanese MMA is not dead", Hatsu Hioki proudly proclaimed in his post fight victory speech over George Roop. Well, you wouldn't have known it by his performance. Much like JMMA, you would have been hard pressed to find a pulse in this fight. For one, Hioki's defense was just downright porous. I live in the middle in this JMMA debate. I don't consider it "fraudulent", as some of its critics do, but I think its proponents tend to ignore the tangible reasons for its decline. To Hioki's credit, he fought to his strengths in the 2nd round, but he still has problems doing that with any consistency. Hioki is a world class fighter who took Brian Geraghty (the guy on TUF who made Joe Lauzon look like Fedor Emelianenko) to a decision. The same thing happened in his loss to Antonio Carvalho, which he simply let slip from his grappling fingers. These are the kinds of mistakes can't afford to make at this level. If he struggles to live up to the hype, it will be because he doesn't always fight the way he's capable. You know what is defiantly not dead? The WEC. Kudos to Donald Cerrone and Bart Palaszewski fo being the only other fighters to put on memorable performances. Cerrone's low to high kick transition to put Siver on queer street was magical. The guy is simply a killer. Message to Joe Silva and Dana White: if you don't match up Donald Cerrone against Nate Diaz in a five round fight (preferably on FOX), you don't love MMA. Who would have thought Tyson Griffin would one day turn into a punchline? The guy misses weight tonight, having snapped a three fight losing streak by just barely beating Manny Gamburyan, and now he's yet another highlight on someone's knockout reel. Bartimus' went Rolling Thunder on Griffin, and once again Tyson disputes that he wasn't momentarily a vegetable. Speaking of punchlines, Elliot Marshall holds the distinction of looking so lackluster even in victory, that the UFC cut him with a 3-1 record. Despite that, he nearly finished Brandon Vera on the feet, and broke his arm in two. I have no idea where Vera's head is, but it's not in this sport. For the genesis of this apathy, you might have to go back to the Jon Jones fight, when the interest in MMA got elbowed out of him.        

Posted in: fight, nick, fighter, round, penn

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Nick Diaz will get his shot to face Georges St-Pierre after all.

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, gsp, shot

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

Dana White hinted at the start of the UFC 137 post-fight press conference that he had a big announcement that he was waiting to make once Nick Diaz was able to take his seat on the podium. It was possibly the best fight of Nick's career, working B.J. Penn over with punches to the head and body. Penn ultimately retired.  @ufcUFC Dana has never seen gsp the way he was tonight - nick will fight gsp - condit has agreed to waitOct 30 via Twitter for iPhoneFavoriteRetweetReply @ufcUFC Dana has never seen gsp the way he was tonight - nick will fight gsp - condit has agreed to waitOct 30 via Twitter for iPhoneFavoriteRetweetReply @ufcUFC Gsp has called nick the most disrespectful person I have ever met and plans to beat him.Oct 30 via Twitter for iPhoneFavoriteRetweetReply @ufcUFC Nick will fight gsp super bowl weekend - Diaz says he has to play the bad guy to get a fight, people want to see him get his ass whoopedOct 30 via Twitter for iPhoneFavoriteRetweetReply   Dana has made GSP vs Nick Diaz official. It is rumored that St. Pierre begged the UFC President for the fight following Nick's antics after the fight. In the post fight speech Diaz had some choice words for the UFC welterweight champion. The fight is official for the Superbowl Weekend card.  Bloody Elbow will have more in the coming days on what this fight means for the UFC and the welterweight division.

Posted in: ufc, fight, diaz, nick, gsp

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Alright, there's a little secret that I need to share with you. In fact, I've been keeping it the entire week but now seems like the perfect moment to share it with you. Hmph, well let's just say I would be lying if I told you Nick Diaz and Georges St. Pierre didn't 'confront' each other in a Las Vegas hallway this week. That's all I'm saying. Tonight, TUF n00bs were introduced to Nick Diaz. Congratulations on your discovery, you guys are modern day Christopher Columbuses. Now you may past 'Go' on the great board game of MMA fandom. You guys saw what happened tonight. I'm not going to play-by-play it for you. If you missed this fight, then you're just a silly human being, not even worthy of reading MiddleEasy. Props to Nick Diaz on an amazing win and for some reason I sincerely believe this will not be the last we will see of BJ Penn. To the 209ers out there, we will rage in the party bus by the end of the year.

Posted in: diaz, bj penn, nick diaz, nick, fact ive

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Ride along behind the scenes with UFC 137 event headliners, B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz, as they go through their final duties and preparations for their bout tonight (Oct. 29, 2011) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Take a peek at what things look like from their point of view, from the pre-fight press conference to the weigh-ins to the final dinner before fight night. Enjoy! It's almost time.

Posted in: nick diaz, nick, event, fight night, scene

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick, trailer, hangover

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In an intriguing UFC vs. Strikeforce battle, former UFC Welterweight and Lightweight champion B.J. Penn (16-7-2; 12-6-2 UFC) faces former Strikeforce Welterweight champion Nick Diaz (25-7, 1 NC; 6-4 UFC) at UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz. This Welterweight fight is the main event of the PPV. Penn is currently ranked #7 in the Welterweight USA Today/BE Consensus Rankings, with Diaz a few spots above him at #4. The PPV begins at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. It's been a wild ride to the UFC 137 main event. After Georges St. Pierre vs. Jake Shields at UFC 129 drew some negative reactions, the UFC opted for a GSP vs. Nick Diaz champion vs. champion fight, hoping the unpredictable Diaz would create some fireworks. Trouble is, he proved to be a bit too unpredictable, and after missing press conferences, he was sacked from the card with Carlos Condit taking his place. Of course, that left Condit's former opponent B.J. Penn alone, so he was given... Nick Diaz. When St. Pierre went down to injury, this former semi-main event was bumped up to the main event slot, putting Diaz back in the main, and leaving poor Condit off the card entirely. How do these two stack up? Penn: 32 years old | 5'9" | 70" reachDiaz: 28 years old | 6'1" | 74" reach What have these two done recently? Penn: D - Jon Fitch (Majority Draw) | W - Matt Hughes (KO)  | L - Frankie Edgar (UD)Diaz: W - Paul Daley (TKO) | W - Evangelista Santos (Sub) | W - K.J. Noons (UD) How did these two get here? After an inconsistent return to the UFC in 2006, B.J. Penn looked to bring all his skills together and realize his great potential with a dominant Lightweight title run in 2008-2009. But a pair of losses to Frankie Edgar left Penn, and some analysts, questioning his spot in the sport. He decided to abandon Lightweight and head back up to Welterweight, knocking out Matt Hughes, and battling Jon Fitch to a draw. Penn is often held up as a great Welterweight, but that is almost solely based on his 2004 title win over Hughes. That was indeed impressive, but it was also nearly 8 years ago. His UFC record at Welterweight stands at just 2-3-1, though every one of those fights has come against a world class Welterweight. Could he be moving into position for Georges St. Pierre vs. B.J. Penn III? Nick Diaz left the UFC in 2006, and has gone on an incredible 11-1 run since. That run includes winning the Strikeforce title, which he vacated in order to move to the UFC. The Cesar Gracie black belt has a great jiu jitsu game, though he is much more known for his unique high-volume punching style these days. His combination of unique style, exciting fights, and huge personality has made him a massive cult favorite amongst hardcore fans, though it's not yet known how much of a draw he is to the casual fanbase. Despite his impressive run in recent years, many still have questions about where he stands in the division, as he has not faced many ranked fighters during this time. Diaz has a lot to prove in this fight. Why should you care? It won't have the title drama of St. Pierre vs. Diaz, but it's still a great fight. Diaz almost never has a boring outing, and Penn tends to bring the excitement as well. This will also be a fascinating stylistic battle, with both men comfortable on the ground and on the feet. Add in the future title fight implications and the notoriously wild Diaz and you have a fight to watch. More UFC 137 preview coverage from Bloody Elbow after the jump. UFC 137 Weigh In Video: BJ Penn and Nick Diaz Almost Come To Blows - Matthew Roth UFC 137: Mirko Cro Cop vs. Roy Nelson Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137 Penn vs Diaz: Staff Predictions UFC 137 Weigh-In Video and Results - Tim Burke UFC 137: Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137: Scott Jorgensen vs. Jeff Curran Dissection - Dallas Winston Judo Chop: B.J. Penn's Back Control - Ben Thapa UFC 137: The Sober Reality of Nick Diaz's Continued Presence in MMA - Leland Roling UFC 137: Dana White Video Blog, Part 2 - Matthew Roth Judo Chop: Nick Diaz's Ground Game - Ben Thapa UFC 137: George Roop vs. Hatsu Hioki Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137 Striking Breakdown: Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic - Fraser Coffeen UFC 137 Press Conference Recap: Jon Anik to Broadcast Booth, UFC on Fox Undercard on Facebook and Fox.com - Brent Brookhouse UFC 137 Video: B.J. Penn Challenges Cesar Gracie, Admits to Being 'Hookwinked' By Him - Tim Burke UFC 137: Roy Nelson 'I'd Have to Cut Off A Leg To Make 205' - Matthew Roth Bad Boy Presents Bloody Elbow Radio - Episode 92: UFC 137 Preview - Matt Bishop UFC 137 Video: Nick Diaz Goes In-Depth About Press Conference Fiasco, Not Loving Fighting - Tim Burke UFC 137: The Card That Could Have Been and the PPV Repercussions - Matthew Roth UFC 137 Video: B.J. Penn Talks Fighting Nick Diaz and Future Title Shots - Brent Brookhouse UFC 137: B.J. Penn Explains Lack of Hype for Nick Diaz Fight - Brent Brookhouse UFC 137: Nick Diaz Wishes He'd Stuck to Boxing Plans - Brent Brookhouse UFC 137: George Roop Discusses Bout With Hatsu Hioki, Death of Shawn Tompkins - Tim Burke UFC 137 Video: Danny Downes Fighter Diary In Preparation for Ramsey Nijem - Anton Tabuena UFC 137: Tyson Griffin vs. Bart Palaszewski Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz Betting Lines - Tim Burke UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz Countdown Video - Tim Burke UFC 137: Dennis Siver vs. Donald Cerrone Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137: Matt Mitrione's Rapid Rise the Exception, Not the Rule - Leland Roling UFC 137 Roundtable: Analyzing Nick Diaz's Chances Against B.J. Penn UFC 137: Nick Diaz Discusses Looking Up to B.J. Penn, Gameplanning - Tim Burke UFC 137: Breaking Down the Striking of Matt Mitrione - Fraser Coffeen UFC 137: B.J. Penn Not Offended By Nick Diaz At All - Tim Burke UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz - Best Bets for Fight of the Night - Brent Brookhouse UFC 137: Donald Cerrone's Unlikely Run May Land Him in Title Contention - Leland Roling UFC 137: Facebook Card Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137: Dana White Video Blog, Part 1 - Tim Burke UFC 137: Cesar Gracie - If Nick Diaz Finishes B.J. Penn, He Should Get GSP Next - Tim Burke

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick, vs, penn

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In a Bantamweight fight, Scott Jorgensen (12-4; 1-0 UFC) faces Jeff Curran (33-13-1; 0-1 UFC) at UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz. This is the second bout of the PPV portion of the show. Jorgensen is currently ranked #6 at Bantamweight in the USA Today/BE Consensus Rankings, while Curran is unranked. The PPV begins at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. The Bantamweight division is in a bit of a corner right now. Dominick Cruz is dangerously close to having cleaned out the division, and the UFC has not yet built any new challengers for him. This fight has earned a main card slot partly by default after the St. Pierre vs. Condit cancellation, but it is a real opportunity for both men and the division. A big, exciting fight will add some esteem to the 135 pounders, and possibly propel the winner into quick title contention. How do these two stack up? Jorgensen: 29 years old | 5'4" | 66" reachCurran: 34 years old | 5'6" | 69" reach What have these two done recently? Jorgensen: W - Ken Stone (KO) | L - Dominick Cruz (UD) | W - Brad Pickett (UD)Curran: W - Billy Vaughn (UD) | W - David Love (UD) | L - Bryan Goldsby (UD) How did these two get here? Jorgensen has the distinction of being the last man to challenge for the WEC Bantamweight title before it was absorbed into the UFC. That fight was a typical Cruz victory, with the champion doing his thing and earning a decision over Jorgensen. Although he lost to Cruz, Jorgensen is still a highly regarded BW on a 6-1 run. Over the past two years, he's really found his groove and is performing excellently every time out. The former NCAA Division I wrestler holds wins over some top fighters in the division, but the fact that he is so recently removed from the Cruz loss makes a title shot for him a tough sell. Jeff "Big Frog" Curran is a near 14 year veteran of the sport, with roughly 50 pro fights to his name. The popular Midwest fighter has competed all over. UFC, Strikeforce, Pride, Bellator, WEC, IFL... all have played home to Curran at one time. His highest profile run came in the WEC in 2007-2009 when he challenged Urijah Faber for the Featherweight title. He dropped down to Bantamweight and dropped 4 in a row before leaving the WEC, and has gone 4-1 since. Curran is the kind of veteran that always poses a challenge, but at 34 years old and 14 years into his career, this run may be coming too late. A win over Jorgensen would be huge for him and would be his biggest win since at least 2006. Why should you care? Even if you don't know either man well, the Bantamweights always deliver. This is a definite front-runner for Fight of the Night, and a welcome chance to see the Bantamweights on the main card. More UFC 137 preview coverage from Bloody Elbow after the jump. UFC 137 Weigh In Video: BJ Penn and Nick Diaz Almost Come To Blows - Matthew Roth UFC 137: Mirko Cro Cop vs. Roy Nelson Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137 Penn vs Diaz: Staff Predictions UFC 137 Weigh-In Video and Results - Tim Burke UFC 137: Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137: Scott Jorgensen vs. Jeff Curran Dissection - Dallas Winston Judo Chop: B.J. Penn's Back Control - Ben Thapa UFC 137: The Sober Reality of Nick Diaz's Continued Presence in MMA - Leland Roling UFC 137: Dana White Video Blog, Part 2 - Matthew Roth Judo Chop: Nick Diaz's Ground Game - Ben Thapa UFC 137: George Roop vs. Hatsu Hioki Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137 Striking Breakdown: Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic - Fraser Coffeen UFC 137 Press Conference Recap: Jon Anik to Broadcast Booth, UFC on Fox Undercard on Facebook and Fox.com - Brent Brookhouse UFC 137 Video: B.J. Penn Challenges Cesar Gracie, Admits to Being 'Hookwinked' By Him - Tim Burke UFC 137: Roy Nelson 'I'd Have to Cut Off A Leg To Make 205' - Matthew Roth Bad Boy Presents Bloody Elbow Radio - Episode 92: UFC 137 Preview - Matt Bishop UFC 137 Video: Nick Diaz Goes In-Depth About Press Conference Fiasco, Not Loving Fighting - Tim Burke UFC 137: The Card That Could Have Been and the PPV Repercussions - Matthew Roth UFC 137 Video: B.J. Penn Talks Fighting Nick Diaz and Future Title Shots - Brent Brookhouse UFC 137: B.J. Penn Explains Lack of Hype for Nick Diaz Fight - Brent Brookhouse UFC 137: Nick Diaz Wishes He'd Stuck to Boxing Plans - Brent Brookhouse UFC 137: George Roop Discusses Bout With Hatsu Hioki, Death of Shawn Tompkins - Tim Burke UFC 137 Video: Danny Downes Fighter Diary In Preparation for Ramsey Nijem - Anton Tabuena UFC 137: Tyson Griffin vs. Bart Palaszewski Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz Betting Lines - Tim Burke UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz Countdown Video - Tim Burke UFC 137: Dennis Siver vs. Donald Cerrone Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137: Matt Mitrione's Rapid Rise the Exception, Not the Rule - Leland Roling UFC 137 Roundtable: Analyzing Nick Diaz's Chances Against B.J. Penn UFC 137: Nick Diaz Discusses Looking Up to B.J. Penn, Gameplanning - Tim Burke UFC 137: Breaking Down the Striking of Matt Mitrione - Fraser Coffeen UFC 137: B.J. Penn Not Offended By Nick Diaz At All - Tim Burke UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz - Best Bets for Fight of the Night - Brent Brookhouse UFC 137: Donald Cerrone's Unlikely Run May Land Him in Title Contention - Leland Roling UFC 137: Facebook Card Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137: Dana White Video Blog, Part 1 - Tim Burke UFC 137: Cesar Gracie - If Nick Diaz Finishes B.J. Penn, He Should Get GSP Next - Tim Burke

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick, vs, penn

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

The Spike TV prelims show already has a solid featherweight bout to start with, and this lightweight bout just puts it over the top as one of the best prelims shows of 2011. Fireworks are sure to erupt on the feet when these two meet in the center of the cage. Donald Cerrone (16-3, 1 NC, 3-0 UFC) meets Dennis Siver (19-7, 8-4 UFC) in a lightweight bout at UFC 137. Cerrone is currently ranked at number 13 at lightweight on the USA Today/BE Consensus Rankings, while Silver is holding down the 10 spot. A win by other fighter would likely cement a top 10 ranking and leave the guy a couple of fights from a title shot. This lightweight UFC 137 fight will be on the televised portion of the preliminary card, and will air live on Spike TV. The Spike broadcast begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. How do these two stack up? Cerrone: 28 years old | 6'0" | 73" reachSiver: 32 years old | 5'7" | 70" reach What have these two done recently? Cerrone: W - Charles Oliveira (TKO)  | W -  Vagner Rocha (UD) | L - Paul Kelly SUB)Siver: W - Matt Wiman (UD) | W - George Sotiropoulos (UD) | W - Andre Winner (SUB)  How did these two get here? Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone is a former kickboxer than made the transition to MMA in 2006. It was his ground game that got him noticed in MMA though, ratting off seven straight submission wins to earn a shot in the WEC. After a failed drug test caused a no contest in his first WEC bout, he picked up two wins (including one over Razor Rob McCullough that was one of the most exciting fights ever) to earn a lightweight title shot against Jamie Varner. The bout ended controversially in the 5th round when Varner landed an unintentional illegal knee and the bout went to the scorecards. He rebounded and was fighting for the title again 10 months later, this time against Ben Henderson. He lost a very close decision in what turned out to be the fight of the year for 2009. He later dropped another title fight to Henderson before picking up a win over Varner. Then it was off to the UFC, where he has rattled off three straight wins, including a knockout of the night performance against Charles Oliveira in his last bout at UFC on Versus 5. Dennis Siver is a Russian-born fighter who moved to Germany when he was 17. He is a former kickboxer as well, and switched over to MMA back in 2004. A 10-3 run in Europe earned Siver a shot on the UFC's first UK card, but he was quickly submitted by Jess Llaudin. Additional losses to Melvin Guillard and Gray Maynard sent him packing, but just one win outside the promotion was enough to get him back in and he's been excellent ever since, going 7-1 and picking up four bonuses in the process. His biggest win probably came over George Sotiropoulos at UFC 127. He'll inch closer to title shot contention with a win over Cerrone. Why should you care? This is going to be a barnburner. They have nine performance bonuses between them in the UFC and WEC. What's not to like? More UFC 137 preview coverage from Bloody Elbow after the jump. UFC 137 Weigh In Video: BJ Penn and Nick Diaz Almost Come To Blows - Matthew Roth UFC 137: Mirko Cro Cop vs. Roy Nelson Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137 Penn vs Diaz: Staff Predictions UFC 137 Weigh-In Video and Results - Tim Burke UFC 137: Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137: Scott Jorgensen vs. Jeff Curran Dissection - Dallas Winston Judo Chop: B.J. Penn's Back Control - Ben Thapa UFC 137: The Sober Reality of Nick Diaz's Continued Presence in MMA - Leland Roling UFC 137: Dana White Video Blog, Part 2 - Matthew Roth Judo Chop: Nick Diaz's Ground Game - Ben Thapa UFC 137: George Roop vs. Hatsu Hioki Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137 Striking Breakdown: Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic - Fraser Coffeen UFC 137 Press Conference Recap: Jon Anik to Broadcast Booth, UFC on Fox Undercard on Facebook and Fox.com - Brent Brookhouse UFC 137 Video: B.J. Penn Challenges Cesar Gracie, Admits to Being 'Hookwinked' By Him - Tim Burke UFC 137: Roy Nelson 'I'd Have to Cut Off A Leg To Make 205' - Matthew Roth Bad Boy Presents Bloody Elbow Radio - Episode 92: UFC 137 Preview - Matt Bishop UFC 137 Video: Nick Diaz Goes In-Depth About Press Conference Fiasco, Not Loving Fighting - Tim Burke UFC 137: The Card That Could Have Been and the PPV Repercussions - Matthew Roth UFC 137 Video: B.J. Penn Talks Fighting Nick Diaz and Future Title Shots - Brent Brookhouse UFC 137: B.J. Penn Explains Lack of Hype for Nick Diaz Fight - Brent Brookhouse UFC 137: Nick Diaz Wishes He'd Stuck to Boxing Plans - Brent Brookhouse UFC 137: George Roop Discusses Bout With Hatsu Hioki, Death of Shawn Tompkins - Tim Burke UFC 137 Video: Danny Downes Fighter Diary In Preparation for Ramsey Nijem - Anton Tabuena UFC 137: Tyson Griffin vs. Bart Palaszewski Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz Betting Lines - Tim Burke UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz Countdown Video - Tim Burke UFC 137: Dennis Siver vs. Donald Cerrone Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137: Matt Mitrione's Rapid Rise the Exception, Not the Rule - Leland Roling UFC 137 Roundtable: Analyzing Nick Diaz's Chances Against B.J. Penn UFC 137: Nick Diaz Discusses Looking Up to B.J. Penn, Gameplanning - Tim Burke UFC 137: Breaking Down the Striking of Matt Mitrione - Fraser Coffeen UFC 137: B.J. Penn Not Offended By Nick Diaz At All - Tim Burke UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz - Best Bets for Fight of the Night - Brent Brookhouse UFC 137: Donald Cerrone's Unlikely Run May Land Him in Title Contention - Leland Roling UFC 137: Facebook Card Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137: Dana White Video Blog, Part 1 - Tim Burke UFC 137: Cesar Gracie - If Nick Diaz Finishes B.J. Penn, He Should Get GSP Next - Tim Burke

