At UFC 137, Nick Diaz became one of the most talked-about, polarizing figures in our sport.
The former Strikeforce welterweight champion deftly defeated “The Prodigy” BJ Penn.
The two served as the main attraction for the pay-per-view event, where the Hawaiian found some success early on against the Stockton native, though it was all Diaz in the latter stages of the bout.
Diaz bludgeoned Penn with ripping shots to the head and body, wilting the former two-time world champion against the cage. The finish seemed imminent, though Penn survived to the final bell, where Diaz took home a dominant decision victory over the battered and bruised Penn.
Originally, the Cesar Gracie fighter was scheduled to take on current welterweight kingpin Georges St-Pierre for the UFC title, though after a string of no-shows for several pre-fight press conferences, Diaz was ultimately pulled from the championship bout.
From there, Diaz went on a tirade of insults aiming for St-Pierre. Expletive after expletive spewed from his mouth before Diaz finally had his chance to formally call out the pound-for-pound great at center stage after his “Fight of the Night” performance against Penn.
“I don’t think Georges is hurt,” said the enigmatic fighter. “I think he’s scared. I think he’s scared to fight everyone right now.”
It shared a likeness to that of the ultimate bad guy in Chael Sonnen, after the middleweight contender defeated Brian Stann earlier this month at UFC 136. Knowing archnemesis Anderson Silva, the long-reigning UFC middleweight champion, was in attendance, Sonnen made the most of his post-fight speech.
“Anderson Silva, you absolutely suck,” said the vehement Sonnen. “Super Bowl weekend, the biggest rematch in the history of the business, I’m calling you out, Silva, but we’re upping the stakes. I beat you, you leave the division. You beat me, I will leave the UFC forever.”
Ironically enough, Diaz and St-Pierre are rumored for the same event.
The welterweight great has long been regarded as one of the most controversial figures in our sport. Though his fights have created many memorable highlights, two sticking points of his career extend from riot-esque altercations, under the EliteXC and Strikeforce banner, respectively.
The infamous “Nashville Brawl” began on the heels of teammate Jake Shields’ dominant decision victory over former Pride champion Dan Henderson in April of last year.
Former opponent Jason “Mayhem” Miller bombarded Shields’ post-fight festivities and a melee ensued between the Dream vet and the whole Cesar Gracie crew. Chief among them was Diaz himself, punching away at a downed Miller.
His list of “accomplishments” outside of the cage precede those that Diaz has shown within, much like Sonnen.
With a lot of momentum behind him, Diaz is primed and ready to take the UFC by storm. During the post-fight press conference, the 28-year-old made mention that him earning the shot at the title was a result of him “being the bad guy”—a role that he is more than happy to fill.
Move over, Sonnen.
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