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Nick Diaz: UFC 143 Loss Can Be UFC’s Gain

Another Nick Diaz fight in the books, another controversy surrounds him.As we all know by now, at UFC 143, Diaz was defeated by Carlos Condit in a five-round interim title fight. During the post-fight interview, Diaz claimed he was retiring. He had eno…

Another Nick Diaz fight in the books, another controversy surrounds him.

As we all know by now, at UFC 143, Diaz was defeated by Carlos Condit in a five-round interim title fight. During the post-fight interview, Diaz claimed he was retiring. He had enough of the fight game.

I don’t need this sh**t. I pushed this guy backwards. He ran from me the whole fight. He ran this whole fight. I landed the harder shots. He ran the whole time. He kicked me in the leg with little baby leg kicks the whole fight. That’s the way they understand to win in here. I don’t want to play this game no more.

These words may have just been Diaz getting caught up in the moment, or they may be his true feelings. No one ever knows what he’s thinking. It’s obvious he felt cheated by the decision, but the question remains: Is Nick Diaz seriously contemplating retirement? Is he truly done fighting? For the fans’ sakes, and the sake of the UFC, let’s hope not.

Diaz has felt cheated from the moment he stepped back in the UFC. UFC 137 was slated to be welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre defending his UFC title against then-Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz. After Diaz missed the press conference, Dana White decided to discipline him by taking him out of the title fight and inserted Carlos Condit as St-Pierre’s opponent. After suffering a knee injury, St. Pierre was forced off the card and Condit decided to wait and fight another day.

Nick Diaz versus B.J. Penn was promoted to the main event of the show. After three rounds, Diaz was declared the winner (via unanimous decision). He received no win bonus for this fight. The win did, however, earn Diaz the match he was originally scheduled for. Unfortunately, after tearing his ACL, GSP was again forced from another fight.

Condit was pulled from his fight against Josh Koscheck to fight Diaz for the interim UFC welterweight title. The outcome is now clear. Condit will face St-Pierre when he’s fully healed to unify the belts.

So where do the UFC and Diaz go from here? It’s simple. Diaz is all about making money. He’s threatened to leave the sport once to pursue bigger purses in boxing, so why not give him an offer he can’t refuse? Put Nick Diaz’s biggest asset to good use.

We already know who’s fighting for the welterweight title later this year. So who’s the No. 1 contender? You find out by putting two of the biggest trash-talkers in the sport against each other. Nick Diaz in a fight against Josh Koscheck.

With one catch.

Diaz and Koscheck are given the chance to build this rivalry—not that they really need it—by being coaches on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter.

The current season will pit current bantamweight champion Dominic Cruz against challenger Urijah Faber (which debuts in March), so they would need to wait a bit, but that even plays better into it. Let Diaz clear his head—if that’s even possible—have his time off, train a bit, let the odor of his post-fight interview clear and then get back into the game.

The UFC and Zuffa are always looking for a way to up the ratings. From recognizable names to real feuds to trash-talkers. What better way to bring all three together than these two men as the opposing coaches? Could you imagine a season featuring these two?

A team coached by Nick Diaz would get a great camp—Nick, his brother Nate, Gilbert Melendez, Jake Shields, Gracies being brought in to help by the truck loads; it’s a great opportunity for kids to learn from a truly great jiu-jitsu camp.

Josh Koscheck, on the other hand, just recently coached opposite current welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and can bring with him his American Kickboxing Academy team once again.

Let’s face it, though, with these two, you’re going to tune in to see what happens next. Koscheck and Diaz face to face each week could turn into some of the most chaotic moments in the history of the show. The winner gets a shot at the title and the loser, well, it may be his last chance. Diaz can’t afford to lose after this latest decision to Condit, and a loss for Koscheck would be his third strike in a title fight.

A season where both careers are seriously on the line would make for some great television. When you paint two men into a corner and tell them their livelihoods are at stake, you’re bound to have situations you can’t control. What better than to catch that on TV with two guys that don’t seem to be all that stable to begin with? The UFC would be silly to not cash in when it has a potential gold mind on its hands.

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UFC Flyweight Divison: If You Build It, They Will Watch

With a potential flyweight division on the horizon, it seems as if the UFC and ZUFFA are already trying to familiarize their fan base with a few of their fighters. The hope is that it takes off quickly and gains as much popularity as the bantamweights …

This season of the Ultimate Fighter (14) features several fighters who have fought at 125 lbs. in the past. They are clearly being put on display for fans to recognize after the season is over and the division is created.