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick, vs, penn

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

If I only told you half of what has happened since our videographer, LayzieTheSavage, picked up Nick Diaz from the airport earlier this week then your mind would have a quiet nuclear meltdown inside your brain, liquifying your skull and spinal cord in the process. You don't want that, and surely I don't want to be responsible for the death of thousands across the world. Let's just say that I had to make the editorial decision to reject a few clips that were filmed since Nick Diaz arrived in Las Vegas. Don't worry, at least you guys have this exclusive video of Nick Diaz being absolutely mobbed by fans in the Mandalay Bay shortly after the UFC 137 weigh-in.

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, mandalay bay, brain liquifying

Read the full article at Middle Easy

In what could be a loser-leaves-town match, a TUF 13 veteran will face off with a prospect from the WEC that hasn't impressed in the UFC so far. These guys are two of the tallest lightweights on the roster, and both will be looking for their first win in the organization. Ramsey Nijem (4-2, 0-1 UFC) will face Danny Downes (8-2, 0-1 UFC) in a lightweight bout at UFC 137. Neither fighter is currently ranked at lightweight on the USA Today/BE Consensus Rankings, and it's going to take a few wins for either to get a sniff at them. Both are pretty young though, so anything is possible. This lightweight UFC 137 fight will be on the preliminary card, which will be streamed live on Facebook. The Facebook stream begins at approximately 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT. How do these two stack up? Nijem: 23 years old | 5'11" | 74" reachDownes: 25 years old | 5'11" | 72" reach What have these two done recently? Nijem: L - Tony Ferguson (KO)  | W - Scott Casey (SUB) | W - Eric Uresk (TKO)Downes: L - Jeremy Stephens (UD) | W - Taurean Bogguess (SUB) | W - Tiequan Zhang (UD)  How did these two get here? Ramsey Nijem attended Utah Valley university where he was an NCAA Division 1 wrestler. He was chosen to compete on The Ultimate Fighter 13, where he made it all the way to the finals. Unfortunately he was knocked out by Tony Ferguson in under four minutes. This is his first bout since he competed on the show, and the second lightweight fight of his career. Danny Downes was considered a solid prospect when he was signed by the WEC in mid-2010. He was 6-0 with five finishes, and was matched up with former IFL lightweight champion Chris Horodecki. Unfortunately for Downes, he was dominated and eventually finished in the third round. He rebounded with a solid win over Tiequan Zhang. After the merger, he took a fight outside the UFC since they hadn't booked him, and survived an early scare to pick up the W. His UFC debut was a lopsided loss to Jeremy Stephens, but he showed a ton of heart by fighting off a brutal kimura and staying in the fight despite taking a hellacious beating. He'll need a win here to stay in the organization though. Why should you care? To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure. Downes has a ton of heart and usually gives it his all. And I guess if you liked TUF 13 you might like Nijem. That's about the best I can do. More UFC 137 preview coverage from Bloody Elbow after the jump. UFC 137 Weigh In Video: BJ Penn and Nick Diaz Almost Come To Blows - Matthew Roth UFC 137: Mirko Cro Cop vs. Roy Nelson Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137 Penn vs Diaz: Staff Predictions UFC 137 Weigh-In Video and Results - Tim Burke UFC 137: Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137: Scott Jorgensen vs. Jeff Curran Dissection - Dallas Winston Judo Chop: B.J. Penn's Back Control - Ben Thapa UFC 137: The Sober Reality of Nick Diaz's Continued Presence in MMA - Leland Roling UFC 137: Dana White Video Blog, Part 2 - Matthew Roth Judo Chop: Nick Diaz's Ground Game - Ben Thapa UFC 137: George Roop vs. Hatsu Hioki Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137 Striking Breakdown: Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic - Fraser Coffeen UFC 137 Press Conference Recap: Jon Anik to Broadcast Booth, UFC on Fox Undercard on Facebook and Fox.com - Brent Brookhouse UFC 137 Video: B.J. Penn Challenges Cesar Gracie, Admits to Being 'Hookwinked' By Him - Tim Burke UFC 137: Roy Nelson 'I'd Have to Cut Off A Leg To Make 205' - Matthew Roth Bad Boy Presents Bloody Elbow Radio - Episode 92: UFC 137 Preview - Matt Bishop UFC 137 Video: Nick Diaz Goes In-Depth About Press Conference Fiasco, Not Loving Fighting - Tim Burke UFC 137: The Card That Could Have Been and the PPV Repercussions - Matthew Roth UFC 137 Video: B.J. Penn Talks Fighting Nick Diaz and Future Title Shots - Brent Brookhouse UFC 137: B.J. Penn Explains Lack of Hype for Nick Diaz Fight - Brent Brookhouse UFC 137: Nick Diaz Wishes He'd Stuck to Boxing Plans - Brent Brookhouse UFC 137: George Roop Discusses Bout With Hatsu Hioki, Death of Shawn Tompkins - Tim Burke UFC 137 Video: Danny Downes Fighter Diary In Preparation for Ramsey Nijem - Anton Tabuena UFC 137: Tyson Griffin vs. Bart Palaszewski Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz Betting Lines - Tim Burke UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz Countdown Video - Tim Burke UFC 137: Dennis Siver vs. Donald Cerrone Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137: Matt Mitrione's Rapid Rise the Exception, Not the Rule - Leland Roling UFC 137 Roundtable: Analyzing Nick Diaz's Chances Against B.J. Penn UFC 137: Nick Diaz Discusses Looking Up to B.J. Penn, Gameplanning - Tim Burke UFC 137: Breaking Down the Striking of Matt Mitrione - Fraser Coffeen UFC 137: B.J. Penn Not Offended By Nick Diaz At All - Tim Burke UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz - Best Bets for Fight of the Night - Brent Brookhouse UFC 137: Donald Cerrone's Unlikely Run May Land Him in Title Contention - Leland Roling UFC 137: Facebook Card Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137: Dana White Video Blog, Part 1 - Tim Burke UFC 137: Cesar Gracie - If Nick Diaz Finishes B.J. Penn, He Should Get GSP Next - Tim Burke

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick, vs, penn

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Why is the UFC 137 main event between B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz such a timeless and monumental match up? For me, it's because fighters like Penn and Diaz are why I'll always be more of a fan than a journalist. Trumpeted as the first non-Brazilian to win a BJJ world championship in the black belt category, the scrawny Hawaiian kid that meekly made his way into the cage looked commonplace and far from menacing. He seemed like just another fighter in just another fight. This was during an era where most submission specialists were flailing punches like school girls or butt flopping uncontrollably like a dog with the runs dragging himself across the carpet. Instead, Penn erupted into a violent storm of strikes and left his first three opponents broken and asleep on the canvas before screaming something about Hilo and rappelling up into the arena rafters, exiting with a "WTF just happened?"sort of panache like Batman. The same went for Diaz. The intro was "blah, blah, Cesar Gracie black belt" but it was "bam, bam, god damn!" and Robbie Lawler, who was actually being likened to Roy Jones Jr. at the time, was knocked the f**k out. Not immediately christened a god like Penn was, Diaz's path was more circuitous after three consecutive losses in a division dominated by wrestlers, but he still foreshadowed his individuality with the urban legend of handling round four with Joe Riggs at the hospital after the fight. The mystique continued to grow and, though not a staple in the UFC, Diaz refused to go away. The hype heightened even further with a gogoplata finish of Pride champ Takanori Gomi in a mesmerizing war. The clamor crescendoed when the career-defining win was overturned for his habit of toking grass, etching his exultation so thoroughly that even legions of bong-toting stoners with a five-minute memory billed the fight as unforgettable.  Love 'em or hate 'em, win or lose, Penn and Diaz have chiseled their legacies into the annals of MMA. The defiant Nick Diaz will greet Frank Shamrock's handshake with his signature middle finger at the press conference, but help him up and raise his hand in respect after beating the braces off of him. The polarizing B.J. Penn will credit Edgar and his team after losing his lightweight belt, move up in weight, crush Matt Hughes and head to Subway on the back of his Harley a few months later, then take down the number-two wrestler and welterweight in a rousing fight dampened by a draw. And what I love the most about these two is that they have an unparalleled natural talent and martial arts diversity, yet tear into their opponents like brawling but technical street fighters, unafraid to take risks and leave it all in the cage. Gifs and analysis in the full entry. SBN coverage of UFC 137 Results: Penn vs. Diaz There is simply not enough available internet bandwidth to share my complete thoughts on this dynamic match up, so let me start with some bullet points of the popular strengths, weaknesses and perceived advantages for both fighters. Penn -- Strengths Punching power Crisp, tight, and straight-thrown boxing Under-rated wrestling abilities Unreal takedown defense Insane flexibility Elite grappling, excellent scrambling, though more power- and position-based Bulletproof chin and difficult to finish Diaz -- Strengths Pissed off Unorthodox boxing Long reach, odd angles and off-beat timing Under-rated clinch and Judo skills Sick scrambling and sweeps; virtually impossible to hold down Elite level, liquid-like guard game Bulletproof chin and difficult to finish Cardio for days Penn -- Weaknesses Cardio and heart, especially in later rounds Dedication and motivation Dealing with unyielding pressure Predictable Defending high caliber boxing in the pocket Diaz -- Weaknesses Wrestling and takedown defense Footwork and head movement Easy to hit Predictable Willing to fight anywhere, often resulting in a perceived lack of cage control A pivotal aspect is whether one of them will change up their typical routines. In both Edgar fights, Penn was stuck in the same gear and content to shuffle forward, throwing almost nothing but the jab, cross and left hook; consistently stringing those same three punches together in heated exchanges. To the right, Penn's follow up to the one-two is a quick level drop, getting deep and clasping his hands around the waist while Fitch goes for the Thai plum. Considering Diaz's static stance and stationary footwork, it makes sense that this has become a popular suggestion for Penn. We can't forget, however, that Fitch turned the sequence to his advantage and that Diaz has busier hips and is better with sweeps than Fitch. With two gifted and high level grapplers like this, I have no clue what will happen when the fight hits the ground. History is our only evidence and Diaz has never been contained on his back and Penn has never enforced the strategy against a slippery guard player like Diaz. Since Diaz does things like dropping both hands down to waist when cornered by one of the most devastating strikers in MMA, the next logical guess is that Penn's heavy and knifing punches will do the same. Of course, the kicker is that Diaz quickly recovered, used more head movement on all fours in the turtle position than he normally does standing, got back to his feet and went on to disarm Semtex with a classic pitter-patter TKO. With Fort Knox level chins, I have a tough time believing either one will fall to anything other than a gradual accumulation of earth-leveling strikes. That's where Diaz's relentlessly pressuring, preying mantis tactics of volume punching comes into play, along with the varied arsenal of strikes he throws in undetectable rhythms. Blasting the bread basket is now a staple in his onslaught and he's at his best when he can find his groove with opponents who stand in front of him. Penn is pretty straightforward in the stand up as well, generally moving in one direction at one speed and welcoming an in-your-face range to trade strikes. When pressed, he hasn't demonstrated the knack to cut angles or circle out into open space, which is how most of the welterweight wrestlers (GSP, Hughes, Fitch) ushered him to the fence to complete takedowns. Diaz will do the same but while seeking to shut the door to escape routes and brawl at close quarters. Penn also struggled with the variety of angles of Edgar's distinct boxing behavior, and I think Diaz will present the same problems, but do so with upper-body movement, indecipherable rhythm and crazy punching trajectories rather than speed and in-and-out footwork. Diaz has not typically been shellacked with the straight punches that Penn tends to throw. For those, he takes the risky approach of ducking and countering, palm blocking or retracting his head to move back from the blow. Wide hooks were how Zaromskis and Daley caught him, while Gomi's Hadouken Punch was a sloppy hail mary of an overhand. Penn is excellent in cracking a hard left hook through after his standard one-two -- which I think is the strike most likely to rock Diaz -- but that also means Penn is the ideal spot for a counter, and his defense isn't impenetrable either. While I agree Penn is the better wrestler and there's a better chance of him taking Diaz down, I wouldn't rule out Diaz landing a takedown. Penn isn't a better wrestler than Fitch, yet his quickness, timing and intelligence made it possible. Diaz could do the same and is just as crafty and domineering from the top (maybe more?) than Penn is. Penn, though unquestionably an exorbitant grappler, has not demonstrated his guard playing acumen as well as Diaz and could be subject to the same perils of fending off a world class tactician from his back. Though I believe that Penn's MMA performances haven't elevated his guard prowess as much as Diaz ... c'mon, it's still B.J. Penn. Here from the Octopus Guard versus Hughes, Penn has exquisite scrambling and grappling transitions, it's just that most of his submissions were basic and facilitated by his thunderous striking. Still, you can never fault Penn for blasting people on the feet and then pounding them into a vulnerable position to snare a choke. He definitely has intricate skill everywhere on the ground and it's a toss up with what will happen against Diaz. So, you're wondering who I'm picking to win by now, and my answer is this: how the hell would I know? How could anyone? In addition to being a drooling fanboy of both fighters and not wanting to see either lose, a logical case can be made for either to end up with their hands raised. I would wager that we'd see a wide range of different outcomes if these two fought twenty times, meaning I don't think whatever happens tonight will decide who is better and three rounds won't be satisfying enough. This should be a frenetically paced barn-burner between two predatory and opportunistic killers that's decided by inches. One split-second decision could turn the tide or end the fight. On paper, there may be a viable list of pros and cons, but I envision the match up like mixing two volatile and unknown elements in a test tube and estimating the explosive reaction when you shake it up. Penn is the narrow favorite on the betting lines which his superior level of overall competition justifies alone. My intent is to analyze rather than predict, so with a gun to my head I would hesitantly guess that Diaz might take a decision. His length, chin and awkward stand up matched with his nonpareil gameness has me leaning his way, especially in a stand up fight. Penn's under-rated wrestling could over-ride everything if Diaz doesn't move his feet, but the way the Stockton scrapper has conducted himself from his back along with his chin, cardio and relentless tenacity gets him my vote. My Prediction: Nick Diaz by decision   Suggested Reading Material Judo Chop: B.J. Penn's Back Control Judo Chop: B.J. Penn Takes Matt Hughes' Back with Octopus Guard Judo Chop: Nick Diaz's Ground Game Judo Chop: The Unconventional MMA Boxing of Nick and Nate Diaz Judo Chop: The Boxing and Jiu Jitsu of Nick Diaz   Penn x Hughes gif via Grappo Diaz x Zaromskis gifs via Sherdog Forums All others via Zombie Prophet of IronForgesIron.com               Poll B.J. Penn vs. Nick Diaz B.J. Penn Nick Diaz   58 votes | Results

