As the UFC grows in popularity and is showcased to a whole new variety of fans, the organization will need a heel like Nick Diaz. He is a fascinating character that nearly everyone can enjoy in one way or another. Whether he makes your skin crawl, your…
As the UFC grows in popularity and is showcased to a whole new variety of fans, the organization will need a heel like Nick Diaz.
He is a fascinating character that nearly everyone can enjoy in one way or another.
Whether he makes your skin crawl, your blood boil and you want to see him fail or you love everything he says and just can’t stop watching him, Diaz is a spectacle.
The mesmerizing thing about Diaz is that he is a good fighter. A great fighter. If he was just another loud mouth fool talking up a storm, no one would care, but he’s more than that. It’s his ability to fight that makes him so utterly enthralling.
The villain, the bad guy, it’s the universal character that is standard for any great story. For many hardcore fight fans, there is no need for a story, the simple athleticism is enough. That isn’t the case, however, for many more casual fans.
Diaz is such a captivating story because there’s something underneath him that we’re not quite seeing, and we’re constantly looking for a peek behind the veil.
People will continually tune in to see what this guy has to say next, just so that maybe they can understand why he’s so self destructive, why he is so angry and confused.
Of course, there are going to be those fans that also tune in to watch him lose, to watch him fall.
A personality like Diaz isn’t supposed to be a success, at least that’s what we’re taught. When someone like Georges St-Pierre defeats him, those fans will feel like everything is right in the world.
That is of course, if St-Pierre can defeat him.
Diaz is also great because, while his behavior is unpredictable, he is at least consistent in that capacity. It’s his wild card antics that give him a part of his negative and positive appeal.
It seems to be that the only thing we can count on Diaz for are some great quotes, insane behavior and amazing fights, which make him a marketers dream.
Diaz has the ability to polarize fans like few fighters before him. It gives people someone to cheer for or root against. It gives fans the ability to get passionate about fights. It gets people bought in.
Maybe Diaz is really everything he’s made himself up to be, or maybe he’s just misunderstood. Either way, fans can’t get enough of him right now, and that’s great for the UFC.
The hype behind the Nick Diaz train is for real. In a mostly dominant performance at UFC 137, Diaz out-struck and out-worked B.J. Penn. With such an impressive win over one of the best fighters in UFC history, one must beg the question, “What did Diaz …
The hype behind the Nick Diaz train is for real. In a mostly dominant performance at UFC 137, Diaz out-struck and out-worked B.J. Penn.
With such an impressive win over one of the best fighters in UFC history, one must beg the question, “What did Diaz do right in his fight with Penn?”
Both of these fighters have extremely strong and tested ground games. Diaz does have a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu black belt, but Penn is still on another level when comparing the two fighters.
The fight did go to the ground early in the first round, but Diaz was able to keep this fight on the feet for the most part. It was certainly the right move to make.
Because he was able to keep it standing, Diaz could use his striking in a supremely effective way. Don’t get me wrong, Penn has some great boxing and was able to get some good shots in, but in the end, Diaz’s chin was able to withstand Penn’s striking.
In combination with his striking, Diaz was able to set up and keep a relentless pace on “The Prodigy.” Penn is known for having a small gas tank and it showed in Saturday night’s performance. It’s a really good thing for Penn this fight didn’t get changed to five rounds.
Diaz has some fantastic conditioning. He gave the first round to Penn, but seemed almost unstoppable as the fight went into the second and third rounds. He kept Penn standing, was continually successful with his striking, and made Penn go at a pace he couldn’t handle.
If any fighter has ever proved that he’s for real, it was Nick Diaz on Saturday night. But will he be good enough to defeat Georges St-Pierre?
If a UFC event has ever been cursed, then UFC 137 certainly seems to be that event.Despite all of the changes and injuries that have effected the main event, it appears that all engines are go, and the weigh-ins will be taking place this Friday, Octobe…
If a UFC event has ever been cursed, then UFC 137 certainly seems to be that event.
Despite all of the changes and injuries that have effected the main event, it appears that all engines are go, and the weigh-ins will be taking place this Friday, October 27.
