Diego Sanchez believes he still has Nick Diaz’s number.
In November 2005, the former UFC lightweight contender dominated Diaz with superior wrestling and great submission defense.
Nearly seven years later, Sanchez doesn’t think much has changed as far as how he matches up with the former Strikeforce welterweight champion. He recently spoke with MMAValor.com about how he thought a rematch with Diaz would unfold.
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 a guy that’s tough enough to take Nick Diaz’s little pitter-patter punches. Styles make fights. Nick Diaz has his grappling on point and so do I. We get back in there again, I’m going to kick his ass again.
After losing to Sanchez, Diaz went on to lose his next two fights and was subsequently released from the UFC in 2006. The three fight skid apparently lit a fire under the Cesar Gracie student.
Minus a cut stoppage to K.J. Noons, Diaz hasn’t lost a professional bout since his UFC release. He has climbed ahead of Sanchez to the top of the welterweight division, and at UFC 143, he’ll be competing against Carlos Condit for the interim title.
Sanchez’s career has been a bit more inconstant as of late. He is 2-2 in his last four fights, but he is coming off a pair of impressive wins over Martin Kampmann and Paulo Thiago.
Is there truth behind Sanchez’s madness? Could he dominate Diaz a second time?
Wrestling is one aspect of fighting that Diaz has struggled with throughout his entire career. It has nothing to do with any learning deficiencies. Diaz is an intelligent fighter, and with hard work and dedication he could drastically improve his wrestling skills.
Diaz’s wrestling woes seem to be more tactical than anything else. As a world class black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, he doesn’t mind being taken down. Diaz is just as confident in fighting from his back as he is on his feet.
The problem with this way of fighting lies in a strong wrestler with great submission defense. Regardless of recent hiccups, Sanchez still exhibits both of those attributes.
Could “The Dream” still be Diaz’s nightmare?
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