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A TUF 11 veteran will be returning to the promotion after defeating a respected veteran (barely) in a regional bout. He will meet a French fighter who has looked quite impressive since he returned from a year out of the sport. Chris Camozzi (15-4, 2-1 UFC) will meet Francis Carmont (16-7, 0-0 UFC) in a middleweight bout at UFC 137. Neither fighter is currently ranked at middleweight on the USA Today/BE Consensus Rankings. It would take a nice run of wins before either would even be considered for the list, to be honest. This middleweight UFC 137 fight will be on the preliminary card, which will be streamed live on Facebook. The Facebook stream begins at approximately 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT. How do these two stack up? Camozzi: 24 years old | 6'3" | 75.5" reachCarmont: 30 years old | 6'3" | Unknown reach What have these two done recently? Camozzi: W - Joey Villasenor (SD)  | L - Kyle Noke (SUB) | W - Dongi Yang (SD)Carmont: W - Jason Day (TKO) | W - Kelly Anundson (SUB) | W - Simon Carlsen (TKO)  How did these two get here? Chris "Kamikaze" Camozzi had 15 pro fights, including a stint in the MFC, before he was selected for season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter.  He won his prelim fight, but had his jaw broken in the process and that saw him leave the show early. He picked up a win at the TUF 11 Finale, then defeated Dongi Yang by super-close split decision at UFC 121. He was then submitted quickly by Kyle Noke at UFC 127, and inexplicably released from the promotion. He earned his way back in with a split-decision win over Joey Villasenor at Shark Fights 15 that was initially ruled a draw, but the scores were read wrong. He'll look to stay with the promotion for a longer stint this time by defeating Carmont. Francis "Limitless" Carmont is a native of France that made his name in Europe as a talented-but-inconsistent light-heavyweight. He trains at Tri-Star Gym and is a teammate of UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. He is currently on a five-fight winning streak, and finished all five of those opponents. In fact, he's finished 14 of his 16 victories. This will be his middleweight debut. Why should you care? Both of these guys are surprisingly well-rounded, but I expect a slugfest on the feet here. Both are very tough to finish with strikes, so it could be quite the battle. More UFC 137 preview coverage from Bloody Elbow after the jump. UFC 137 Weigh In Video: BJ Penn and Nick Diaz Almost Come To Blows - Matthew Roth UFC 137: Mirko Cro Cop vs. Roy Nelson Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137 Penn vs Diaz: Staff Predictions UFC 137 Weigh-In Video and Results - Tim Burke UFC 137: Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137: Scott Jorgensen vs. Jeff Curran Dissection - Dallas Winston Judo Chop: B.J. Penn's Back Control - Ben Thapa UFC 137: The Sober Reality of Nick Diaz's Continued Presence in MMA - Leland Roling UFC 137: Dana White Video Blog, Part 2 - Matthew Roth Judo Chop: Nick Diaz's Ground Game - Ben Thapa UFC 137: George Roop vs. Hatsu Hioki Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137 Striking Breakdown: Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic - Fraser Coffeen UFC 137 Press Conference Recap: Jon Anik to Broadcast Booth, UFC on Fox Undercard on Facebook and Fox.com - Brent Brookhouse UFC 137 Video: B.J. Penn Challenges Cesar Gracie, Admits to Being 'Hookwinked' By Him - Tim Burke UFC 137: Roy Nelson 'I'd Have to Cut Off A Leg To Make 205' - Matthew Roth Bad Boy Presents Bloody Elbow Radio - Episode 92: UFC 137 Preview - Matt Bishop UFC 137 Video: Nick Diaz Goes In-Depth About Press Conference Fiasco, Not Loving Fighting - Tim Burke UFC 137: The Card That Could Have Been and the PPV Repercussions - Matthew Roth UFC 137 Video: B.J. Penn Talks Fighting Nick Diaz and Future Title Shots - Brent Brookhouse UFC 137: B.J. Penn Explains Lack of Hype for Nick Diaz Fight - Brent Brookhouse UFC 137: Nick Diaz Wishes He'd Stuck to Boxing Plans - Brent Brookhouse UFC 137: George Roop Discusses Bout With Hatsu Hioki, Death of Shawn Tompkins - Tim Burke UFC 137 Video: Danny Downes Fighter Diary In Preparation for Ramsey Nijem - Anton Tabuena UFC 137: Tyson Griffin vs. Bart Palaszewski Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz Betting Lines - Tim Burke UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz Countdown Video - Tim Burke UFC 137: Dennis Siver vs. Donald Cerrone Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137: Matt Mitrione's Rapid Rise the Exception, Not the Rule - Leland Roling UFC 137 Roundtable: Analyzing Nick Diaz's Chances Against B.J. Penn UFC 137: Nick Diaz Discusses Looking Up to B.J. Penn, Gameplanning - Tim Burke UFC 137: Breaking Down the Striking of Matt Mitrione - Fraser Coffeen UFC 137: B.J. Penn Not Offended By Nick Diaz At All - Tim Burke UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz - Best Bets for Fight of the Night - Brent Brookhouse UFC 137: Donald Cerrone's Unlikely Run May Land Him in Title Contention - Leland Roling UFC 137: Facebook Card Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 137: Dana White Video Blog, Part 1 - Tim Burke UFC 137: Cesar Gracie - If Nick Diaz Finishes B.J. Penn, He Should Get GSP Next - Tim Burke

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Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz made a successful, and a convincing Ultimate Fighting Championship return with a victory over BJ Penn in the main event of UFC 137. Penn started the fight aggressively, connecting with a lot of striking combinations that started to paint a crimson mask on Nick Diaz's face. Penn also executed a takedown followed by a submission attempt, but Nick Diaz managed to defend well as the fight continued. Second by second, Diaz took control of the fight, as BJ Penn started

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B.J. Penn had no plans to fight Nick Diaz inside the Octagon anytime soon, if ever. However, after several problems arose in trying to put together Saturday’s UFC 137 card, the two former training partners were paired up and will face off across from each other in just a few short hours. UFC 137 is set for tonight from Las Vegas, Nevada’s Mandalay Bay Events Center with the PPV also featuring Matt Mitrione vs. Cheick Kongo in the co-main event. Penn, who originally was scheduled to meet Carlos Condit, has remained a follower of Diaz for quite some time. In fact, he sees quite a bit of himself in Diaz. “I’ve kept a close eye on Nick Diaz’ career. He’s one of my favorite fighters that I love to watch out there and I think right now, he’s probably the best boxer in mixed martial arts today,” said Penn, in a recent conference call with media. “He spars with Andre Ward, he was signed to fight Jeff Lacy, he was considered to fight Roy Jones Jr., and with accolades like that and with the performances that he puts on in the right, with a high volume of punches and all those things, I definitely think that he’s probably the best boxer in the sport today.” Penn has held the UFC title before, while Diaz was the Strikeforce champion when he signed with the company. The two have stepped inside the cage countless times against some of the best fighters in the world. “We’re similar in a lot of the same ways. With the boxing, with the jiu-jitsu and with the way our careers have gone,” Penn said. “Once in a while we end up clashing with the powers that be, and it just ends up going that way for some reason. There are a lot of similarities between me and that guy (Diaz).” PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

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UFC 137 goes down tonight at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas featuring a main event showdown between welterweight contenders BJ Penn and Nick Diaz. The UFC 137 also includes heavyweights Matt Mitrione vs. Cheick Kongo and Roy Nelson vs. Mirko Cro Cop among its 11 bouts. MMAFrenzy.com will have live results snf play-by-play for UFC 137 starting at 6pm ET tonight, but while you wait check out our UFC 137 previews, UFC 137 weigh-in highlights, and UFC 137 walkout shirts. MAIN CARD (PPV) BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz Matt Mitrione vs. Cheick Kongo Mirko Cro Cop vs. Roy Nelson Jeff Curran vs. Scott Jorgensen Hatsu Hioki vs. George Roop PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV) Dennis Siver vs. Donald Cerrone Bart Palaszewski vs. Tyson Griffin PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook) Brandon Vera vs. Eliot Marshall Ramsey Nijem vs. Danny Downes Francis Carmont vs. Chris Camozzi Dustin Jacoby vs. Clifford Starks Pictured: BJ Penn and Nick Diaz

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"The thing with Nick Diaz is that he has a different mentality and believe me, I have known a lot of Nick Diaz's in my life and they come from a different place than me and you do, man. Nick Diaz is one of those guys that will get up and walk over there and slap you. He is one of those guys. So trying to contain Nick Diaz and trying to get him to hang out here in a press conference situation when you got somebody over there saying stupid sh*t to him... He's here today, he's here to fight, ask him questions about the fight. If you want him at the next press conference, don't start saying stupid sh*t to him." -- Don't get slapped, homie. That's what UFC President Dana White told MMA Heat's Karyn Bryant yesterday after the UFC 137 press conference. The bossman has always been adamant about never wanting to change a fighter's personality, and Nick Diaz is no different. White was referring to a question asked by a reporter during yesterday pre-fight press conference in which he jokingly asked Diaz if he had to be locked in his room to keep from skipping town. Diaz jokingly played it off by saying he wasn't locked in, but rather brought down from his room an hour early. According to the UFC President, questions like that could result in a slap from the bad boy from Stockton. You've been warned! But will Diaz do some slapping tomorrow night (Oct. 29) when he squares off against B.J. Penn in the main event of UFC 137 in Las Vegas? Stay tuned!

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The UFC 137 fight card hit the scale on Friday to make their fights official for tomorrow’s pay-per-view event in Las Vegas. Headliners BJ Penn and Nick Diaz scuffled after hitting the scale, while heavyweights Matt Mitrione and Cheick Kongo made weight for the co-main event. Highlights of the UFC 137 weigh-ins are below: BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz: Matt Mitrione vs. Cheick Kongo: MORE: UFC 137 Weigh-In Results: BJ Penn, Nick Diaz Scuffle After Making Weight Stop back to MMAFrenzy.com tomorrow for live UFC 137 results and complete UFC 137 coverage.  

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So here's the amazing stare down video between B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz. There were concerns that they were being too cordial with each other during media calls leading up the fight and that there was absolutely zero animosity between them. Well, this video proves that even if Nick Diaz respects you, he'll still mad dog you at the weigh ins. Both Penn and Diaz made weight making the fight official.  Following the scuffle Nick Diaz walked off the stage, opting to not take part in the post-weigh in interview with Joe Rogan. Is this the kind of thing that the UFC is prepared for should Diaz get past Penn and somehow become the welterweight champion after Georges St. Pierre finally defends his belt against Carlos Condit? I don't think it matters at this point. Diaz is the anti-hero and has a massive fan base that loves his attitude.  SBN coverage of UFC 137 Results: Penn vs. Diaz

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Two of the most talented welterweights in the world will make battle tomorrow night (October 29, 2011) as former multi-divisional champion B.J. Penn takes on former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz in the main event of UFC 137. B.J. Penn is stuck between a rock and a hard place at the moment. He's currently 0-2 against both the UFC lightweight champion (Frankie Edgar) and welterweight champion (Georges St. Pierre). As he waits for one of those champs to drop the title, he just needs to keep racking up wins against everyone else and that includes Nick Diaz. Nick Diaz was supposed to be main eventing this pay-per-view already, although it was originally against Georges St. Pierre with the title on the line. A couple missed press conferences and flights and he was demoted to the co-main event against Penn. Fortunately for him, and unfortunately for GSP, the champ went down with an injury and now Diaz is again in the main event. He's looking for a career-defining victory against Penn tomorrow night. Will "The Prodigy" put away the Stockton bad boy? Can Diaz score a significant victory against a top level UFC opponent? What does each top shelf welterweight need to do to secure a victory tomorrow night in the UFC 137 main event? Let's find out: B.J. Penn Record: 16-7-2 overall, 13-6-2 in the UFC Key Wins: Matt Hughes 2x (UFC 123, UFC 46), Diego Sanchez (UFC 107), Kenny Florian (UFC 101) Key Losses: Frankie Edgar 2x (UFC 118, UFC 113), Georges St. Pierre 2x (UFC 94, UFC 58) How he got here: B.J. Penn was a legend before he ever even entered the UFC, having been the first American Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt to win the gold medal in the World Jiu-Jitsu championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Penn shocked the world when he blasted them top ranked lightweight Caol Uno in 11 seconds at UFC 34 but would come up short against champion Jens Pulver just two months later.  When Pulver relinquished the title to compete overseas, Penn fought Uno in a rematch to a draw that was so lukewarm that the UFC eliminated the entire lightweight division. One year later, upon his return to the UFC, he was awarded a welterweight title shot against then considered unbeatable champion Matt Hughes but "The Prodigy" took Hughes' back and choked him out in the first round to win the UFC title.  Instead of defending his belt, the Hawaiian left the UFC and his weight ballooned, even fighting future UFC champion Lyoto Machida at heavyweight. When he returned, he lost a hotly contested decision to Georges St. Pierre in a number one contender match but was granted the title shot when GSP couldn't make the date due to an injury. This time around, Penn would get worn down by Hughes and an exhausted "Prodigy" would fade under Hughes' attack late in the third round. The Hawaiian took a year off, filmed season five of The Ultimate Fighter as a coach against Jens Pulver and then avenged his loss to "Little Evil" on the finale.  The newly motivated B.J. Penn would win the vacant UFC lightweight championship against Joe Stevenson and would defend it three times to soar up the pound-for-pound rankings. He would lose a welterweight title shot to Georges St. Pierre in the process and then would also lose consecutive decisions to current champion Frankie Edgar to surrender his lightweight title last year. Since then, Penn has moved to welterweight where he destroyed Hughes in a trilogy match and drew with consensus number two welterweight Jon Fitch earlier this year.  Penn is in limbo at the moment and a big showing against Nick Diaz could help him find his place. How he gets it done: B.J. Penn is an incredible Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and his boxing is very crisp. That's not his path to victory, however. The biggest thing that separates Penn and Diaz is Penn's offensive wrestling. "The Prodigy" displayed terrific takedown skills against Jon Fitch earlier this year. Fitch is one of the best MMA wrestlers on the planet and Penn manhandled him in the first 1 1/2 rounds. If he could do that to Fitch, he can definitely do it to Nick Diaz. Penn also has likely been working those muscles for longer periods of time so he won't get as exhausted this time around either.  When he's not working for takedowns and trying to advance position on the the ground or dish out ground and pound, Penn should be patient in his stand-up. Nick Diaz wants to lure him into a brawl, but instead, Penn should sit back and wait for openings. Nick Diaz does not have great defensive boxing and he gets caught or dropped in nearly all of his recent fights. At some point, Diaz will likely leave himself open and Penn could hurt him badly if he can take advantage. Nick Diaz   Record: 25-7 (1 No Contest) overall, 6-4 in the UFC Key Wins: Paul Daley (Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley), Frank Shamrock (Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz), Robbie Lawler (UFC 47) Key Losses: Sean Sherk (UFC 59), Diego Sanchez (Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale), Karo Parisyan (UFC 49) How he got here: Nick Diaz has been fighting tough challengers since he was 17 years old. He battled Chris Lytle to a unanimous decision victory in just his second professional bout. Diaz was the inaugural WEC welterweight champion and burst onto the scene in the UFC when he knocked out Robbie Lawler, a fighter the promotion had been grooming to be a potential future champion. Diaz had a 6-4 run in the UFC, but could never quite get over the hump. He left the promotion in early 2007 and defeated Takanori Gomi via gogoplata in one of the most exciting bouts in MMA history although the result was overturned with a positive test for marijauna. Diaz would lose a match to K.J. Noons for the EliteXC lightweight title before heading to Strikeforce and winning the inaugural welterweight championship there.  Diaz is in the midst of a 10 fight winning streak that includes victories against the likes of Paul Daley, Evangelista Santos, Hatato Sakurai as well as avenging his loss to Noons. He's looking for validation with a victory against B.J. Penn on Saturday night. How he gets it done: Nick Diaz is longer than B.J. Penn and that could be the key to victory for him. He's got a crazy offensive attack in his striking that consists of pure volume strikes, mixing in so many blows that the opponent gets confused and doesn't see the heavy shots coming.  Diaz also likes to talk trash, leave his arms up, get his opponent flustered. If he can get Penn angry, perhaps draw him into a brawl, that's the type of fight he loves and that's the type of fight he can win. If Penn loses his composure in the fight, he could make a mistake that the Stockton native could capitalize on. Lastly, if Diaz can push a crazy pace, he could tire Penn out. The key will be to get in Penn's face and get him to be really active. Penn gassed out late against Jon Fitch in his last fight and conditioning is never a problem for Diaz so perhaps that could be his path to victory as well.   Fight "X-Factor:" The X-Factor for this fight is, with how much respect Nick Diaz has for B.J. Penn, will he be willing to fight his normal style, which is, taunting, trash talking, motioning his opponent and forcing them to scrap with him instead of sticking with their gameplan.  If Diaz has too much respect for Penn to do that, he could wind up fighting Penn's fight, which could be really bad for him. Penn will likely either want to take Diaz to the ground or be patient standing and counter Diaz's volume strikes when he sees an opening so if Diaz doesn't get in his head, he could be in for a world of hurt. Bottom Line: This is a battle of two very evenly-matched opponents. If B.J. Penn doesn't utilize his wrestling advantage, it could literally be either man's fight. Nick Diaz has more to prove and more to lose with this bout than Penn does as he was originally slated to fight for the UFC welterweight title and would likely be right in contention again if he were to win. Both of these fighters bring it every time and put on a "Fight of the Night" worthy performance or a knockout or submission of the night. Expect fireworks. Who will come out on top at UFC 137? Tell us your predictions in the comments below! Poll Who will win the main event of UFC 137 tomorrow night? B.J. Penn Nick Diaz   2 votes | Results

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UFC president Dana White did an interview with Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting after yesterday's UFC 137 pre-fight press conference, and touched on a few interesting topics. He spent a few minutes discussing a some of the combatants on tomorrow's card (most notably mentioning that Nick Diaz missed his initial flight to Vegas, but caught the next one), but the only real piece of UFC 137 "news" that he talked about was something that he had already said at the press conference - Georges St. Pierre's next opponent will be Carlos Condit, regardless of tomorrow's outcome between B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz. He also Nick would be in line for a future title shot, but wasn't sure about Penn. The most interesting stuff he had to say was in regards to Strikeforce and Bellator. He stated that he met with Showtime regarding the Strikeforce contract being renewed, and it went "very well". He also went on a long rant about how the UFC is not a monopoly, and the Bellator sale proves that, even though Bellator isn't competition to him. I'd normally spit out some quotes for you, but his description of each matter is a bit long and convoluted, and definitely comes off better out of his mouth than it does written out. You can catch the video after the jump. More UFC coverage of UFC 137

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BJ Penn and Nick Diaz is an even fight in the minds of many MMA fans. What side do you fall on?

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B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz‘s mutual respect and admiration may have rendered them unusually subdued coming into their upcoming bout, but the moment these two step inside the Octagon at UFC 137, there will be guaranteed violence. The Zuffa brass may not exactly feel “fortunate” following all the main event turmoil leading up to this Saturday, but surely they will admit that having such a strong co-main event ultimately saved this card from sinking completely. And while Georges St. Pierre‘s injury will leave a sour taste in people’s mouths, the fact remains, a fight pitting Penn against Diaz would have been considered a mouth-watering main event under normal circumstances. Welterweight Fight: B.J. Penn vs. Nick Diaz What Nick Diaz will attempt to do is far from a mystery. He will move forward, throw his “peppering punches”, throw plenty of combinations, and go to the body repeatedly. This is the way Diaz has always fought, but he has made some tremendous improvements in actually improving upon it in recent times. While his approach and strategy remain the same, his technique has gotten significantly better. That is not to say that Diaz will ever be mistaken for a technical striker, but there can’t be any doubts as to his efficiency. Many of Diaz’s opponents have fallen victim to the sheer volume with which he throws, and Diaz will look to overwhelm Penn the same way he did to his previous adversaries. He will look to take advantage of his reach by establishing his jab, continuously look for his lead right hook, and follow it up with the left; most likely to the body. Perhaps the most glaring aspect of the improvement in Diaz’s boxing has been his increased power. While the Stockton native isn’t a heavy hitter by any means, he has learned to sit on his punches in order to put more weight behind them. And while volume remains his main asset, he has proven that he can hurt his foes when he connects cleanly. Diaz’s single most dangerous punch is his left hook to the liver, and if he is to have any chance of stopping the otherwise iron-chinned Penn, then the left hook to the body is the punch he will have to bank on. However, for all of Diaz’s offensive improvements, his defense has remained typically shaky. His flat-footed stance continues to make him a still target, which, coupled with his lack of head movement, makes him extremely susceptible to getting lit up by a talented counter-puncher. Additionally, while Diaz does a good job at utilizing his reach effectively, he is all too content to stand inside the pocket. This almost cost him dearly against Paul Daley, and had it not been for Diaz’s otherworldly chin and recovery, he likely would have been separated from consciousness in that bout. This plays right into BJ Penn’s hands, as the Hawaiian is a superior technical boxer with great counter-punching ability. On paper, Penn could have a hard time getting past Diaz’s reach and get his jab going, but his superior footwork and hand speed will likely compensate. In addition to his laser-like jab and his lead left hook, Penn’s single most lethal strike is by far his counter right hook. And this is where things get tricky for Diaz, as unlike many of his previous opponents, he will not simply be able to cut off the cage, pressure Penn into backpedaling, and start unloading with combinations. Instead, “The Prodigy” will step inside and stop Diaz in his tracks with accurate counter-striking. Penn would be smart to look to counter with a straight right as well, as Diaz’s southpaw stance makes him particularly vulnerable to that shot. For Penn, efficient and clean counter-punching will be key to his success. He can’t afford to allow Diaz to settle into a rhythm and get his usual offense going, as this will almost assuredly tire the former multi-divisional champion out. Instead, his superior speed and especially, fire power, should be able to stop Diaz from throwing with the same volume and with his usual comfort level. Crucially, it is Penn who possesses a second path to victory. If Diaz gets the better of the stand-up exchanges, Penn should be smart enough to take the fight to the ground. Penn’s wrestling ability, particularly his double leg takedown, has long been severely underrated. Given Diaz’s historically iffy takedown defense, Penn — who out-wrestled Jon Fitch earlier this year — shouldn’t have too much trouble planting his opponent on his back. Diaz is guilty of being too comfortable off of his back, as he rarely attempts to scramble back to his feet and instead relies on throwing submissions from the bottom. Against a grappler of Penn’s caliber, this will prove to be a lost cause. In fact, going for triangles from the bottom will provide Penn with some guard passing opportunities. Penn’s fantastic guard passing is made easier by some vicious ground and pound. In particular, Penn’s elbows are something Diaz need to be wary off, especially given his history of marking up and cutting too easily. Diaz might be one of only a handful of fighters who can survive with BJ Penn on their back, but it is nevertheless a position the Cesar Gracie product should desperately avoid. Diaz will hold a strong edge in cardio, as Penn has a history of fading when things don’t go his way, and Diaz’s frantic pace is too much for most fighters to handle. However, Penn’s conditioning has never reared its ugly head in fights where he has been in control. It is only when he gets beaten up that he starts to slow down. As long as he is dictating the action, Penn should be fine. If Diaz is to win, he needs to use his reach to frustrate Penn, pile up the pressure, tag him continuously while avoiding the incoming counters, and wear him out. In reality however, the match-up is just too difficult for Diaz to overcome. Penn’s head movement and chin — which might be even better than Diaz’s — mean that Nick will have a hard time landing at will or hurting him. Furthermore, Penn’s counter-punching will prove problematic for the defensively deficient Diaz. On the ground, Penn possesses one of the best top games in MMA and happens to be one of the few fighters in the division with overall better grappling than Diaz. Nick’s toughness makes him incredibly hard to finish (though it isn’t completely off the cards), but Penn should walk away with a comfortable decision. Official Prediction: BJ Penn to defeat Nick Diaz by Decision