The weigh-ins are always lots of fun, but it will be Nick Diaz that everyone will undoubtedly have their eye on. No doubt he’ll show up, but will there be any crazy antics? Or will his respect for BJ Penn prove strong enough for the fighter to keep his cool, and show his opponent some respect?
In what may be his last fight, the once great fighter Mirko Filipovic will go up against Roy Nelson, in a match that very well may see the loser of the fight leaving the UFC. Will Roy Nelson’s graveyard training be enough to avoid Mirko’s left leg?
One fight on the preliminary card that is sure to cause sparks is between Dennis Siver and Donald Cerrone. Both men are incredibly skilled fighters who go for broke in their fights, it’s certainly a fight no fan should miss. Make sure to check it out on SpikeTV.
Despite losing its main event fighters, UFC 137 will still be an awesome event that no one should miss.
Preliminary Card
Dustin Jacoby (185) vs. Clifford Starks (185)
Chris Camozzi (185) vs. Francis Carmont (185)
Brandon Vera (205) vs. Eliot Marshall (204)
Tyson Griffin (149) vs. Bart Palaszewski (146)
Dennis Siver (155) vs. Donald Cerrone (156)
Main Card
Hatsu Hioki (145) vs. George Roop (145)
Scott Jorgensen (135) vs. Jeff Curran (134)
Mirko Filipovic (235) vs. Roy Nelson (252)
Cheick Kongo (234) vs. Matt Mitrione (255)
BJ Penn (169) vs. Nick Diaz (170)
Make sure you check back in with Bleacher Report on Friday 7 pm ET/4 pm PT for live coverage of everything that goes down at the UFC 137 weigh-ins!
After his victory at Bellator 54, BleacherReport.com caught up with bantamweight champion Zach “Fun Size” Makovsky.Makovsky (14-2 MMA, 6-0 Bellator) retained his champion courtesy of a first round submission victory over UFC veteran Ryan Roberts (16-10…
After his victory at Bellator 54, BleacherReport.com caught up with bantamweight champion Zach “Fun Size” Makovsky.
Makovsky (14-2 MMA, 6-0 Bellator) retained his champion courtesy of a first round submission victory over UFC veteran Ryan Roberts (16-10-1, 1NC, 0-2 Bellator) this past Saturday.
B/R MMA: Hey Zach, thanks so much for taking the time to talk today. Have you gone back to training right after Bellator 54 or are you taking a break now?
Makovsky: “I’m definitely taking it light. I’ve only trained once since then, but I pretty much never stop training. I’m actually in a 5K race at the end of October. It’s a lupus race we do every year.”
B/R MMA: Will you have another non-title fight before you defend your belt?
Makovsky: “I don’t think so. I think the next one should be a title defense against the winner of the tournament. I guess some time in early 2012.”
B/R MMA: So far in Bellator you’re undefeated, which one of your opponents in Bellator has pushed you the furthest?
Makovsky: “I think there are a couple different ones for different reasons. The first round of the tournament against Nick Mamalis was probably the most tired I’ve ever been in a fight. When I went back and watched the fight, it didn’t really look like I was that tired, but I was so exhausted.
“After the first round I didn’t know how I was going to make it through the fight. We were in a lot of wrestling situations and using a lot of strength. I was attacking for an armbar early in the first round, really trying to break his grip, and I got really fatigued. So that was the most physically grueling fight I’ve been in.
“But as far as the most dangerous opponent I’ve faced, from a technical stand point, Ed West was the most difficult. He has the ability to finish standing and on the ground.”
B/R MMA: Not to take anything away from Ryan Roberts, but you didn’t look like you were in trouble at all in that fight. Did you ever feel really pressured during that fight?
Makovsky: “No. I think I did what I wanted to do in that fight. I wanted to show him that I knew I’d have an advantage if I put him on his back, but I knew I’d be able to fight with him wherever the fight went, and I wanted to make him feel like he had no where he could win the fight.
“I wanted him to be frustrated everywhere.
I think I did that. I think he was kind of looking for a big shot, which is kind of how he fights, but I think I’m relatively hard to hit. I move a lot. I try not to stand right in front of people. I was pretty happy with that performance.”
