Nick Diaz seems to be turning over a new leaf.
The former Strikeforce welterweight champion appears to be done with media charades in order to progress his MMA career. Now, fans are getting an opportunity to know the real Nick Diaz, and he isn’t the trash-talking, middle-finger waving bad boy most expected.
After defeating MMA legend BJ Penn at UFC 137, Diaz grabbed the microphone and called out UFC champion Georges St-Pierre. Diaz was slated to face St-Pierre that night, but the French Canadian was forced to withdraw from the bout after injuring his knee in training.
“Where you at Georges? Where you at mother (expletive)?” yelled Diaz in his postfight interview with UFC commentator Joe Rogan. “I don’t think Georges is hurt, I think he’s scared. I think he’s scared to fight everybody right now.”
Enraged by the remarks, St-Pierre insisted on UFC President Dana White booking a 2012 championship bout between him and Diaz. White wasted no time in obliging the champ’s request, but unfortunately the bout had another setback several weeks later.
St-Pierre tried to train on his already injured knee and ended up tearing his ACL, an injury that could keep him out of action for 10 months.
In an interview with Vic Mysterio of Hammerfisting MMA Podcast, a more reserved and honest Diaz talked about St-Pierre’s injury and overtraining.
“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 has always been known to incorporate various methods of explosive training into his workout routines.
While St-Pierre’s training methods have made him into one of the most explosive athletes in MMA, Diaz believes the strain placed on the human body during such rigorous training also makes a fighter injury prone.
“He hurt himself, and you know, the type of exercises he does too. You’re injury prone, higher likely to hurt yourself doing explosive workout exercises,” said Diaz.
“I have different type of workouts. I’m a different type of athlete, and I think that we get hurt less and we fight more. That’s why I have more fights.”
Diaz is now slated to face Carlos Condit for the interim UFC welterweight title on Super Bowl weekend on February 4 at UFC 143.
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