Posted in: diaz, nick, penn, hook, bj

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Posted in: pound, nick diaz, nick, pierre, george

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It's difficult to reminisce about Nick Diaz's career without taking a journey down a dilapidated road of memories. Youthful and imperfect, Diaz waged war on anything that stood in his path, creating animosity between himself and his opponents that could only be described as borderline insane. One extreme example was the fight that broke out between Diaz and Joe Riggs at a hospital after Riggs won a punishing unanimous decision at UFC 57 back in 2006. Not surprisingly, there's more. Diaz's involvement in a post-fight brawl after his teammate Jake Shields won the vacant Strikeforce middleweight crown in November of 2009 wasn't a surprise to most fans either. The famous image of both Shields and Diaz cocking back their fists to hit Jason 'Mayhem' Miller exudes Nick's persona in many ways. Some might describe him as a thug, others as a loyal friend. In either case, the image shows a Nick Diaz we have grown accustomed to over the years. Like a fine wine, Diaz has begun to mature with age however. In more recent interviews, we've been humbled by a more mellow Nick Diaz. A man who talks deeply about family and friends, wants to make sure his mother is taken care of, and sings the praises of his younger brother Nate. Those thoughts don't subdue his opinions on the fight game or who's to blame for his irregular attendance at media functions however. Those opinions have become more attached to thoughts on his continued presence in the sport. In the last couple of years, Diaz has went public with the fact that he isn't fighting because he has the competitive fire to compete. He's fighting for the money. He's a prizefighter, not a man bound to the sport by a cosmic force telling him that this was what he was born to do. He reiterated that opinion on Thursday in a candid twenty-five minute interview with Ariel Helwani. When pressed by Helwani about why he continues to fight, Diaz succumbed to his natural abilities. He's great at fighting, and despite the fact that he doesn't like beating on someone's face -- it's what he's good at. Many fans can probably relate to that logic. After all, how many of us hate our jobs, yet are very good at what we do? The prolonged presence of Diaz's dislike for the sport and all the intricacies that come along with being a top fighter creates an aura of uneasiness for some fans. B.J. Penn may be his opponent on Saturday night at UFC 137, but the reality is that Diaz may be on the brink of leaving the sport before the age of 30. That story, when it finally comes down the news wire, will create conflicting opinions, likely heavily laced with fans selfishly spouting off about how they are somehow owed greatness from a warrior they grew up adoring. "He's only 30!", "Why the hell would he retire now! He's awesome!" are lines we'll see incessantly fill the conversation. The reality is that Diaz's drive isn't as ingrained in him as it is for other fighters. Those fighters who are pushing themselves way past their prime are more willing to do what they need to do to continue fighting than a fighter like Diaz. For Diaz, his final moments in the cage won't be similar to that of Chris Lytle. He won't be fighting off the tears because he's leaving a sport he dearly loves. He'll be glad it's over. No cameras, press, or expectations. If money is his motivation, who knows exactly when he'll say enough is enough? He's only 28 years old, and he is at the prime of his career. He could make a lot of money if he continues winning. I get the sense, however, that Diaz may be the next fighter who truly walks off into the sunset at the top of his game, not because he's worried about his health or wants to spend more time with family. Because he wants to walk away from something he hates to do. Conventional wisdom suggests that Diaz won't take that step, but when has Diaz followed the accepted norm?

Posted in: diaz, nick, fighter, sport, he

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Chael Sonnen previews UFC 137 BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz with Tom Atencio UFC 137 Main Event Breakdown: BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz | MMA Fighting What was once Nick Diaz’s can be his again. The chance to fight for the UFC welterweight championship is likely just one win away, and standing between him and that goal is BJ Penn. Oh, it’s only a legend and Diaz’s first MMA hero. Even if you’re not a fan of subtext, the significance of that one final obstacle hard to miss. UFC 137: Predictions and Betting Odds for Saturday’s Fights | Bleacher Report Both like to box and rarely strike with anything other than their hands. This is where most of this fight is going to play out, and it’s going to come down to whose skin holds up better to the punches. Both have the chins to withstand each other’s power, but Diaz’s skin cuts easy, and Penn should be able to bust him up even if the exchanges are relatively equal. UFC 137 Breakdown: The Undercard | Five Ounces of Pain If Matt Mitrione is ever going to become a contender in the heavyweight division, he needs to emerge victorious in this one. For all the grief he received following his stint on season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter, Mitrione has turned into quite a serviceable — and even likeable — heavyweight. His professional Football background is a testament to his athleticism, which is a rarity in the division. However, whether his cardio has improved or not remains to be seen. BJ Penn and Nick Diaz Head to Head: Who will win at UFC 137 | LowKick BJ Penn and Nick Diaz will meet this weekend at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The two will face off in the main event of UFC 137. The winner in this fight could very well find themselves on the short list for consideration for a potential title fight in the not too distant future. Penn is mighty, but what’s the point? | NBC Sports No matter what BJ Penn does in his UFC 137 main event match with Nick Diaz, it’s not likely to help him get another title shot. Verafied: UFC 137′s Brandon Vera doesn’t want to be a cautionary tale | MMA Mania “If I saw [Thiago Silva] right now I would kick him in the nuts for sure.” Dana White: Carlos Condit Guaranteed Next Shot at Georges St-Pierre | 5thRound “No, Condit’s in,” White emphatically stated. “Condit’s sitting and waiting. [Georges St-Pierre] should be [out] six to eight weeks. He’s just gotta have some rehab on his knee. Hopefully it doesn’t lead to surgery.” Video Timeline: MMA’s Greatest Techniques of the Year, 1993-2011 | Cage Potato Over the last two decades, MMA has evolved so consistently that fighters are still finding new and unexpected ways to destroy their opponents — while causing fans to spit their beers in shock. We decided to take a lil’ spin through MMA history and identify the single most awe-inspiring technique from each year since the sport’s modern inception. Dave Meltzer: Piracy is a major factor in why UFC PPV buy rates are declining | Fight Opinion With the estimated PPV buy rate numbers for UFC 136 (Houston) coming in at around 250,000 PPV buys, there is concern about the short-term and long-term future of UFC’s PPV business model. It’s only going to get tougher with increased sports & entertainment events happening on Saturday nights. Injuries & too many shows are the main reasons why UFC PPV buys are down this year. Those underlying causes are the reason for a reported spike in piracy of UFC PPV events being streamed online. Dave elaborated on this conundrum for the UFC during his interview with Jack. If you think you can out swim Nick Diaz, you’re clearly delusional | MiddleEasy Our videographer, LayzieTheSavage, was under the belief that he ‘almost’ beat Nick Diaz in a pool race the night he arrived in Las Vegas for UFC 137. Granted everyone’s definition of ‘almost’ varies, but fortunately we have documentation of this swimming contest. If almost means he didn’t even finish the second lap, then sure, LayzieTheSavage ‘almost’ beat Nick Diaz. By that logic, Kristin Kreuk almost knows that I exist and we almost started dating nearly three years ago. Check out this video to clearly see Layzie’s definition of what ‘almost’ really is. Din Thomas updates us on his health after car accident 
| TheFightNerd “I might be the first person in history to get into a car accident on his way to the fight. It’s still kind of hard for me to talk about since this was something I really looked forward to… The thing for me was that i was at the weigh-ins, so I was debating on whether I wanted to stay in Ft. Lauderdale or go home… so we decided to just come back… I ended up going back home and I was feeling good… The car in front of me was a white truck… I was going about 50, not excessively fast… it started to lose control and hydro-planing… so I pulled off to the side and ended up hitting a light pole.” – Din Thomas Payout Blue Book Update | MMA Payout The MMAPayout.com Pay-Per-View, Television, and Live Gate & Attendance sections of the  Blue Book have been updated to include all events in 2011.

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick, penn, bj

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Nick Diaz will forever be a love ‘im/hate ‘im fighter due to his stunning combination of skills, bad boy persona, exciting fights and the unpredictable and often violent moments of surrealism that seem to follow him around. To show our appreciation for highly entertaining fighters with highly developed skills, I present to you a Judo Chop that focuses on Nick Diaz’s ground game. Below the jump, we'll see a few Judo Chops from the archives on Nick Diaz and some of his favorite tactics from his fights and as seen through the fights of his brother, Nate Diaz. We also break down Nick's submissions of Josh Neer and Cyborg Evangelista, while showing some unorthodox tactics he chose to employ against Frank Shamrock.   Being a Cesar Gracie black belt means quite a bit, even in the relatively undiluted world of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, as names like David Terrell and Jake Shields are on that short list of Cesar black belts. Nick too has some serious ground game, despite being known primarily for his stand-up battles. via assets.sbnation.com Nick’s finest grappling moment on the MMA stage is likely his amazing gogoplata on Takanori Gomi at Pride 33 in 2007. Despite the victory being overturned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for Diaz’s post-fight positive drug test, the unusual submission capped off a barnburner of a fight and entered into the record books as the second ever gogoplata we saw in high level mixed martial arts. KJ Gould and Patrick Tenney analyzed the Gomi gogoplata in this lovely Judo Chop from earlier this year.  The Diaz brothers train in the same gym and have developed similar strategies and tactics. One of their favorite things to do in a fight – particularly against an opponent seeking to take them down – is to work for the kimura while the opponent works the takedown. This tactic often leads to a situation where Nate will offer his back and then launch into a diving roll forwards to better isolate a trapped arm for a potential fight-ending kimura. If the kimura fails, it often leaves the opponent unwilling to stay tight and allows space for the scrambles that serve the Diaz brothers well. That tactic did not serve Nate so well against Joe Daddy Stevenson, but as we see in the Ishida/Wilcox Judo Chop, the kimura roll can be brutally effective.    Another particular favorite of Nick is to hunt for a figure four armlock or kimura from side control. In quite a few fights, you’ll see him set up position in a way that leaves the armlock at least as a contingency and sometimes, he gets it like he did against Josh Neer at UFC 62.  via Grappo. Here you see Diaz isolate Neer’s left arm from side control, keep top pressure on so that Neer cannot bring any other limbs to bear, pin the arm down in preparation for a kimura and then step over Neer’s head to finish the kimura. This is one of many examples that show Nick’s surprising top pressure and control – many kimura attempts end up with the opponent powering their way out, but Neer goes nowhere. Nick’s unorthodox striking, with its pawing, unusual angles, rib roasters and gaping defensive holes, has been a subject of much discussion and study. It seems to work for him and he’s delivered some spectacular knock-outs of fighters like Mariusz Zaromskis, Paul Daley and Frank Shamrock. In the latter fight, Diaz displayed some unusual ground tactics as well.  via Grappo In this gif, we see Diaz in a position where he could move into side control, as Shamrock’s left side is relatively undefended. However, Nick chooses to move his left knee to pin down Shamrock’s right thigh, while maintaining the underhook on Shamrock’s left arm/allowing Shamrock to keep the overhook. The resulting position contorts Shamrock into an awkward position where his head is twisting in the opposite direction from his legs and Nick’s good top pressure allows him to stay there. As the gif shows, Nick takes the opportunity to punch Frank a few times in the head before Frank later regains guard (not show in the gif). via Grappo. In the same fight, Nick displayed a rare takedown. As Shamrock came in looking for a few good strikes, Diaz baited him into throwing a body kick and once it was in the air, Nick was ready to catch it and launch into a low single-ish takedown. As Diaz drives forwards and slightly to the left, he keeps the leg just high enough to prevent Shamrock from hopping backwards and successfully regaining his balance. Once they hit the ground, Nick quickly withdraws his arms to a safe place in preparation to throw some more leather. It’s unorthodox, but it worked then. If the unthinkable happens and B.J. comes out with a kick-heavy gameplan, this shows that Nick may have the right instincts to make something happen through countering the aggression. And now for Nick’s most recent MMA submission – the Cyborg Evangelista armbar. Thanks to Grappo’s brilliant gifs, I can break this down for you in three parts. via Grappo. After a leg trip takedown by Cyborg after Diaz was aggressively coming forwards with strikes, Cyborg is on top in guard and looking to do damage to Diaz. To alleviate the forearm pressure, Nick turns his head towards the elbow of Cyborg’s arm (wonder if it was bloody…). Cyborg is in a strange middle ground in terms of posture: neither low and tight nor upright and far away. Evangelista goes to hammerfist Diaz in the face and leaves his right arm in a place that most grapplers will recognize as armbar territory. It is possible that Cyborg knew this and was trying to bait Diaz into swiveling his hips up, diving the right arm underneath Cyborg’s left leg and going for the armbar. The idea of the baiting attempt is to shuck the arm free just before the armbar becomes truly dangerous and to take advantage of that to move into side control or control a turtled-up opponent. That potential bait opportunity disappears because Cyborg reacts a beat too late in his pull-out attempt and Nick traps Cyborg’s arm unusually well. Towards the end of this gif, we see Cyborg realize that his arm is stuck in there and both fighters scrabble for better control of the trapped arm. via Grappo. With the arm trapped, Diaz wants to extend it to complete the submission. Because Cyborg has him sort of stacked up, Diaz’s best option is to roll over his right shoulder, while rotating into Cyborg, and flip him over to the classic top-side armbar position (or posish). Cyborg resists this and tries to shift his balance, but Diaz picks up Cyborg’s right foot and brings it to the other side. With so much of his body on the other side, Cyborg has no choice but to follow and Diaz has kept his forearm in the crook of Cyborg’s right arm the entire time. That arm has never left Nick’s control. As they roll over, Nick comes to a sitting position, his feet are almost crossed and the back of his left thigh is firmly on top of Cyborg’s face. Cyborg is going nowhere soon. via Grappo. The arm is trapped, the legs are controlling Cyborg’s upper body, Diaz is sitting up and all that is left is the extension of the arm. Cyborg is holding onto his trapped arm with his other hand and Diaz must break the grip to extend the arm. Diaz bops Cyborg in the stomach to distract him briefly and takes advantage of that momentary lapse in defense to rip the arm out from the grip. His strength is augmented by his core, as he hugs the arm to his stomach, lies back and elevates his hips to hyperextend the elbow. Unlike Vinicus Magalhaes against Fabricio Werdum, Cyborg has to tap. All in all, it was a beautiful armbar finish and Cyborg’s exhaustion only detracts slightly from it. Going into UFC 137, the betting lines are close and the questions are looming large. Will we see this fight play out on the ground, where both have highly polished skills honed with years of sweat, blood and tears? Does one of these two fighters have the grappling chops submit the other? Or will we see this battle be decided on the feet? What do you readers think?