B/R MMA: Your striking looked really solid against Roberts and in your last fight you won via TKO due to strikes, is striking something you’ve been focusing on more lately?
Makovsky: “Yeah. I mean, I try to work on everything. I think there’s no question that striking has been the most difficult thing for me to kind of pick up. Not just pick up, but get comfortable using in a fight. I think I’m slowly becoming more and more comfortable and I think it’s shown and I think it’ll continue to show in future performance.
“But I did get to work on that, the striking, more for this fight. I got to quit my job in June, so this is the first fight I had no other job except to train. So I got to get a lot more work in, and a lot more individual sessions with the striking coach at Philadelphia Fight Factory. So, yeah, it’s pretty good.”
B/R MMA: How hurt do you think you had Roberts after landing that straight left?
Makovsky: “I knew it landed pretty good because I think both of us were kind of coming forward, so I think it landed pretty solid. I know he kind of wobbled and his legs went out from under him a little bit. I knew I had hurt him with the shot. I don’t know how rocked he was, so I tried to keep pressure on him, but he looked like he recovered fairly quickly. I didn’t want to do anything too reckless.”
B/R MMA: So then going into your next title defense, will you be strictly training with no other jobs?
Makovsky: “Yeah, just because Bellator financially has been giving me the opportunity to support myself with just training and fighting, which is really what I’ve wanted since I got involved in the sport.
“My main goal is just to be able to train and fight for as long as I can. So I’m going to keep that up for as long as I can.”
B/R MMA: Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
Makovsky: I don’t know. I try not to think about things like that, you know? I just want to continue training and continue improving. I really mean it. I try not to worry about who I’m going to fight or what I’m going to be ranked or how I can move up.
I really feel like if I narrow my focus to just focusing on what I love, improving and trying to be the best that I can, everything else will just take care of itself.
B/R MMA: Out of the four men left in the bantamweight tournament, who do you think stands the best chance of winning?
Makovsky: “It’s tough to say, man. They’re all very talented. I have trouble picking any of the fights, really. I can’t decide the winner of Dantas and West, but I think whoever wins that fight is going to win the tournament.
“I think Villa has a good chance of making it to the finals, but I think either of the other guys, because they’re pretty technical strikers, they’re tall and lanky and have very good jiu-jitsu, I think they can both give Villa a lot of problems.”
B/R MMA: How do you think you stack up against either of those guys?
Makovsky: “I think I match up well with everybody that’s left. I try to be able to be as well-rounded as I can and I think I can stand with any of those guys and I think that Villa, honestly, will have a wrestling advantage over me, but it’s not wrestling, we’re not in a wrestling match in MMA.
“If you’re standing straight up and throwing a punch and I’m on your leg, it doesn’t matter who you are, you’re getting taken down, you know? I think I match up well. I think I can beat any one of the guys that are in the tournament.”
At UFC 137, the fight between Nick Diaz and BJ Penn may very well prove to be the best fight on the entire card. Penn even went so far as to claim that the fight was the true main event. It is a fight that no hardcore fight fan will miss. They each hav…
At UFC 137, the fight between Nick Diaz and BJ Penn may very well prove to be the best fight on the entire card. Penn even went so far as to claim that the fight was the true main event.
It is a fight that no hardcore fight fan will miss. They each have excellent boxing and excellent ground games. The two are so well matched!
Dana White has said that if Diaz defeats Penn, he’ll receive a title shot.
What does Diaz need to do to make sure he gets that shot?
When 2011 goes in the books the UFC will have put on 27 events. It’s been a blistering year for the organization and the fans. There have been great events, awesome fights and some really big news. Going into 2012, Dana White said that the UFC pl…
When 2011 goes in the books the UFC will have put on 27 events. It’s been a blistering year for the organization and the fans. There have been great events, awesome fights and some really big news.
Going into 2012, Dana White said that the UFC plans on holding an astounding 34 events over the course of the year.
Many fight fans are thrilled with the news, but much like any announcement there are going to be detractors. While I am not necessarily one of them, I do think there are some negative things that could happen as a result of holding so many events.
As the UFC grows in popularity and is showcased to a whole new variety of fans, the organization will need a heel like Nick Diaz.