With the popularity these fighters are getting based off the show, fighters that can easily cut from the bantamweight division and ZUFFA’S willingness to spend money on some of the very best fighters from outside companies, we could see a flyweight division debuting sooner than later.

Here we take a look at 10 fighters who could make up the potential division—with a bit of a spin. These are my personal predictions on where we’ll see the flyweight division six months after its conception.

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UFC on Versus: Is Dominick Cruz Playing It Too Safe?

Another bantamweight title fight in the books, and yet again, more questions remained unanswered. At UFC 6 LIVE, Dominick Cruz (19-1) successfully defended his title against challenger Demetrious Johnson (9-2). After five rounds of nonstop action, Cruz yet again had his hand raised in victory, but with the victory, may have more critics questioning his title reign than before.

“The Dominator” started his title reign by defeating Brian Bowles at WEC 47 via doctor stoppage when Bowles couldn’t continue after breaking his hand. Many thought after that victory that the awkward, fast-footed striker needed to prove he was worthy of being called a champion.

In Cruz’s first title defense, he fought Joseph Benavidez—an opponent he had already defeated to earn his shot at the champion, Bowles. After five grueling rounds, fans around the world anticipated a decision on a fight that was extremely difficult to judge. Many thought Benavidez won the fight based on attempting to finish the fight with a guillotine in the fourth and more effective striking while pushing the tempo.

However, in the end, Dominick Cruz was awarded the decision, a decision that surprised many in the MMA world.

Cruz narrowly escaped WEC 50 with the title to fight a very good wrestler in Scotty Jorgensen at WEC 53. Cruz imposed his will, pressed the action and with his superior takedown defense, outlasted Jorgensen for yet another five rounds to win quite a decisive victory.

Then came the rematch Cruz had been waiting for: a chance to redeem the only loss of his career. The first-ever bantamweight title defense in UFC history was almost the most anticipated and the biggest draw ZUFFA could put together. WEC poster boy Urijah Faber challenged Dominick Cruz.

Yet again, after five rounds, a controversial decision was made, and Cruz, despite being knocked down twice in the fight, used “point striking” in order to edge Faber. Again, MMA fans questioned the decision, and started questioning the champion himself. Does he have the killer instinct to finish fights?

The chance for him to answer all questions came at UFC LIVE 6 on Versus. A heavily favored Cruz would be facing an undersized—and maybe more fit for a future flyweight division—Demetrious Johnson. For the first time in Cruz’s career, he looked beat on his feet. Johnson looked more crisp, faster and began to cause problems for the champion.

Cruz’s awkward style and footwork didn’t seem to phase the challenger. Cruz wisely changed his game plan and used his size and ever-improving grappling to keep Johnson on the mat, and even scored massive points by nearly submitting Johnson in the third round via rear-naked choke. However, once again, Cruz escaped with his title by unanimous decision.

There’s a thin line in MMA between playing it safe (or in some cases, “smart”) and being content with any victory, that some just don’t want to toe. In this case, it seems necessary. Does Cruz posses that killer instinct that makes a champion?

Since being under the ZUFFA flag (WEC and UFC), Cruz has not finished a fight. He doesn’t hold a knockout victory or a submission over any opponent since 2008, and the only fight with ZUFFA that didn’t go the distance was a doctor stoppage in which he was awarded the bantamweight title. Fans already feel that isn’t a way any fighter wants to be crowned a champion. In four defenses since, two have been heavily questioned, and all four went the distance.

Can Cruz finish a fighter? Is he content with “out-pointing” his opponents?

You’ll always hear Cruz say he’s out to finish, but it’s never been seen. He’s never caused his opponent’s true damage, and outside of a rear-naked choke that Demetrious Johnson wiggled out of, he’s never had any of his opponents in any real danger of losing their fight.

While Cruz now awaits the winner of Bowles/Faber in November to meet his next opponent, the questions will continue to be asked. He’ll continue to be called a “paper champion” until he finally proves he’s out for blood. Maybe the “Dominator” should look for a new nickname until he can define what the word truly means.

In the mean time, he shouldn’t be offended when people question his heart and true fighting spirit.

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