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick, arm, cyborg

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No Georges St. Pierre? No problem! With B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz in the vanguard, not to mention streaking contenders like Matt Mitrione, Dennis Siver, and Donald Cerrone, UFC 137 is about to take "Sin City" by storm tomorrow night (Oct. 29) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. And that means there's money to be made for the gamblers among us. First you have to win, of course, and you should never bet what you can't afford to lose, but since I've recently started putting money down on the sport I love, I thought it might be prudent to share some wagering tips before major UFC and MMA events, pointing out the most profitable scraps. And which bouts to avoid. Included in the UFC 137 betting guide are all the odds for tomorrow night's show, but first check out my three important rules every bettor should follow right here. Now then, let's get to it. Undercard Clifford Starks (-120) vs. Dustin Jacoby (-110) Chris Camozzi (-140) vs. Francis Clarmont (+110) Ramsey Nijem (-185) vs. Danny Downes (+155) Brandon Vera (-500) vs. Eliot Marshall (+350) Tyson Griffin (-365) vs. Bart Palaszewski (+275) Donald Cerrone (-275) vs. Dennis Siver (+215) Thoughts: To be perfectly honest with you guys, I don’t really see any value in the Facebook portion of the undercard, loaded as it is with UFC newcomers and fighters making their debuts in a lower weight class. The sole fight I’m confident in, Vera vs. Marshall, has odds so rightfully lopsided that there’s really no money to be made there, although if you’re feeling lucky, banking on Vera’s inconsistency to take advantage of Marshall’s +350 wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world. The Spike portion, however, just screams opportunity; both Siver and Palaszewski are live dogs. Tyson Griffin has been on a pretty bad slump lately, robbery loss to Nik Lentz notwithstanding, and Palaszewski has proven able to knock out lightweights with decent consistency. That said, Bart has never cut to 145 before and has generally faltered against high-level competition, so don’t make him the cornerstone of your parlays. Cerrone is a very good fighter, but he’s displayed some serious defensive liabilities in the past, while Siver has just looked better and better since Melvin flattened him. Granted, the Fisher fight could have gone either way (I honestly believe, without question, that he beat Wiman) and he lost to Pearson, but Pearson also just arguably outworked Edson Barboza standing. Plus, Cerrone hasn’t shown any indication that his mind is on this fight; he talked about cutting to 145 to beat up Nam Phan and, when asked about Siver, just brushed him off as a one-trick pony. This smell like an upset in the making to anyone else? Main Card Hatsu Hioki (-400) vs. George Roop (+300) Scott Jorgensen (-450) vs. Jeff Curran (+325) Roy Nelson (-240) vs. Mirko Filipovic (+190) Matt Mitrione (-150) vs. Cheick Kongo (+120) B.J. Penn (-130) vs. Nick Diaz (EVEN) Bit of a mixed bag with the main card this time; let’s look closely. With all the trouble JMMA fighters have been having in the Octagon, George Roop might seem like a great bet, but there are several factors that make me put my money behind Hioki. One, he trains at Tristar with the likes of GSP, meaning he’s got training partners accustomed to American MMA. Two, he has wins over some seriously good competition, including two over Mark Hominick, and while Pat Curran may have dulled the accomplishment, Hioki’s complete domination of Marlon Sandro was a sight to behold. Three, he’s eaten blows from monstrous strikers in the past and stayed up, and considering he’s nearly as lanky as Roop, there’s not much stopping him from closing the distance, tying up, and unleashing that crazy ground game of his. You’re not going to get much from a straight bet, but stick Hioki in a parlay or two. Jeff Curran is a great coach, but he really hasn’t beaten anyone worth a darn since 2006, and with Jorgensen’s wrestling prowess, I don’t see "The Big Frog" getting a chance to use his ground game. Scott is a legitimate top-5 bantamweight, and while I don’t think he (or anyone else) will touch the title while Cruz has his filthy meathooks on it, there aren’t many people I’d pick to take "Young Guns" out. The odds are too lopsided towards Scotty to make a profit, methinks, and a Curran upset is too remote a possibility. Stay away from this one. Were the current Mirko Filipovic the inhuman monster of the past, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more tailor-made matchup for him; Roy’s takedowns are mediocre at best, he’s at a significant length disadvantage, and he’s not even in the same universe as Mirko on the feet. Unfortunately, this isn’t anywhere near the Mirko Cro Cop that used to make complete and utter annihilation in the standup look easy. Just look at his left straight; it used to be a precision-guided missile capable of shattering bones, and he used it beautifully in conjunction with that evil high kick of his. Nowadays, he just kind of tosses it out there. Still, I’m praying there’s just enough Cro Cop left to make the small amount of money I placed on him worth it; if you, like me, are far too crazy about the PRIDE days to listen to reason, at least keep the amount small and parlay in some big favorite somewhere else on the card. Why can’t I quit you, Mirko? I am just full to bursting with misgivings about the co-main event, and that’s due to Kongo being one of the most inconsistent fighters in the UFC since getting blasted and submitted by Frank Mir. The Travis Browne fight is a great example; in the first round, Browne was basically walking in with his hands down and hurling awkward haymakers that couldn’t have been better targets for counters if Browne had waggled his eyebrows Punch Out!!!-style before every punch. Kongo didn’t throw a single blow in return until later in the fight, and even then he seemed more intent on pressing Travis into the cage, grabbing his shorts, and kneeing him in the crotch than exploiting a pretty sizeable technique advantage. Meathead is an excellent prospect and his hands are fantastic, but his defensive wrestling is still a liability, and even someone with grappling as mediocre as Kongo’s could definitely exploit that. If I knew that Kongo would come out and do what he needed to win, I’d dump quite a large sum on him in a heartbeat, but the fact that I’ve basically seen three different Cheick Kongos in his past three fights has got me staying clear. Even at -130, Penn is a fantastic bargain here; while I’ve seen various arguments for how Nick will destroy him, I’m just having a hard time picturing him pulling it off. In terms of boxing, while Nick has looked impressive, he still keeps his head straight up, still uses no footwork, and still throws no kicks. While that was enough against a Paul Daley who apparently fell down some stairs and forgot how to jab sometime before that fight, B.J. has extremely clean boxing and is the faster of the two. Plus, the size disadvantage wasn’t enough to deter K.J. Noons from going toe-to-toe with Diaz with reasonable success. In addition, B.J. offers something none of the other strikers on Nick’s resume could: the ability to take Nick down on a whim without risk of submission. B.J. has shown the ability to dominate on his feet while avoiding a takedown, which Nick so far hasn’t. People point to Diaz’s fight with Sherk as evidence that his takedown defense is solid, and while he did shut Sherk down, he still got boxed to a decision loss on his feet. On the ground, I strongly believe (and am supported by my BJJ instructor, Rahman Howard) that B.J. is superior; his ability to take the back is astounding. I’ve seen people claim that his reliance on the RNC compared to Nick’s bevy of submissions is indicative of the latter’s superiority, but I’m not even going to dignify that with a response. To be blunt, Nick Diaz is not submitting B.J. Penn off his back. Yes, Nick Diaz pushes a tremendous pace and yes, B.J. has been known to quit, but I highly doubt that will happen. My hypothesis is that B.J. quits when he runs out of options; against Edgar, he was thinking "I can’t get him down and I can’t beat him standing". Against GSP and Fitch, he was thinking "I can’t stay off my back and I can’t submit him". This is a situation that simply will not arise against Nick; no matter what happens standing, B.J. can take him down whenever he wants. Nick is a reactive fighter; rather than dictate where the fight goes, he tries to just make the best of wherever his opponent takes him. That’s not a style that will work against someone with the top control of Penn. With Nick’s bizarre behavior in the leadup to the fight combined with B.J. being far and away the best opponent he’s faced in years, there’s a lot of money to be made on the Hawaiian. My Current Bets Parlay: Hatsu Hioki and Mirko Filipovic-$16.00 to make $42.00 Single Bet: Bart Palaszewski-$15.00 to make $41.25 Single Bet: Dennis Siver-$20.00 to make $43.00 Single Bet: B.J. Penn-$62.40 to make $50.00 Remember: never bet more than you can lose, bet with your head, and don’t let betting get in the way of your enjoying MMA. We’ve got an excellent weekend of fights ahead of us, kicking off four straight weekends of UFC events, folks. Enjoy the show!

Posted in: fight, nick, vs, bj, bet

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UFC president Dana White has long said that he would love to have Nick Diaz in the UFC if he would just play the promotional game just a little bit. Lesson learned.

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick diaz, nick, bit lesson

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Reigning Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre, who was forced to withdraw from his UFC 137 title defense against Carlos Condit, discusses the injury the forced him out of the fight, as well as the newly scheduled main event, B.J. Penn vs. Nick Diaz. St. Pierre also talks about recent remarks made by his coach, Firas Zahabi, recommending the Canadian cut down to 155-pounds.

Posted in: nick, pierre, st, carlos condit, george

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Our videographer, LayzieTheSavage, was under the belief that he 'almost' beat Nick Diaz in a pool race the night he arrived in Las Vegas for UFC 137. Granted everyone's definition of 'almost' varies, but fortunately we have documentation of this swimming contest. If almost means he didn't even finish the second lap, then sure, LayzieTheSavage 'almost' beat Nick Diaz. By that logic, Kristin Kreuk almost knows that I exist and we almost started dating nearly three years ago. Check out this video to clearly see Layzie's definition of what 'almost' really is.

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, videographer layziethesavage, everyones definition

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UFC 137 main event combatant Nick Diaz gave a wide-ranging 25 minute interview to Ariel Helwani last night that covers a lot of new ground about why Diaz missed the press conferences last month that led to his removal from a title fight with Georges St. Pierre. He also goes into great detail about how he doesn't love fighting and doesn't understand fighters that enjoy hurting other people, and much, much more. This is the most in-depth interview that Nick has ever done, and he covers a lot of issues about his personal life in addition to his fighting life. Anyone who wants more insight into what makes Diaz tick needs to watch this. The two most telling quotes are the two shortest ones in the interview: "I can't say that I love doing this." "I just keep it real." Nick, of course, will be facing B.J. Penn in the main event at UFC 137 this Saturday. Check out the interview below. More SBN coverage of UFC 137

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Many people, myself included, thought that UFC 136 suffered because the most outspoken "promoter" of his own fights on the card, Chael Sonnen, was relegated to a middle of the card position which the UFC did not hype. It didn't help that Chael was extremely complimentary about opponent Brian Stann and the juice simply wasn't there. Now we're headed into UFC 137 and a main event between B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz, two of the most outspoken fighters in MMA, and we're simply getting no hype for the fight. Penn has talked about respecting Diaz, Diaz has called Penn his favorite fighter. If you'd have told me a year ago that I'd see this fight and get no trash talking, I'd have called you crazy. Yet, here we are. The biggest storylines for this fight have been Nick talking about the fight he didn't get because of his own actions (vs. Georges St. Pierre), wishing he'd stuck to boxing and Penn causing a stir early on by saying the UFC attempted to "force" him into talking trash about Diaz. Make no mistake, in a down year for UFC pay-per-view buys and a card that lost Georges St. Pierre, this is a nightmare for the UFC. UFC 137 was immediately less appealing once St. Pierre suffered an injury, the card needed to save some of the lost buys and it wasn't unreasonable to think that Diaz and Penn would give them an endless string of soundbites with which to promote. In his second blog for Yahoo! Sports, Penn discusses why he isn't interested in promoting the fight: He's a great fighter who I respect and I like. Nick and his brother Nate actually came out to help me train for my UFC 101 match against Kenny Florian. We're not close friends, but both of the Diaz brothers have really helped me out in the past and we have hung out. This isn't a fight either of us would have asked for, but we are both at the top of the division and there's no one else for us to fight. Nick's very dangerous with his punches; we'd have a great boxing match, and he's got some of the purest jiu-jitsu in MMA. ... I was told today that Yahoo! called the blog "The Penn is Mightier," which is pretty funny and a good title. But I won't read anything, no interviews or previews. I won't watch the Countdown TV preview show, nothing, because I want to stay away from the hype for the rest of my career. You can't force guys to promote fights, and this isn't pro wrestling. But the lack of hype has me lowering my expectations for PPV buys for this show from 400k to thinking it'll clock in around 300k.

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It isn't difficult to identify what particular quirk of Nick Diaz' personality makes him so beloved. Yes, he's a rogue, and people love his "don't give a f--k" attitude. Fans enjoy a loveable, irreverent rebel who kicks ass with the best of them. But let's face it. People love Nick Diaz because people love weed.  Marijuana: the iconic symbol of counterculture. You can't really blame his fans though. Even I laughed, and practically cheered his audacity, when, upon being asked if marijuana had gotten in the way of his fight career (Nick famously had a win over Takanori Gomi overturned for testing positive for marijuana afterword), replied: "Actually, on the contrary, my fight career has gotten in the way of my marijuana smoking" Which is vintage Nick Diaz. But it'd be foolish to bottle the importance of weed to hippies, philosophy majors, and FOX news pundits. After all, the history of weed has been written in doublespeak, with US flip flopping its position. First it was legal in the 1600's, then the Revolution of 1910 led to 29 states outlawing marijuana. Something about Mexican immigrants and "superhuman strength" (perhaps where Keith Kizer got his memo on what makes marijuana "performance enhancing"). So you had the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 which criminalized it. The 1960's roll around, and research begins to challenge the dogma of weed as an "assassin of youth". In comes Nixon with his Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse, who he hires to confirm his assumptions that weed is dangerous not just because it inspires a desire to raid the fridge, but because it's bad for you. Said Commission defends decriminalization, causing Nixon to reflect on whether or not the very Commission he appointed to research the drug was part of some Jewish hexagonal plot. Eleven states containing a third of the US population subsequently decriminalize the drug thanks in part to the efforts of the American Medical Association, and the American Bar Association. But we're back to square one in 1984 thanks to Ronald Reagan and the Crime Control Act of 1984 which was one among a number of laws recriminalizing marijuana. If nothing else, the bizarre journey of the plant they call "ganja" (I'm a complete square, so I apologize in advance if I use less-than-hip terms) illustrates how political, rather than scientific the discussion surrounding the popular drug has been. Currently, 16 states consider it a medicine, but the federal climate remains fractured. And so do the prices. Wired magazine recently compiled the numbers with the average price per ounce ranging from $97 to $500+. The latter number comes from the upper midwest, so if you're looking to buy weed, don't go to North or South Dakota (as if you would anyway). In sports, it hasn't been all that different either. When Nick Diaz had his win over Takanori Gomi overturned, the Commission's logic was that marijuana was a performance enhancer. Which begs the question: if that were truly the basis for overturning the decision, why have decisions involving the use of steroids not been overturned? Even so, Diego Sanchez famously tested positive for marijuana following his win over Joe Riggs. What the hell happened there? Dave Herman also had to recently pull out of an event due to a positive marijuana test. Despite claims disputing marijuana use, it's be difficult to look at any given Herman fight (or the picture of him in the cagepotato link) and conclude the guy doesn't get blazed on a regular basis. So what's the deal? Is cannabis good or bad for you? You probably already know the basics. Glaucoma, in which increased pressure damages the neural layer of the eye, is helped by marijuana, which causes a decrease in the eye pressure that hurts retinal cells. It's good for chemo patients in order to reduce nausea, and for AIDS patients, it can act as an appetite stimulant (the so called "munchies"). But perhaps the most interesting recent study, was one conducted by University College in London, which found that marijuana improves upon something called semantic priming. What exactly is that?        "This occurs when the activation of one word allows us to react more quickly to related words. For instance, the word "dog" might lead to decreased reaction times for "cat," "pet" and "Lassie," but won’t alter how quickly we react to "chair." Interestingly, the scientists found that marijuana seems to induce a state of hyper-priming, in which the reach of semantic priming extends to distantly related concepts. As a result, we hear "dog" and think of nouns that, in more sober circumstances, would seem rather disconnected, such as "leash" or "hair." This state of hyper-priming helps explain why cannabis has been so often used as a creative fuel, as it seems to make the brain better at detecting those remote associations that lead to radically new ideas. Why does marijuana increase access to far reaching intellectual connections? One possibility is that the beneficial effect of the drug is mediated by mood. Marijuana, after all, has long been used to quiet anxious nerves — big pharma is currently exploring targeted versions of THC as a next generation anxiolytic — as only a few puffs seem to dramatically increase feelings of relaxation and euphoria. (The technical term for this, of course, is getting stoned.) Furthermore, recent research has suggested that performance on various tests of remote associations and divergent thinking — a hallmark of creativity — are dramatically enhanced by such positive moods." You can read the rest of Jonah Lehrer's always fantastic work here.  The studies on remote associations are especially intriguing because they emphasize the role of mood in the process of learning. Nick clearly loves his weed, but when he claims his marijuana use is due in part to his anxiety problems, it's hard to be skeptical. But then Nick is hardly a role model of civilized behavior. And so it's worth noting that Jack Herer is perhaps not the final word on marijuana. From a study done in the Netherlands: Long-term study Over a five-year period, data were collected from 428 families and their two adolescent children. Each year the children answered questions on topics such as their behaviour and depressive symptoms. The variant of the serontonin gene (5-HTT) responsible for increased vulnerability to developing depression was also determined. In young people with a special variant of the gene, cannabis use led to an increase of depressive symptoms. The study seems relatively inconclusive, and Lehrer's article does a good job cutting through the bullshit on similar studies linking marijuana with psychosis in his article mentioned earlier. But that genes may play a role is unsurprising. As I've talked about in the past, genetics even plays a role in the concussion crisis, as a specific gene shows up in the majority of the brains afflicted with CTE. That a gene may predispose some to deleterious effects of marijuana use is hardly the silver bullet its critics would want, but it's enough to provoke caution. Just as with the steroid debate, the marijuana issue is the kind of thing that will look incredibly stupid ten years from now. Especially with support for marijuana legalization at an all time high (pun intended?). And then Nick Diaz won't ever have to apologize for smoking weed in front of a misguided athletic commission. Not that he would...

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It would be pretty ironic if this video of Nick Diaz exploring his iPhone 4s was not iPhone compatible. Maybe 'ironic' is just one of those overused terms that people drop in articles to make them feel slightly educated. If this video was not iPhone compatible, then it would be dumb. There, that's a word that people use to make other people feel safe about their personal lexicon. I don't want my vocabulary to threaten you. My words are here to inspire the world. My words have the ability to convince another person to make me a grilled cheese sandwich. Nick Diaz's words can be understood by super intelligent computers, as seen by this video of Nick Diaz having fun with his iPhone 4s, filmed by LayzieTheSavage. Props to Tracy Lee for the picture.

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Filed under: UFC, VideosLAS VEGAS -- Nick Diaz met with the press on Wednesday to discuss a whole host of topics: dealing with the media, why he isn't happy he has to fight B.J. Penn, not fighting Georges St-Pierre after all, the roller coaster ride that has been UFC 137 and much more.  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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Whenever I hear about TUF fighters "having it easy", and being coddled, I have to remind said person that Zuffa's pattern for matchmaking has been fairly random, actually. Diego Sanchez, the TUF 1 winner, got an easy fight coming off the "six figure contract". To Brian Gassaway, who he destroyed. His second fight was against Nick Diaz in 2005. Nick had a fantastic record in the UFC, having derailed Robbie Lawler's hype train with a right hand, and his only loss at the time was to Karo Parisyan in a very very close fight. In other words, this fight was no gimme. Many fans expected the fight to be too soon for Diego. Nothing had prepared Sanchez for Nick's game. Perhaps the most startling thing we learned once the fight started is that Diego was legit on the ground, which I'm not sure very many people predicted. Sure he had skills, but how would he respond to Nick's raw aggression? The UFC made it a point of making this the narrative: Nick, the blue collar type, versus Diego, the white collar silver spoon athlete who was only in the spotlight because he got picked for a reality television show. The first round starts out with a grappling bang. Nick paws with his jab, Diego shoots in, and immediately swivels around Nick to take his back. Nick rolls sort of for a kneebar with Sanchez on top, still scrambling for position. In the process he swivels for an armbar. Diego regains top control, and starts throwing punches. It's a frenetic first couple of seconds.  At the 3 minute mark Diego separates, and spins so that his waist is pressing against Nick's head and positions for a kimura. Nick defends, and scoops Diego into side control. As Diego scrambles to his feet, Nick positions for a kimura which Sanchez rolls out of. "You can see the anger fueling both of these men...the hatred for each other...the disregard Nick Diaz has for the meteoric rise of Diego Sanchez", Mike Goldberg says,with a description of the action so other-wordly that he might as well be speaking Spanish and French (at the same time). At the two minute mark, Diego is pressed up against the fence. He drops down for a double leg, turns the corner, and seems to take Nick's back for a split second. It's short lived, and the round ends with Nick constantly positioning for submissions (think Anthony Pettis vs. Clay Guida instead of Miguel Torres vs. Demetrious Johnson). Round 2 beings with another takedown by Nick. For several minutes, the two battle on the ground. Nick comes "close" to a triangle, but Diego is just out hustling Nick. Finally with over a minute left, with Nick seated on his rear, Diego stands up and throws a knee. It almost looks illegal, but it appears to hit Diaz' chest, and Diego slides into mount. The mount lasts mere seconds while Nick sweeps, rolls into a leg lock, and lands in top control in Diego's guard. At the end of the 2nd Diego appears to be say something to Nick (now bloodied up), who ignores him.       At the start of the 3rd, Nick lands a pretty stiff left. Diego drops for a takedown which seems to coincide with the punch (he certainly wasn't hurt). He doesn't get it, and continues to eat the odd jab, and straight left. But back to the ground they go off a failed takedown, which Diego uses while both are clinched to drop down, and turn the corner to get Nick's back. Nick defends and again it's Diego on top, trying to find the mark with his punches as Nick positions for submissions. With 2 minutes left in the third, both guys are cut, and bleeding around their eyes. Nick scores a takedown, and finally Diego must fight off his back. "This is truly is as real as it gets". Yes...because we would have thought they were playing frisbee otherwise Mike. With a minute and 44 seconds left (with Big John playing close attention to a nasty gash above Diego's right eye), Diego uses his right leg to swivel off the fence, and secures an armbar. It's the only time I can remember Nick ever being in trouble from a submission. The camera angle allows us to only see Nick's back, but his back is completely taut, and Diego appears to have his arm extended. Nick deftly uses his right hand to unhook Diego's left leg. They eventually scramble again, with Nick going for a kimura, using it to sweep Diego. Diego uses the sweep attempt to position for back control, while Nick uses the attempt at back control to position for a leg submission. Like many before this one, it's a beautiful exchange highlighting grappling acumen we wish there was more of.  It's also a nice fight to look back on that is one among many reasons why the main event, pitting Diaz against Penn, is so compelling.

