(Diaz, seen here preparing the only gameplan that hasn’t been thwarted by Anderson Silva in the octagon yet. And no, that’s definitely not a hash pipe next to the dartboard. Props be to MiddleEasy.)
Nick Diaz may be a shortsighted, virulent, pot smoking, press conference-skipping delinquent who didn’t go to college for buying houses, but damn it, we can’t help but love the guy’s “take on all comers” attitude when it comes to fighting. Blame it on the increased popularity of the sport, the ridiculous string of injuries, or whatever you want, but suffice it to say, the Diaz mentality of accepting fights is a fading one. It seems we can’t go a day without hearing that so and so turned down a fight with this guy, or that this champion will maybe fight this one under a ridiculous set of circumstances, and honestly, this prima donna nonsense has all but completely quelled our interest in seeing the “superfights” we would have killed for just a couple months ago.
But before you jump down our throats, we (or at least I) do not blame Georges St. Pierre for turning down the Anderson Silva fight. Because like GSP said, there are still several viable contenders in his division and he is just coming off an 18 month layoff. Plus, if Anderson wants to fight the smaller man, he should pony the fuck up and drop down to his weight class. And since Silva is (for whatever reason) dead set on fighting a smaller opponent next, Cesar Gracie recently threw Diaz’s name into the fold as a potential future opponent, because why the hell not at this point:
We’re pushing for the GSP fight. That’s what we’re going to push for, GSP or Anderson Silva. That’s the two fights that interest us the most, and that’s the one’s we’re going for.[Silva’s] people are into it. We’re into it. The fans, I think, would be into it. We’ve got convince Dana about it now. Obviously the fight that makes sense to them, and I don’t disagree, is Anderson-GSP, and like I said, I would watch that fight. That would be great to watch. But let’s get real. If GSP just absolutely says no, then what? You can’t make a guy fight. That’s the thing. And Anderson, if they want to promote a superfight and if the stars align, I think Nick would be into it.
Of course, there are several outside factors that come into play when addressing the likelihood of this fight, the least of which being Cesar’s statement that “he thinks Nick would be into it.” Because let’s be real, no one knows what is going through Diaz’s mind. Ever. (Author’s note: I imagine it’s something like this).
Another deterring factor in this potential “superfight” (which isn’t really a superfight at all, quite honestly) would be that of Dana White, who completely shot the idea down when discussing it with Bleacher Report:
Nick Diaz makes no sense. I know that it sounds fun ‘YEAH! Throw Nick Diaz in there!’ But if you really look at the thing, Nick Diaz just lost to Condit. You know what I mean? … at 170 so that gives him the opportunity to move up to 185 and fight the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world? In what f*cking universe does that make sense?
All good points Dana, except for the fact that mere weeks after making these statements, you did the exact same thing with Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen, then declared that “fun fights are OK” when discussing Anderson Silva vs. Stephan Bonnar. So to answer your question: This universe, I guess.
I’m not saying Diaz should be rewarded for his past transgressions, but then again, when he appears to be the only guy willing to fight an invincible killing machine like Silva, how long can you turn him away? WILL SOMEONE JUST LET HIM BANG, BRO?!
It’s really too early to do anything but speculate, but I think the real question that comes out of all this is: If Anderson doesn’t get his superfight with GSP, then what’s next for him (aside from a string of cameos in shitty cop movies, that is)? He refuses to fight Jon Jones and he isn’t interested in the division he’s actually champion of, so where does he go from here?