Following an impressive unanimous decision victory over Donald Cerrone at UFC 141, Nate Diaz has his eyes set on UFC gold, and lightweight champion Frankie Edgar looks to be the primary target in his crosshairs.
“I hope I get a number one contender spot or a title shot because I ain’t trying to play around with these funny fights no more,” Diaz told UFC.com in a post-fight interview.
“I’ve been fighting for too long, and I want to fight the best guys. I want to get what I deserve out of this.”
Coming off back-to-back wins over Cerrone and lightweight legend Takanori Gomi, Diaz can certainly make a case for a UFC title shot.
How would he match up against Edgar, a man UFC President Dana White once proclaimed as the No. 2 best pound-for-pound fighter in the world?
On the feet, Diaz can present a lot of technical problems for Edgar. He is an aggressive striker with a tremendous understanding of range. His accuracy is pinpoint, and he utilizes good head movement.
The high volume of punches is generally where he finds the most success. Diaz is going to press Edgar and force him to exchange in the pocket.
The difference between Cerrone and Edgar lies in speed and grappling abilities.
Edgar isn’t an easy target to find on the feet. He tends to rely on his speed to explode in and out of the pocket with well-placed combinations.
Diaz’s primary concern should be the takedowns. It’s common knowledge that wrestling isn’t his forte, and despite being undersized at 155 pounds, Edgar remains one of the best wrestlers in the entire division.
Diaz is a world-class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu artist, but Edgar has proven himself in dealing with the legendary guard of B.J. Penn on a couple of occasions.
While Diaz would put up a solid effort, Edgar has to be the favorite considering his huge wrestling advantage and submission defense.
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