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Luke Thomas interviews B.J. Penn. Penn talks about Nick Diaz, Manny Pacquiao, Jose Aldo and the possibility of GSP moving to lightweight. Read it at MMA Nation.

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Nick Diaz met with the UFC 137 media on Wednesday. He was introspective, talking about his feelings on fighting BJ Penn and how he approaches the fight as if it could be his last.

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Top 10 welterweight Nick Diaz talks to the media prior to his main event fight with MMA legend BJ Penn at UFC 137.

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Known for missing media availability, Nick Diaz shows up early to the UFC 137 presser.

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Filed under: UFC, MMA Fighting Exclusive, News, VideosLAS VEGAS -- MMA Fighting spoke to Nick Diaz on Wednesday about whether he enjoyed the road to UFC 137, why he expected something bad to happen to him prior to the Georges St-Pierre fight, why he didn't show up to the pre-fight press conference, his newfound fame and much more.  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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“I would have gone back to boxing. If I had my chance to do it over again, I would go back to the boxing contract. It would have paid me more money, and I would have took my punches win or lose, and just do my job, fight and get paid… Later on, I’m sure they would have me back here or somewhere. You want to see a pro boxer fight MMA? Now you have yourself a high-level pro boxer. In my opinion, I don’t know, I don’t think about it till it’s all over with but I would have made plenty of money in boxing and would have made plenty of money later coming back so it definitely would have worked out if I had done what I set out to do and gone to pro boxing for a while.” — Nick Diaz telling reporters that he regrets choosing the UFC over boxing *Sigh* … I guess we shouldn’t be surprised since the reason he chose the UFC over boxing in the first place was to fight Georges St. Pierre in a big money main event. When he lost that seven-figure payday, I guess boxing started looking pretty good again. I really don’t know enough about the offers he had to know if Diaz would have made more money for a pro boxing bout than he will against BJ Penn this weekend, but Nick still has a golden opportunity ahead of him in the UFC if he applies himself enough to capitalize on it. Love or hate him, Diaz is a polarizing figure who draws tons of attention (even when he does nothing at all) and that’s not something you can say about the majority of fighters in the UFC. Only a select few like Chuck Liddell, Georges St. Pierre and Brock Lesnar have truly captivated audiences on a mass scale and as a result made the biggest paydays the sport has ever seen. Diaz isn’t there yet, but if he keeps winning like he has, keeps being himself and shows up to enough media obligations to keep the UFC happy, I definitely think he has the potential to make the kind of money those guys have. If he ever reaches that level, maybe then he’ll realize that boxing wasn’t the best idea after all. Well, come to think of it, this is Nick Diaz we’re talking about, so maybe not. Image via Esther Lin for Strikeforce/Showtime

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BJ Penn didn't really want to step into the Octagon with Nick Diaz at UFC 137, but when it was inked, he always knew this was a main-event-level fight.

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Ever since BJ Penn returned to the UFC welterweight division, fans around the world have wondered how the former double division champion will readjust to 170 pounds. Their questions were put to rest last November when, at UFC 123, Penn knocked out multiple time 170lb champ Matt Hughes in just 21 seconds. He followed this up with a controversial draw over title contender Jon Fitch in February. Most recently, the popular Hawiian has been promoted to the main event of UFC 137 on Saturday to face ex-Strikeforce welterweight king, Nick Diaz, after welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre was forced from his fight with Carlos Condit due to a knee injury. In his recent blog with Yahoo Sports, the former double-divisional champ discussed the situation with GSP. “When it comes to GSP, we have had our problems. I said what I said about him in the past, but if he felt like he had to pull out of the fight that’s what it is.” Penn also talked about a slew of news from last week, saying “It (was) a crazy week. I found out about Georges St. Pierre’s knee injury keeping him and Condit off the UFC 137 card, and me and Diaz being the new main event when I saw it on BJPenn.com. Then (the other day) we had a crazy press conference call where Nick Diaz wasn’t on until 40 minutes into it.” On whether or not he found the behavior insulting, Penn explained, “I didn’t find it disrespectful; I think it is Nick being Nick, and he’s not gonna change. He’s going to do what he’s going to do, and not do what he’s not going to do. That is cool. I know he will show up for the fight and it will be a great fight in the new UFC 137 main event.” Penn Heads Home to Hawaii for Final Training Before Diaz Fight BJ also discussed the possibility of getting a title shot if he beats Diaz come Saturday night, writing, “The funny thing is that title shots – and who gets title shots – are all about timing. If I had beaten Jon Fitch in Sydney in February and not had a draw, I would have gotten a title shot. But now, even if I beat Nick Diaz, I may not get a title shot.” He continued to say. “I realize now it is all about timing, and the timing may not work out for me to get the right title shot unless GSP heals fast and fights Carlos in the next couple of months.” But he was keen to say that he was not looking past Diaz, saying, “But beating Nick Diaz, title fight or no title fight, is a big deal. He’s a great fighter and dangerous anywhere. I won’t disrespect him, the fans or myself by not concentrating 100 percent on this fight at UFC 137.” PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

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Having been moved to the top of the list of welterweight contenders, there is no room for error on Saturday night for Nick Diaz.

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Brent Brookhouse: When I look at the odds for UFC 137, I keep getting hung up on the fact that Nick Diaz is only a slight underdog to B.J. Penn. Since the fight was announced it seemed to me that this was a very, very good fight for Penn. While it should be exciting, I just don't like Diaz's chances to win. Without dipping into the always annoying "but anything can happen in MMA" cliche, what am I missing? Where are Diaz's chances to win so great that he should only be a slight dog in this fight? Tim Burke: Well, I think B.J. wins rather handily, so it'd be a devil's advocate approach, but here goes - Penn has had trouble getting inside on boxers with a long reach before. Nick doesn't throw many kicks, but he could keep BJ at bay with his boxing. He could outwrestle hi...wait, no. There's always the threat of a submiss...wait, that's out too. Okay, I give up. Diaz is getting trucked. KJ Gould: Bodyshots. I remember in GSP's post fight appearance for ESPN's MMA Live after beating BJ Penn that it was believed because of Penn's great flexibility in his torso, that sometimes means you can have a weak thoracic cavity. The strategy was to wear him out and beat on this area to further diminish his cardio-vascular system and tire him out quicker. Penn's not been in there with a guy that works the body with punches that Diaz does plus Penn seems to be a head hunter even if he does use his jab really well to set up his boxing. Diaz is tough and recovers well, he was still in the fight against Daley after being dropped and it's hard to convince me Penn can hit as hard as Daley. Of course is Penn drops Diaz he'll be on his back looking for a choke pronto. I think Diaz has a chance to work over Penn's body, take his lungs and take out his will to win the fight. Fraser Coffeen: OK, how's this - Penn's status at Welterweight is almost entirely based on a single win from 8 years ago. In the UFC, he has never defeated anyone at WW aside from Matt Hughes. He's not nearly as explosive at the weight, and when taken down, he has a tougher time escaping. Now, Diaz is not much of a top wrestler, so that last point may not matter much, but the first definitely does. Aside from a fast KO of Hughes, Penn has looked slowed down in every fight since the Sanchez win at 107 - and that includes a pair of fights at Lightweight. If he is slow against Diaz, those patented Diaz punches will accumulate. And finally - Penn has been very quiet about this fight. He talked about considering retirement if he lost against Fitch. He's talked about how he's getting older. He's not really in the title hunt. He's fighting a friend. There is a danger that he is not super trained and focused for this one. And an unmotivated B.J. Penn is not the same fighter you are thinking of when you run through his highlight reel in your head. Follow after the jump for more discussion of the UFC 137 main event clash between Nick Diaz and B.J. Penn. Leland Roling: I think KJ's point about rib roasting Penn is a solid argument to how Diaz can attain what he ultimately needs to do in this fight. He needs to press Penn hard from the start and tire him out. Everyone talks about how there aren't any weaknesses for Penn against Diaz in a three-round fight, but when was the last time Penn had to deal with a pace that Diaz can push relentlessly and endlessly? I suppose a case can be made for GSP. Diaz's output could spell disaster for Penn, and those thinking Penn will somehow KO Diaz because he stands dead still in the pocket -- I can relate to the concern. At least I did until Paul Daley lamped Diaz, Diaz fell to his face, then quickly got back to his feet as if nothing happened. Diaz has a decent shot, but Penn's accuracy and quickness could spell disaster. Oh yeah, and Penn might actually take down Diaz and Fitch him. Tim Burke:  Well, Fitch pushes the same pace as Diaz, just in a different manner. And Penn neutralized it for the first half of the fight against a much better grappler. Like Leland said, I'm not sure what's stopping Penn from just planting Diaz on his back and riding it out, other than his pride. Which means it probably won't happen. Fraser Coffeen:  But Diaz is far superior off his back in comparison to Fitch. He's not going to sub Penn, but can he create a scramble and escape? I think so, especially as the fight progresses. KJ Gould:  Fitch is a more well rounded grappler than Diaz, but Diaz does excel of his back and with guard work. I'm not sure how he'd do with BJ Penn who has a great top game. It'd certainly be intriguing in that area. But then who does Penn train with Jiu Jitsu wise? At least Diaz has Nate, Jake Shields and Melendez to keep him sharp. Chris Barton: It's been covered but that really is the only way Nick can win. Relentless pace with body work. Nick won't get tired and with his volume of punches he can really take the wind and fight out of BJ in under one round. Add to that, if BJ is not in top form as Fraser said Diaz will make it a very long night for Penn. I think Fraser makes a very good point that many people forgot, BJ was talking about quitting not very long ago. His heart hasn't seemed to be into fighting much anymore. Saying all that, BJ is a much better fighter and I don't have any faith that Diaz wins this fight. I honestly think Penn will finish him. Dallas Winston: When comparing skills, Diaz's known weakness is the one trait Penn doesn't specifically excel in, which is wrestling. That isn't meant to imply that B.J. is a poor wrestler either, but obviously his takedown skills aren't on the same level as his BJJ and striking. Conversely, Penn's best weapon, which is his pure punching power, is something that Diaz has consistently proven the ability to withstand. I also feel that too many consider their ground games equal because of Penn's exemplary accomplishments in the gi, where Diaz has been significantly more effective off his back and in creating opportunities to scramble through sweeps and submission attempts. All but one of Penn's legit career submissions are rear-naked chokes that came from the top after he softened his opponent up with sharp ground-and-pound and sick guard passing. Counter to his traditional BJJ accumen, Penn almost grapples more like a catch wrestler with power-transitions, tremendous striking and subs from the top, where Diaz embodies the smoother, gentler approach of methodically blending sub attempts and slithering to a better position with a wider range of technique and only sparse striking. Just as Penn's basic boxing style and hard, straight punches is ideal to penetrate Diaz's wide and fairly flat-footed style, the cryptic tempo and abstract trajectories of Diaz's unorthodox stand up could easily wreak the same havoc on Penn that Edgar did from a rhythm and volume standpoint. Chris Barton:  I'm not sure I am with you on Nicks ability to withstand punching power in a way that benefits him against BJ. While Nick can take shots and recover, typically people that floor him allow him that time since they are so afraid to go to the ground with him, which isn't something Penn will do. If BJ knocks Nick down he will pounce and finish.

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Hey, check out who showed in Vegas for his fight this weekend — Nick Diaz with a big fat grin on the face! The UFC tweeted out the picture last night along with this message. Don’t look surprised, you know he always shows up to fight I’m well aware of the reasons, but it is kinda funny how it all worked out. After the UFC hastily pulled Nick Diaz out of the original main event because they were afraid he wouldn’t show up for the fight, it’s Diaz, not Georges St. Pierre, who made it to Vegas for UFC 137.

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Nick Diaz and BJ Penn, the fighters that will face off on Saturday, October 29 in the main event at UFC 137 have been fairly quiet during the lead up to the fight. That quiet is most likely due to the mutual respect that is shared between the two.  Both fighters have acknowledged that they are on friendly terms and have gone so far as to say that they are not happy to have to meet each other in the Octagon. However, both fighters know what their job is; so don’t expect any punches to be pulled

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When Nick Diaz steps into the Octagon to fight at UFC 137, it will be for the first time since November of

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Nick Diaz wants you to know that it's not his fault that he isn't fighting GSP.

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For one reason or another, Nick Diaz interviews are always interesting and this one with Inside MMA is no different. Nick explains why he doesn’t really want to fight BJ Penn and even suggests that Penn will have the advantage if it comes down to who wants it more. Diaz also makes some puzzling remarks about UFC fighters and Twitter. Essentially, since they’re always talking to each other on Twitter, it’s like they’re all on the same team, and Nick doesn’t believe it should be like that. He also says the UFC “spoiled that deal for the fans” when they pulled him out of the title fight with GSP and doesn’t think he should be blamed for it.

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We're just days away from Nick Diaz's return to the UFC and surprisingly the MMA media has been devoid of 'Don't be scared homie' jokes. Great. That stuff was cool back in the day, but let's face it, now it's just an annoying cliche. It's MMA's version of 'I'm Rick James, bitch,' and as we all know, that saying killed Rick James. If you participated in that social meme, then you did your part in murdering the planet's last Superfreak. How do you feel about yourself -- and your senseless killing? Let's do our best not to kill Nick Diaz before UFC 137. HDNet caught up with Nick Diaz this week in order to get him to open up on topics like, GSP, BJ Penn and people not calling him up for interviews. Check out this video of Nick Diaz talking about his upcoming UFC 137 bout and that he believes the UFC spoiled his fight against Georges St. Pierre. [Source]

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What are the top ten moments in the career of UFC 137 headliner Nick Diaz? MMA Nation's Jonathan Snowden breaks them all down right here.

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Nick Diaz and BJ Penn are set to face off in the main event at UFC 137. The fight will take place Saturday, October 29 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NV. Inside MMA recently sat down with Diaz’s trainer, Cesar Gracie to discuss the Penn fight. Hosts Bas Rutten and Kenny Rice also spoke to Gracie about Diaz’s mindset heading into the fight as well as Nick being pulled from his originally scheduled bout against Georges St.

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UFC 137 play-by-play of BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz on Saturday, Oct. 29, in Las Vegas.

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Is Nick Diaz good enough to beat B.J. Penn? MMA Nation's Jonathan Snowden looks at five key areas where these two welterweight warriors match-up. Who gets the advantage heading into UFC 137 on Oct. 29? Find out here.

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Jonathan Snowden breaks down B.J. Penn vs. Nick Diaz. Read it at MMA Nation.

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Nick Diaz's coach, Cesar Gracie, revealed in an interview to MMAFighting.com that his team would ask for a fight with the reigning UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre, if his product is victorious against BJ Penn at UFC 137. According to Gracie, this is the fight UFC fans want to see, and this is the fight they should get: “There’s no question about it that I will ask for that if Nick has a tremendous performance and he can finish BJ, I would ask for Georges St. Pierre. But the biggest

Posted in: ufc, fight, nick, cesar gracie, bj i

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After all the changes to the main event, B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz will now be headlining UFC 137 this weekend. While the odds have it almost dead even (Penn -110, Diaz Ev), a bunch of professionals seem to have favored Penn to win. Here's a video from MMAInterviews.tv where they have guys like Stephan Bonnar, Wanderlei Silva, Phil Baroni, Manny Gamburyan and others giving their picks. If you can't watch the video, or if you're just too lazy to do so, you can still check after the jump for a quick summary of their picks. SBN coverage of UFC 137: BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz Pros who picked Nick Diaz: 1 - Stephan Bonnar Pros who picked BJ Penn: 4 - Manny Gamburyan, Duane Ludwig, Rafael Cordeiro, Anthony Njokuani Pros who were undecided: 3 - Wanderlei Silva, Tyson Griffin, Phil Baroni HT: BE Reader R.T. -- Odds via Best Fight Odds

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Former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz returns to the Octagon with one mission in mind - "I gotta win these fights."

