Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce
Miscreant, malcontent, misunderstood genius, rebel with a mostly imagined cause. Whatever you think of Nick Diaz, everyone thinks something.
After his 10th straight win and third consecutive title defense against Paul Daley in what may have been one of MMA’s greatest one-round fights, it seems fitting to take a closer look at one of our sport’s most fascinating – and, at times, frustrating – figures.
I. Diaz is a man with the virtues of his faults. When it comes to stuff like showing up for media responsibilities or doing interviews (without threatening anyone) or doing any of the other little things that normal people take for granted, he struggles. When it comes to slugging it out against a man with the proven ability to knock people unconscious with a single blow – also known as the kind of thing most normal people could never do – he excels. The easy things are hard for him, and the hard things are easy. It’s the same with his fighting style. The qualities that make him capable of brawling to a win over a guy like Daley are the same qualities that make him refuse to use his own ground game even when it might be the smarter choice. He never backs away from conflict, and yet he sees conflicts even when there are none. At least he’s consistent.