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The MMA world hasn't been kind to its fans over the past week. UFC 136 did horribly, despite how awesome it was. Injuries continue to plague the UFC, except this time that plague came to what many believed was the card of the year. On top of that, K-1, is in need of a defibrillator. I'd say 'so is Strikeforce', but as we've seen with the recent signings, the hearse has already been called on Coker's organization. There's plenty more to talk about, and so Tim and I decided to do just that while holding back the tears and ice cream. UFC 136, despite a very solid card and two title fights, reportedly only drew 250,000 buys. Is the sky falling in terms of PPV? Or are the little guys just not draws in MMA? David: According to the anonymous source over at Fight Opinion, the sky is indeed falling. But I don't think that's necessarily the case either. As a reader over there pointed out, PPV buys have often fluctuated. They did in 2006 on the positive end and things didn't work out so well in 2007. Of course, that was a year, just like in 2011, that saw a plague of injuries. I think 2012 will be the year they bounce back, and FOX has them primed to do just that. If after 2012 numbers are still low,then we do have something to talk about, but not now. Although the lighter weights do have some work to do. For one, with the divisions relatively new, there's not much history. The lighter weights draw in boxing because there's a rich history, on top of the fact that that history has an international streak, with popular non-America fighters abound. It'll take some time, but I think the lighter weights will become draws eventually. So long as the UFC provides with an assist, which they were won't to do given the level of promotion 136 got. Tim: I think Zach Arnold is awesome, but 45 Huddle and the boys aren't exactly the bastion of logic for me. The injuries you mentioned brings up a question we can probably address next week or something - has the UFC insurance policy led to more guys pulling out and less money in the bank for the UFC? Overall though, I agree with what you're saying. Fox is the best platform yet to sell PPV's and if it's still tits up at this time next year, we've got something to talk about. It's all a bit premature until then. In terms of the lighter divisions, I think they need to sacrifice a bit now to gain a lot in the future. Give possible contenders some spots where they'll get some eyeballs on them. That builds an emotional connection with the challengers, the champion, and the belt itself. It saddens me that Zuffa still doesn't see this the way I do. Hire me, bitches! Are all of the UFC's issues with Nick Diaz actually good for UFC 137 in general? David: Nick Diaz is as Nick Diaz does. What's new? The guy is full on Looney Tunes unhinged. But the people around him aren't doing him any favors. Not that I buy any of his excuses, but how difficult is it for the people around to make sure he knows where the hell he's supposed to be? How difficult is it for Nick to know where he's supposed to be? Hell, I know where Nick is supposed to be at any given press conference, and I'm usually face first in a SciAm article, or in one of those Guacamole Turkey burgers at Carl's Jr. People will say yea, it's good because "people are talking about Nick Diaz". I say horse shite. Dana will offer him leeway to a point. But any more stunts, and he's gone. Dana was willing to kick him off a main event. He has only so many strikes. So no, he is not doing himself any good because if people are talking about him for the wrong reasons, and those reasons get him booted from the UFC, in what universe has it been "good publicity" for Nick? Tim: I didn't realize that you had written 1500 words about Mr. Diaz when I asked the question, and you've covered some of this already before this answer. I absolutely agree that he's not getting help from the people around him, and I think it's stupid. But counting on Dana White to draw a line as far as how much stupid poopy Nick can do before he gets a backhand? I gotta disagree. I said this last month - Nick Diaz is the most enabled fighter in MMA. He continually gets free passes on his antics because he's an earner for promoters. All the hoopla about costing Nick a million dollars by kicking him out of the main event was just face-saving rhetoric from Dana and Co. The truth is that Dana still let him fight on the card because he needed him, and it just made it even more clear that Nick Diaz is truly untouchable. And that's some bumbling bullshit. Somewhere Lindsay Lohan is saying "I need to hire that Cesar Gracie guy to manage me!" There won't be a K-1 WGP Final 16 event in China, but there's still some slight hope for a Final 8 event in December. Could it happen? Does anyone even care anymore? David: Nobody cares anymore. Not even the fighters are interested, with Hari, Saki, and Spong already talking about entering other sports (and Overeem officially gone). If the fighters aren't interested, why would fans? It sucks to think that this is the fate of K-1, but we've been expecting this for some time. Tim: I care. I'm no Ducharme (I'm waaay prettier), but I was hyped about the prospect of a WGP and still want to see it. I know it's like a Penguins fan hoping Mario Lemieux could kick that nasty lymphoma and lead the Pens to the Cup (holy 1993 hockey reference), but it's still one of the few magical events in combat sports that even casual fans discuss. It's brutal to me that all these guys are talking about being MMA fighters or boxers, because they're not. They're kickboxers, and they'll never dominate another sport at this point. Cosmo Alexandre (0-1) says hi, guys. I may be dreaming here but if K-1 can't put it together...Simon Rutz. Do it for the world. Do it for kickboxing fans. Make it happen! If you were trapped in an elevator for six hours with Michael Bisping, would he make it out alive? David: I'm not sure what the implication is here. I could be armed with a shotgun, and Billy from Predator, and I'd still lose. If this is a TUF reference, and Bisping is claustrophobic, then I don't get it as I haven't been watching the show. But I assume this is just a reflection on Bisping's personality. I never thought of him as bad guy, bit it seems like if you push the right buttons, or push his buttons at all, the guy transforms into a real four star ass. That's why I loved the idea of a Sonnen-Bisping matchup. Now put Chael Sonnen in an elevator for six hours with Bisping and you'd have one dead-as-fried-chicken Brit. Chael wouldn't even need to lay a hand on him. He's just talk for 30 minutes and every mile of blood vessel in Bisping's body would burst Cronenberg-style. Tim: I should have been more descriptive with the question for sure. I was just referring to having to deal with being in the same room as that goomba for any length of time, and wanting to commit a murder death kill regardless of any size difference. I agree that I don't think he's a bad person - I just think he doesn't quite understand how effin annoying and unfunny he is. He's from Manchester, after all. Regardless of your answer, I was going to steer my response towards an American Gangster/Goomba matchup anyway so I'm very glad you took it there. How awesome would that be? It's a PPV dream come true for the UFC. And I can almost guarantee you'll see it in 2012, even if Mayhem beats Bisping. Will Strikeforce survive past February 2012? If yes, what do you think it'd look like? If no, will Showtime still continue airing MMA? David: They still run shows? Asking Strikeforce to survive past February is like asking superglue to save Ron Paul's eyebrows. It's just not happening. All of their champions save Luke Rockhold (who is simply Dave Terrell in prospect's clothing) are gone, and so are some of their draws. Which sucks because I think female MMA is worth saving if you just gave Ronda Rousey the limelight. The fact that Ken Hirschman is gone, having moved to HBO, is probably a good indication on top of that. Showtime was never really in the MMA business in the sense that I think they were hoping to the sport could draw without them pouring money into promoting it. Though from what I understand, they were marginally profitable. I don't remember. What I do know is that Strikeforce is dead. And I'd be shocked if Showtime continued to air MMA. If they did, who would they market? Tim: Haaaate. I'm Canadian so I dunno who this Ron Paul guy is, but he sounds entertaining. He's no Herman Cain Velasquez though. Anyway, why do you need top-flight fighters for the organization to be viable for Showtime though? Ship all the champs to the UFC. Build a chariot for King Mo. 999 plan. Who cares. I think it can survive in a Challengers-style format, and Showtime would be very happy with 200k viewers per show if the rights fee was reasonable. Because that's the baseline for no-name MMA, and cheap programming with 200,000 viewers is profitable. M-1 proved that. It also gives Zufforza the ability to promote outside the bounds of the exclusive Fox deal, because it's a different org. That offers a bunch of flexibility, something that most people don't really get. Once again I'm impressed with your acumen though, bringing up Hirschman. It's like I sent you Cliff Notes on the questions but they weren't necessary I think his MMA influence was overstated though, and cheap programming overrides the influence of any one man. If SF did go under though, who would Showtime latch onto? My guess would be ProElite. Frankly, I just want Ronda Rousey on my TV a lot. She rules.

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For UFC 137 results and complete UFC 137 coverage stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.

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Nick Diaz is growing fans in spades and they are willing to back him up with their cash.

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Former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz, who will go head to head with B.J. Penn in the UFC 137 headlining bout, discusses his opponent, as well as his expectations for the bout. Diaz says Penn is his favorite fighter and believes that the "Prodigy" is where he's at because they come from the same school.

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I Make the Case for Nick Diaz over BJ Penn at Fight Opinion It's a couple of days old, but I thought I'd still put it out there. I've never been fond of Nick's antics, and I've felt unclean ever since, but as the 1500 words emphasize, I do believe he's got a good shot to win at UFC 137.

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Nick Diaz returns to the UFC to take on BJ Penn on Saturday, Oct. 29, at UFC 137.

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The Nick Diaz Drama train continued to choo-choo along as Nick nearly missed yet another media event yesterday. You may recall Nick being in the main event against Georges St Pierre until getting demoted to co-main against BJ Penn after skipping out on two press conferences already. But yesterday was supposed to feature the new, responsible Nick. One that had 'an understanding' with Dana White: “I don't see that happening again. He knows, we've talked. Seriously, I would be shocked if he didn't show up at another press conference and if he does, I don't even know what to say. I guess that would be the end of it,” White says. Fortunately, we won't have to find out how final 'the end of it' would have been because Nick finally showed up 45 minutes later and gave us some of that pothead blabbity blah we love so much: What? I didn't even know - what? I didn't even know about a call. That happened? Anybody know there was a call? Nobody called me in the past week or couple of days or anything or said there was a call. I trained last night, went home, got something to eat, went to sleep. Woke up, my phone was dead and then my brother's telling me I'm supposed to be on a call. I don't know anything about it....I've been doing the same, living the same since I started, since I was 17. You know, I live down the street from my parents who I used to live in the same house with. Now I live with my brother. And uh, I've got all these people, business people and big money people around me trying to make deals. I don't know anything about that. All I know is that somebody is getting paid over 100 grand just to, just to tell me what I'm supposed to do and what I'm not supposed to do. And I'm thinking for that much money, I could have had somebody standing around telling me, "Hey, uh, you can't miss this, uh, press conference. That kinda, you know ... that voids the whole contract and then you're out, you ain't gettin' shit. You ain't fighting' shit. You ain't makin' no money, so you have to be at this thing." It's simple. If I had read that shit over myself, I'd have been a little more cautious, and not been like, "Oh, I've got people, y'know, getting paid to tell me alright, you need to be here or there." If I didn't feel like I had that, I would have probably read that shit myself, and dealt with things myself, and been a little more cautious, and I probably would have showed up at that press conference, you know? But that's not the case you know ... um, you know?I'm in the gym training hard; I think that's what's important. I think we signed and made a deal, I think a deals a deal, you know what I mean? I don't know anything about, uh ... you know ... going back on that. That doesn't even, that never even came to mind. As far as I'm concerned, the people working for me that should have been there to tell me ... you know ... what's what. And I didn't have that like everybody else has. Strange, I could have sworn he had that in the form of Cesar Gracie, the guy who seems to be doing 80% of the babysitting when it comes to Nick. I gotta give a shout out to Nate for picking up the extra 20% and getting Nick on this call. By sticking his head into Nick's room and going "Uuuuh press conference, bro", he probably saved his brother from dashing all chances of a GSP fight happening yet again.

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Here’s the full audio from yesterday’s UFC 137 conference call via BJPenn.com. Nick Diaz comes on around the 37:45 mark if that’s what you’re looking for.

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“Hey, how’s it going?”With that greeting, welterweight contender Nick Diaz arrived for the UFC 137 media teleconference Wednesday afternoon. Keeping in line with his reputation, he was 45 minutes late to the call, which also saw his October 29th opponent, BJ Penn, and co-main event combatants Matt Mitrione and Cheick Kongo speaking with the media, but in a twist, he actually showed up, which wasn’t the case when he no-showed two press conferences to promote a main event bout between himself and UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.Those misses cost him a shot at the belt in his first UFC bout since 2006, elevating Carlos Condit – who was scheduled to fight Penn – to the championship fight. Diaz landed on his feet and into the Penn fight, but when St-Pierre injured his knee and withdrew from the Condit fight earlier this week, it was Diaz vs. Penn moving into the headline slot.Confusing? Crazy? Welcome to the world of Nick Diaz, whose every move has been watched since it was announced earlier this year that he was vacating his Strikeforce welterweight title and returning to the Octagon. And if most fighters get their share of media ink by actually talking to the media, the strategy of “Nick being Nick” has made the Stockton, California native the talk of the MMA world without him uttering a word.But he was talking on Wednesday, seemingly calm in the eye of the storm swirling around him over the last couple months.“I just try my best to not focus on what’s going on and try to live every day like it’s really not a big deal,” said Diaz. “I don’t know what’s gonna happen with me, but it’s not gonna make a difference whether I whine or cry about it or panic to get things done. I’m just gonna do what I always do and train, and when it’s time to fight, I go fight. And it’s really about me, it’s not about whatever’s going on in the world or who I’m fighting or who I’m not fighting. I’m not gonna really have a choice on that. My job is to fight, so I have to fight when I’m told to fight, and that’s what I do well. Everything else is just gonna be a whole other task.”How he deals with “everything else” leading up to the bout a week from Saturday will be telling, yet strangely enough, it was Penn – who has dealt with his own share of media controversy over the years – sitting in the pole position as the seasoned vet, the man who has been there and done that, kind of just overlooking the whole situation with bemusement.“Nick is Nick, he’s gonna do what he does,” said Penn. “I enjoy watching the stuff that Nick Diaz does. He doesn’t change, he’s always himself and that has nothing to do with me. He always shows up to the fight and fights, so I don’t think we need to worry about that stuff.”So is it much ado about nothing, or is Diaz’ apparent lack of comfort with the media and what he has called the "beauty pageant" of promoting his own fight going to stress him out to the point where he doesn’t perform up to his world-class level on October 29th? If you’ve watched him over the years, you know the answer to that question. Diaz is going to show up in Las Vegas, make that walk to the Octagon, and he’s going to fight Penn in one of the most intriguing bouts of the year.So whether good or bad, like Penn said, “Nick is Nick.” And after seeing his name trending on Twitter Wednesday and hearing the growing buzz about the fight, walking to the beat of his own drummer seems to fit him just fine.“People want to see good fights and good fighters, and that’s what I’m trying to bring to the table,” said Diaz.

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It was another wild and wacky day in the world of Nick Diaz. After famously being removed from the UFC 137 main event last month for no-showing two press conferences, many people were making jokes about Diaz not being on the line for today's conference call. And guess what? When it started, it was announced that Nick Diaz wasn't on the conference call and everyone was looking for him. It was a ludicrous beginning but it got very interesting later on because...he actually called in. And said no one had told him about the call until right then. Seriously. Before Nick actually called in, it was just B.J. Penn and Matt Mitrione answering questions. Penn said he didn't mind Nick's antics and what matters is that he always shows up to fight. Mitrione said he's played football in front of 110,000 fans so co-main-eventing wasn't a big deal. No one even asked Cheick Kongo a question (poor Cheick). Then, the moment of glory - Nick Diaz called in. And his explanation for his tardiness was awesome (transcribed by MMA Nation): "I didn't even know about a call," he said. "I woke up, my phone was dead and my brother told me that I was supposed to be on the call. I didn't get any notice. I didn't hear anything about it until about fifteen minutes ago. "When should I have known about this press conference? Somebody should have gave me a call. I don't know who's talking to who. I didn't hear about it. Just like anything, I don't hear about this (expletive) until way late. I'm not sitting here on my thumbs waiting for a call, I'm waiting for training. I'm training hard, harder than these guys and that's why. That's what takes up all my time, training, becoming the best in the world." Cesar Gracie, who knew about the call yesterday, said that he hadn't spoken to Nick since he found out. Apparently Nick's phone was dead and his brother Nate Diaz had to inform him that he was supposed to be on the phone. It seemed that the UFC might not have informed Nick directly, and Dana White at least corroborated some of that by tweeting "'I'm hearing UFC dropped the ball on the Nick Diaz no show today!! SUCKS" shortly before he called in. But Dave Sholler, UFC Director of Communications, says he had talked to Cesar Gracie about it. As usual when it comes to Nick Diaz, it was a weird and convoluted situation. Once he was finally on the call he quickly went on a classic Diaz rant, and he also discussed his regrets for missing the September press conferences that cost him a title shot, while B.J Penn continued to say it was all amusing. You can catch that and more after the jump. It was another wild and wacky day in the world of Nick Diaz. After famously being removed from the UFC 137 main event last month for no-showing two press conferences, many people were making jokes about Diaz not being on the line for today's conference call. And guess what? When it started, it was announced that Nick Diaz wasn't on the conference call and everyone was looking for him. It was a ludicrous beginning but it got very interesting later on because...he actually called in. And said no one had told him about the call until right then. Seriously. Before Nick actually called in, it was just B.J. Penn and Matt Mitrione answering questions. Penn said he didn't mind Nick's antics and what matters is that he always shows up to fight. Mitrione said he's played football in front of 110,000 fans so co-main-eventing wasn't a big deal. No one even asked Cheick Kongo a question (poor Cheick). Then, the moment of glory - Nick Diaz called in. And his explanation for his tardiness was awesome (transcribed by MMA Nation): "I didn't even know about a call," he said. "I woke up, my phone was dead and my brother told me that I was supposed to be on the call. I didn't get any notice. I didn't hear anything about it until about fifteen minutes ago. "When should I have known about this press conference? Somebody should have gave me a call. I don't know who's talking to who. I didn't hear about it. Just like anything, I don't hear about this (expletive) until way late. I'm not sitting here on my thumbs waiting for a call, I'm waiting for training. I'm training hard, harder than these guys and that's why. That's what takes up all my time, training, becoming the best in the world." Cesar Gracie, who knew about the call yesterday, said that he hadn't spoken to Nick since he found out. Apparently Nick's phone was dead and his brother Nate Diaz had to inform him that he was supposed to be on the phone. It seemed that the UFC might not have informed Nick directly, and Dana White at least corroborated some of that by tweeting "'I'm hearing UFC dropped the ball on the Nick Diaz no show today!! SUCKS" shortly before he called in. But Dave Sholler, UFC Director of Communications, says he had talked to Cesar Gracie about it. As usual when it comes to Nick Diaz, it was a weird and convoluted situation. Once he was finally on the call he quickly went on a classic Diaz rant, and he also discussed his regrets for missing the September press conferences that cost him a title shot, while B.J Penn continued to say it was all amusing. You can catch that and more after the jump. Here's Nick talking about regrets... or something: "Of course I have regret," he shot back. "I regret I have people who are supposed to take care of stuff. I have a lawyer or whatever, people get paid something like 100 grand -- I don't know -- a ridiculous amount of money." "I've got all these business people and big money people around me trying to make deals, and I don't know anything about that. All I know is that somebody is getting paid over 100 grand just to tell me what I'm supposed to do and not supposed to do, and I'm thinking for that much money, I could have had somebody standing around telling me, 'Hey, you can't miss this press conference. That voids the whole contract, and then you're out. You ain't gettin' (expletive). You ain't fighting' (expletive). You ain't makin' no money, so you have to be at this thing. It's simple." On facing B.J. Penn: No, I'm not happy about it at all. I'm fighting this guy who was my friend. I was supposed to fighting this other guy. That's kind of just how I feel. On the highly-prized Strikeforce belt he currently owns: I don't care about the Strikeforce belt. I never even put it on. B.J. can have it. And on the push for a five-round fight that his manager was touting yesterday: It's whatever. It's really not up to me. Either way is fine.

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One day after moving back into the UFC 137 main event against BJ Penn following an injury to welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, Nick Diaz nearly no showed another media event on Wednesday, the same reason he was pulled from the headliner against St-Pierre in September. This time, however, it may have been the UFC’s fault that Diaz joined the press conference call nearly 45 minutes late. “I’m hearing UFC dropped the ball on the Nick Diaz no show today!! SUCKS,” UFC President Dana White wrote on Twitter. “Nobody called me in the last week, or couple of days or anything, and said there was a call,” Diaz explained. After training last night, Diaz went to sleep then “woke up, my phone was dead, and then my brother’s telling me I’m supposed to be on a call. I didn’t know anything about it.” While the UFC may not appreciate Diaz missing his media obligations, they don’t worry Penn because the former Strikeforce champion always shows up to fight. “Nick is Nick,” Penn said. “That’s just what he does. I enjoy watching the stuff Nick Diaz does. He doesn’t change; He’s always himself. He always shows up to the fight so I don’t think we have to worry about that.” Despite some regrets over being pulled from his fight with St-Pierre, Diaz said he remains focused on training to fight who he considers a better technical opponent in Penn. “I’m not sitting here waiting for a call,” Diaz said. “I’m waiting for training. I’m training hard. I train harder than there guys and fight harder than there guys and that’s why. That’s what takes up all my time, training to become the best in the world.” For UFC 137 results and complete UFC 137 coverage stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.

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Nick Diaz admits he regrets the events that led to him losing a shot at Georges St-Pierre at UFC 137, but he's not apologizing for being himself.

Posted in: ufc, nick diaz, nick, georges stpierre, stpierre

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For about 45 minutes or so, it looked like a classic Nick Diaz performance. That is, if you count Diaz's out-of-the-cage behavior as part of his fighting signature, and chances are, you do. Diaz was trending nationwide on Twitter not long after he apparently no-showed a media call in support of the pay-per-view event he's now headlining opposite B.J. Penn, UFC 137.

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File this one under "least surprising thing to happen today." Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) today held a conference call for the media to promote its upcoming UFC 137 event that will take place on Oct. 29 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Thanks to a knee injury suffered by Georges St. Pierre, the B.J. Penn vs. Nick Diaz fight was bumped up to the main event, which, naturally, means Diaz will have to fulfill a few more promotional duties. The first of which was today's call but, surprise surprise, the Stockton slugger was nowhere to be found. When asked, UFC Director of Communications Dave Sholler confirmed that Diaz was, in fact, supposed to be on the call and that steps were being taken to find out where he is. Finally, 45 minutes into the call, Diaz was located and joined the call. And immediately he claimed he had no idea about a call taking place today: "I didn't even know there was a call. I was sleeping then my brother tells me there's a call so here I am." UFC President Dana White expressed his frustration at the situation on Twitter by saying, "I'm hearing UFC dropped the ball on the Nick Diaz no show today!! SUCKS." The more things change, the more they stay the same. Diaz's opponent, B.J. Penn, actually bothered to show up for the call on time and of course he was asked what his thoughts are on Diaz's disappearing act. Here was his response: "Nick is Nick. That has nothing to do with me. He does always show up for the fight." Thankfully, this means everything will go ahead as planned, which is good because this card could not have handled another high profile fight dropping out. Especially this one. "All's well that ends well," said Sholler about Diaz waiting so long to join the call. Diaz maintains that he does what his manager tells him, nothing more, nothing less. He just wants to train and fight and that's all there is to it. If only that were so, right?

Posted in: ufc, fight, diaz, nick, today

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Georges St. Pierre vs Nick Diaz Carlos Condit is just the latest of at least six UFC PPV headliners to be cancelled in a very tough 2011. Kid Nate runs through the rubble at MMA Nation.

Posted in: ufc, nick, vs, pierre, st

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The UFC hosted a Media Conference Call today ahead of next weekends UFC 137 fight card, which was scheduled to include both headliners, BJ Penn and Nick Diaz.Noticeably absent for the majority of the call, however, was the Cesar Gracie Fighter, Diaz, who was unable to be located at the time of the scheduled media commitment. "Respectfully, I'm not going to get into specifics, but we've been in constant contact with Cesar Gracie and he is still searching for Nick at the moment and that's where we'll leave

Posted in: ufc, nick diaz, nick, cesar gracie, media commitment

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Well Nick Diaz may not be fighting for the UFC welterweight title any longer, but he will still get his chance to be the main event for UFC 137.

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick diaz, nick, event

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Former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz loves to fight (duh). It should come as no surprise then, that anytime he's inside the cage you can expect a litany of taunts, including his patented celestial bench-press (two arms up and down towards the sky) or a garbled mess of muffled shit-talking. Whatever it takes, he just wants you to engage. That's according to friend and teammate Gilbert Melendez, who shares the Cesar Gracie training academy with the hostile hospital heavy as he prepares for a UFC 137 mash-up opposite B.J. Penn on Oct. 29 in Las Vegas. "El Nino" talks to UFC.com: "Every time you watch Nick Diaz, you're about to see a fight and you can't guarantee that with all these matches. A lot of people treat this as a sparring session or they could be a little boring, but when you see Nick Diaz, he's there to fight and you're gonna see a full-on exciting fight. The guy comes at you to fight; not to win on the scorecards and not to win the points, but to come out and finish the fight. He'll test your heart, he'll test your chin, and he'll test everything about you. If you try to stall him out, he'll talk you into a fight. He'll tell you ‘stop being a sissy, fight me.'" Come at him, bro. Diaz was originally booked to fight Georges St. Pierre for the 170-pound title, but after blowing off consecutive media junkets, White yanked him from the "Sin City" main event in favor of Carlos Condit, who was originally set to challenge "The Prodigy." After pasting Matt Hughes at UFC 123 back in Nov. 2010, Penn battled Jon Fitch to a disappointing draw at UFC 127 earlier this year. The Hawaiian grappler, who has some of the best hands in the business, has been criticized for many things throughout his illustrious career. Being a sissy isn't one of them. What say you, Maniacs? How well do these two match-up? Jiu-jitsu, chin, hands, who gets the advantage in these departments and why? Sound off!

Posted in: ufc, fight, diaz, nick, hell

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Posted in: nick, tekprodfx, fotd, daley, insanity

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When the UFC yanked Nick Diaz from the main event from UFC 137, replaced him with Carlos Condit, and then inserted the former Strikeforce welterweight champ into Condit’s place against B.J. Penn, the news caught a number of people off-guard including Penn himself. The popular Hawaiian recently opened up about the situation in a video series through sponsor RVCA where he explained he was far from the first to know he was being slotted against Diaz. “I’m in the middle of training camp,” Penn recalled thinking. “I’m up here in California training for the last 45 days, preparing for the fight, and they pulled a switch on me without even letting me know.” After checking his bout agreement to make sure it was even legal to do, Penn said he spoke to Dana White and hammered out the specifics. However, that didn’t prevent the UFC icon from speaking with Diaz’s camp to see if there were any alternatives. “We tried to get different fights, because I’ve trained with Nick Diaz – I’ve used him as a training partner before – and he’s a good buddy. We actually talk on the phone and hang out when we see each other,” Penn explained. With Condit and Georges St. Pierre already locked up, and Jon Fitch’s health still uncertain, the two colorful competitors agreed it made sense for them to face off based on the divisional importance. “We talked about it and we tried to find different opponents (but) at the end of the day there (aren’t) too many guys out there.” PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: ufc, fight, diaz, nick, penn

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Posted in: diaz, nick, vs, lawler, robbie

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"The Prodigy" discusses his UFC 137 bout with former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz.

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick, champion, prodigy

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That seems to be the story according to Dana White in his recent interview with MMA Weekly. Which makes sense in a way. A win over B.J. Penn is as good a win at WW as you can have before challenging for the belt. But will it be Georges. St. Pierre or Carlos Condit?  Nick's actions caused quite a twist in the card. First we thought we had Penn vs. Condit (awesome promo inside), and GSP vs. Diaz. That everything has been switched because Nick deftly escaped the back door of his coach's house is fine by me. Nick simply never deserved the title shot out the gate. Sure his fights were exciting, but his competition was lacking. And a fight with Penn promises to be highly compelling. Plus Nick can now prove he deserves a shot. But what guarantees Nick doesn't show up for another press conference? Pretty much nothing. But Dana White is confidant it won't happen again, and points out that both are on good terms.  What are the chances Diaz wins though? Nick has faced a lot of opponents who were all too willing to trade with him inside. Nick excels in a firefight, but for all of his vaunted boxing skills (which I don't question), how will he handle a measured counter puncher like Penn? It's a fascinating matchup, even if it goes to the ground. If Nick Diaz Wins at UFC 137, Dana White Prepared to Give Him a Title Shot (via MMAWeeklyVideos) Poll Does Nick get a title shot? Yes. Because he beats Penn with better boxing. No. Because Penn wins. In fact, Penn wins 9 times out of 10. Plus he's always liable to test positive for weed and have his win overturned.   0 votes | Results

Posted in: title shot, diaz, nick, penn, shot

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Posted in: nick, fotd, nooger, nick pace, pace

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Posted in: fight, nick diaz, nick, story, fight story

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This post is by the Bloody Elbow Grappling Coverage Team. The introduction was written by KJ Gould, and the analysis by Dan Pedersen. While fans watching UFC 135 at home or live and in attendance had to suffer through 2 heavyweight fights that went to a plodding, gasping decision on the main Pay Per View card the highlights outside of Jon Jones' successful title defense, the return of Josh Koscheck and the continuing rise of Nate Diaz happened on the free to view prelimnary card. In particular a fight that got fans buzzing was the Tim Boetsch vs Nick Ring fight that saw Boetsch come from a losing first round to a dominant second and third. Boetsch had few highlights when he fought and often lost in the UFC Light Heavyweight  division save for a rag-dolling of David Heath that was so brutal and wild fans gave his style of fighting the nickname of Redneck Judo. Seeing a resurgence at Middle Weight Boetsch put some more of his Barbarian moves on display against Ring, though his technique now more refined to go along with his balance and core strength. His best move? A whizzer into a throw Joe Rogan incorrectly called an Uchi Mata that had many since believe it was a Harai Goshi, but as Bloody Elbow's resident Judo Nerd Dan Pederson will explain it wasn't that either. To find out what the throw was as well as a look at Boetch's other throws and trips during the fight, join us after the jump as Dan Pederson shares with us his analysis illustrated as always by animated gifs. Gifs by BE reader Grappo. This fight wasn't just determined by Boetsch's heavy hands and judo throws. He owes a great debt to Nick Ring -- more specifically Ring's posture, a holdover from his days as a kickboxer. 3:10 LEFT IN ROUND 2: After a lot of running and dancing by Nick Ring, Boetsch finally manages to chase him down and clip him. Stunned, Ring drops his level and shoots in, ultimately initiating a clinch against the cage. Nick Ring has double underhooks and stands up tall, while Boetsch keeps his head low and his hips back to stay heavy. Ring fires two knees, then drops his posture briefly to drive in for a possible takedown. Ring then throws himself totally upright -- with no regard for his own balance or posture -- and throws the third knee. Boetsch sees it coming and manages to grab an underhook on the leg. Because Ring is so upright and off-balance when the leg is caught he can't maneuver to defend and it's easy work for Boetsch to sweep the remaining leg out from underneath him. 0:14 LEFT IN ROUND 2: More clinch work, this time in the center of the cage. Nick is either tired or thinking like a striker again because his posture goes from heavy and defensive to totally upright. This brings his hips closer to Boetsch. Boetsch feels Ring's posture change and turns slightly, angling off to the left. Ring needs to drop his hips and turn back into Boetsch and face him but he doesn't seem to recognize the movement and makes no effort to defend. Boetsch capitalizes on the mental error and upright posture of Nick Ring and sweeps out his lead leg with an O Soto Gari.  MMA fans may remember Jon Jones throwing Matt Hamill -- and dislocating his shoulder -- with the same basic setup. ROUND 3: After repeated success with throws Boetsch is now openly reaching out and grabbing for the clinch in his efforts to chase Nick Ring down. Ring is doing his best to circle away and create distance but by the third round his gas tank is fading and Boetsch is finding more opportunities to connect. 1:11 LEFT IN ROUND 3: Boetsch throws a hard straight right at an exhausted Nick Ring who ducks it but gets his own head caught in the Muay Thai plum. Ring reacts by standing upright but he gets doubled over by a knee to the gut anyway. At this point Ring is dead on his feet and trying to survive. He turns his body slightly away and forces his posture back upright, assuming his underhook under Boetsch's right armpit is keeping him safe. Boetsch capitalizes on the opening by locking down on an overhook and attacking with a violent O Guruma. (Gif by Zombie Prophet) A lot of people have been claiming the throw was a Harai Goshi. You could certainly make an argument for it but I disagree, and I'll explain why. Harai Goshi is normally done against an opponent whose posture has already been broken down and forward. It is executed by entering the opponent's space deeply with your hips-partially blocking his own hips, similar to an O Goshi -- the standard judo-class-day-one hip toss. Like O Goshi, you pull the opponent onto your hips but unlike O Goshi you only lift them enough to cause their legs to 'float'. At the floating moment you sweep the opponent's outside thigh from underneath him. Typically in the clinch you are keeping your upper body tight to his the whole way through the throw. O Guruma looks similar to Harai Goshi but feels totally different. First, it's thrown against an opponent who is standing tall, straight up-and-down, just like Nick Ring. Also instead of staying tight to your opponent you begin the throw from a bit further out and dramatically throw your own upper body out and down in a sort of circular orbit. Simultaneously your attacking leg shoots across both of his legs -- high, almost across his stomach -- to block him from advancing. The violent rotation of your own body yanks him forward but your attacking leg stops his own legs from being able to step forward or regain balance and he goes over head first. The exaggerated circular movement also gives the throw its name, 'Major Wheel'. Harai Goshi and O Guruma will often look similar but they feel drastically different. Being thrown by a Harai Goshi ... it feels a bit like falling out of a hammock sideways. O Guruma feels more like you were running in the dark and suddenly tripped face-first. Over a low fence. A low fence on the edge of a cliff. It's a terrifying ride and the landing is often much harder.

Posted in: nick, leg, boetsch, ring, goshi

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Paul’ Semtex’ Daley recently announced that he is hoping to fight his way back into the UFC, where he wants to rematch Nick Diaz. He has also...

Posted in: ufc, nick, way, &rsquo, daley

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Tim Boetsch discusses his decision win over Nick Ring at UFC 135.

Posted in: nick, tim boetsch, fight day, nick ring, tim

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Sometimes these storylines just write themselves. When Nate Diaz and Takanori Gomi lock up later on this evening (Sept. 24, 2011) at the UFC 135: "Jones vs. Rampage" event at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado, it will be the second time Gomi has went head on with a member of the Diaz family. The first time he did so produced explosive results. It was 2007 and the fall of Pride was just around the corner. The promotion held an event in Las Vegas, Nevada, and booked Gomi, who was the lightweight champion, to throw leather with controversial bad boy Nick Diaz. Despite a size advantage, "The Fireball Kid" blasted his counterpart with power shots that rocked and knocked down his foe. But he failed to finish the job and only seemed to fade as Diaz regained his footing and came storming back. This all occurred in the first round, mind you. To buy time and attempt to even things up again, Gomi took Diaz down early in the second frame, a fateful mistake that proved to be his undoing. Indeed, Diaz locked in the rarely seen gogoplata submission and quickly forced a tap. That wasn't the end of the story, however. After the bout, Diaz tested positive for marijuana and the Nevada State Athletic Commission overturned the result of the fight to a no contest. It was an unfortunate ending to an incredible battle waged by two elite fighters at the top of their games. And it left an air of unfinished business, despite the incredible result. The likelihood that Nick would ever get another shot at Takanori was slim to none and they would go their separate ways, leaving their classic battle to the history books. Once Gomi signed with the UFC, though, there was an outside chance that he could meet up with Nick's brother, Nate, at some point down the road. As luck and good timing would have it, both men have dropped two of their last three fights. After a four-fight stint in the welterweight division, where he struggled mightily, it made entirely too much sense for Diaz to come back down to the land of the lightweights to renew an old rivalry with a common family enemy. Let's hope these two wage war with the same fervor as Gomi and Nick did back in 2007. If the staredown at the weigh-ins is any indication, we're in for a doozy.

Posted in: diaz, nick, takanori gomi, gomi, nate

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Former WEC champion Miguel Torres will look to get back on a winning track when he faces Nick Pace at UFC 139 in San Jose.

Posted in: ufc, nick, san jose, jose, nick pace

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UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage play-by-play of Nick Ring vs. Tim Boetsch on Saturday, Sept. 24, in Denver.

Posted in: ufc, nick, vs, tim boetsch, tim

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Time heals all wounds -- even if it's just a couple of weeks. UFC President Dana White is ready to work with Nick Diaz again, only this time he undertsands that he has to "handle him different than every other guy in the UFC." The former Strikeforce welterweight champion, who was pulled from his main event fight opposite Georges St. Pierre earlier this month, has been re-inserted into the UFC 137 line up to take on B.J. Penn at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Oct. 29, 2011. Diaz no-showed several mandatory press events to promote his former clash with the Canadian. His absence, as well as inability to communicate his whereabouts -- even to his right-hand man and trusted trainer, Cesar Gracie -- compelled White to switch gears. Just 24 hours removed from his public spanking, Diaz was "punished" with a co main event slot against "The Prodigy," sending Carlos Condit into the headliner. It was certainly a far cry from being released, which was an option that White had to consider based on Diaz's bizarre behavior. Now White (via ESPN.com) has come to the conclusion that they can "work together," he just has to find a different way to do it. "I believe, and maybe I'm a little goofy, that I have a good rapport with this kid and we can work together. Here's the thing about Nick Diaz -- he's just a different guy. I'm going to have to handle him different than I do every other guy in the UFC. But that's cool. I can do that. I can figure this out where I can work with Nick and we can make this happen. It's very clear why he missed (the news conferences). He didn't want to go. He's fought in smaller organizations where the inmates run the asylum. When you come over here, it's a whole other ballgame. You don't run the show. I do." Perhaps Diaz got the message, grew up or offered another sideways apology. On the other hand, perhaps White feels he may have overreacted after finally speaking with the Stockton slugger. Time will tell. UFC 137 features a re-worked main event between St. Pierre and Condit. In addition to the Penn-Diaz co-featured fight of the night, two heavyweight clashes -- Roy Nelson vs. Mirko Filipovic and Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione -- are also scheduled for the main card pay-per-view (PPV). For the latest UFC 137 news, notes and rumors check out our comprehensive archive right here.

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick diaz, nick, event

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While there are still many roads to cross before UFC 137 comes to pass, it appears some of the fences have been mended between the UFC and welterweight Nick Diaz.

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick diaz, nick, fence

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Nick Diaz solidified his place as the MMA counterpart to the NFL's Ricky Williams and MLB's Manny Ramirez. Williams, the pot-smoking holistic healer and yoga instructor whose social anxiety has seen him give post-game interviews with his helmet on, not to mention leave and return to the NFL on more than one occasion. Ramirez became known for his "Manny being Manny" shtick, which ranges anywhere from throwing balls into the stands with less than two outs to wandering into Fenway Park's Green Monster during a pitching change. Diaz's career is littered with similar tales. He attacked Joe Riggs in a hospital building after UFC 57. The Nevada State Athletic Commission overturned his victory over Takanori Gomi at Pride 33 after testing positive for testing well more than positive for THC. After a doctor stopped his bout with K.J. Noons due to facial lacerations, Diaz left the arena immediately, flipping off the crowd and cameras in the process. He engaged in two separate post-fight brawls altercations, the first with Noons and his father, the second as part of a gang attack on Jason Miller in Strikeforce. The latest addition to Diaz's "legend" took place two weeks ago, when he skipped two separate press conference to hype his UFC 137 title fight against Georges St. Pierre. He lost that title shot to Carlos Condit, but the UFC decided against cutting him, instead inserting him in the co-main event against Condit's original opponent, B.J. Penn. Dana White spoke with the media about handling Diaz (transcription from ESPN.com): I believe, and maybe I'm a little goofy, that I have a good rapport with this kid and we can work together....Here's the thing about Nick Diaz -- he's just a different guy. I'm going to have to handle him different than I do every other guy in the UFC. But that's cool. I can do that. I can figure this out where I can work with Nick and we can make this happen. ...I told him, listen, you have to show up. If people ask you questions, don't answer them if you don't want to. But you have to show up. This is refreshing. In the past, the UFC and Dana White would have no problems tossing a guy like Diaz away, simply because he didn't fit into the UFC mold. And, to be fair, the UFC had every right to cut Diaz for his behavior. It's nice, however, to see that the UFC can step back, take a deep breath, and figure out the optimal course of action instead of making a reactive decision in the heat of the moment.

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick diaz, guy, nick

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We're putting the middleweight match-up between unbeaten Nick Ring and Tim Boetsch in the spotlight.

Posted in: ufc, nick, tim boetsch, middleweight match-up, boetsch

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Nick Diaz is off the UFC 137 main event and, yet, nobody can stop talking about him... for better or for worse.

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, industry ’s, nick, nobody

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By Darnell Myrick Today at the special press conference in Las Vegas, Dana White announced that will not be headlining the card next month against Georges St. Pierre for the UFC Welterweight Championship. Georges St. Pierre will now defend his Welterweight Championship against former WEC Welterweight Champion, Carlos Condit. The news broke after Nick Diaz failed to appear at two press conferences to promote . The press conferences were held in Toronto and the host city for UFC 137, Las Vegas. Diaz reportedly missed a flight to Toronto and asked to be booked on another flight. Diaz missed the second flight and asked for a third flight and missed that one, which cost him his shot at the UFC Welterweight Championship. Diaz has not returned any of Dana White’s calls. Dana has also called Nick’s friends and his brother, Nate, and they do not what Nick is doing. Cesar Gracie, Diaz’s manager, called Dana White at the press conference and apologized on Nick’s behalf and he agreed with the decision that Dana made to replace Nick. was already training for a fight at UFC 137. He was supposed to face BJ Penn on the same card in the co-main event, in a fight that would have made him the number one contender for the Welterweight Championship if he would have beaten BJ Penn. Condit currently is riding a four fight winning streak against Jake Ellenberger, Rory MacDonald, Dan Hardy, and Dong Hyun Kim, three of the wins have come by KO/TKO (MacDonald, Hardy, Kim). Dana White believes that Condit deserves a crack at the UFC Welterweight Championship and he was the only person that the UFC considered for replacing Nick Diaz. Dana White said that when Condit was offered the fight, he started crying as he was excited about the chance to face GSP for the title. It is unknown what they will do now with Nick Diaz and BJ Penn. watch?v=dTtfhYvQBUI&feature=channel_video_title

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick, dana, welterweight

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