Anthony Pettis will welcome fan-favorite, Nate Diaz back into the Octagon in the co-main event of UFC 241. It will mark the first time the fighter from Stockton will fight since August of 2016 at UFC 202. Why Diaz wanted to return against Pettis is simple. The two have not liked each other for a […]
Anthony Pettis will welcome fan-favorite, Nate Diaz back into the Octagon in the co-main event of UFC 241. It will mark the first time the fighter from Stockton will fight since August of 2016 at UFC 202.
Why Diaz wanted to return against Pettis is simple. The two have not liked each other for a long time. However, “Showtime,” says after the fight they can squash the beef if they want.
“Obviously he’s not jealous now,” Pettis said to MMA Junkie at media day. “He got what he wanted. That fame and notoriety that I had that he was jealous of at the time, he got it now. I feel like it would be stupid for him to say he’s jealous of me now because that’s what he wanted. But it is weird because we definitely had some beef. But if there’s no beef then it is what it is. I’ll shake his hand after the fight and we can go and hang out after I solve this.”
“I’m predicting a knockout,” Pettis said. “I’m going to find those legs, I’m going to find that body and I’m going to find that chin. Or a submission because he’s going to get hit. I’m hitting this guy on the chin and if he tries to do a takedown dumbly I’ll guillotine him too. But I want a knockout.”
Who do you think will win the fight between Anthony Pettis and Nate Diaz?
Conor McGregor is in trouble once again after he allegedly hit an elderly man. Now, many people have given their thoughts on it while Anthony Pettis doesn’t know why the Irishman would even do that. He wants to know all the facts before commenting. For Pettis, he doesn’t know if something was said but believes […]
Conor McGregor is in trouble once again after he allegedly hit an elderly man. Now, many people have given their thoughts on it while Anthony Pettis doesn’t know why the Irishman would even do that.
He wants to know all the facts before commenting. For Pettis, he doesn’t know if something was said but believes there has to be a reason for McGregor to punch the man.
“It was crazy, but who knows what that dude said?” Pettis said to MMA Junkie. “I’m sure something was said for him to do that. He’s not going to punch somebody in the face for no reason.”
Yet, Pettis wants to stay active so will not wait around for that fight. Instead, if it happens it happens.
“That’s another fan-favorite fight,” Pettis said. “I’m not going to sit here and wait for Conor McGregor and call him out or anything. If he wants to fight and he wants to fight me, send the contract and I’ll be there.”
What was your reaction to Conor McGregor allegedly punching an old man?
This weekend (Sat. August 17, 2019) we get to see Nate Diaz return to the Octagon for the first time in three years, as he takes on Anthony “Showtime” Pettis in UFC 241’s co-main event. With Diaz refusing to cut any further than the welterweight limit, and Pettis just moving up for his last fight, […]
This weekend (Sat. August 17, 2019) we get to see Nate Diaz return to the Octagon for the first time in three years, as he takes on Anthony “Showtime” Pettis in UFC 241’s co-main event. With Diaz refusing to cut any further than the welterweight limit, and Pettis just moving up for his last fight, this fight will be contested at 170 pounds.
As far as their skill sets, this is a matchup made in heaven, but will the layoff affect Diaz? This fight has been talked about since Pettis was champion, as Diaz was continuously calling him out, but that fire for this fight seemed to die, until recently. Diaz and his team went to team Pettis asking for a fight, and Pettis’ team told the UFC to set it up, and now we’re here.
Now both parties are finishing their weight cutting processes and then they’ll fight on Saturday. It’s honestly quite surprising that this fight hasn’t been advertised or hyped more considering the potential it has. No matter who wins, it will certainly shake things up in the welterweight division.
Anthony Pettis (22-8) vs. Nate Diaz (19-11)
We met Nate Diaz on the set of The Ultimate Fighter 5 back in 2007 as part of Jens Pulver’s team, opposite BJ Penn. He went 3-0 on his season with three submissions, then defeated Manny Gamburyan in the finale to claim “The Ultimate Fighter” trophy. He always had the same skill set, he’s just gotten better at it, a lot better. Diaz started off his UFC career as a BJJ purple belt and submitted three black belts in a row in his second, third, and fourth UFC fights: Junior Assuncao (guillotine choke), Alvin Robinson (triangle choke), and Kurt Pellegrino (triangle choke).
Nate fights just like his brother Nick. He pitter-patters with his punches, then as the fight goes on, he starts hitting a little harder (with some strikes) and putting on more of a pace. Diaz has insane cardio, he’s primarily a boxer with incredible BJJ skills, being a 2nd-degree black belt. The only difference between himself and Nick is that he has a slightly smaller frame, he’s a little more flat-footed, and his wrestling isn’t quite as good as his brother’s, though neither Diaz is known for their wrestling ability.
Diaz has shown many times, his boxing is some of the best in the entire sport of MMA. The way he can chain his punches together and overwhelm his opponents is quite fun and interesting to watch. The more he tags his opponents, his accuracy goes up and it oftentimes turns into a great fight. His brother was really the pioneer of this style, to hit his opponents with so many punches that they can’t breathe, rather than trying to starch them with one shot.
Being flat-footed however has led Diaz to being susceptible to leg kicks in the past, and has also been an entry for wrestlers to take him down. Pettis isn’t much of a wrestler, however, and it’s doubtful he’ll take that route. Pettis may attack Diaz’s lead leg though, amongst other things. Pettis’ attack is seemingly endless, he just doesn’t run out of tools. We’ve seen him create a few of his own attacks inside the cage in both the WEC and UFC, and do it effectively.
“Showtime” also holds a BJJ black belt, and has a 3rd degree black belt in Taekwondo as well, which he’s had for quite some time. Pettis was always known as a striker, but he’s always been just as good on the ground. Not only recently, he has a few submission wins in the WEC too, but his UFC submissions include Benson Henderson, Gilbert Melendez, Charles Oliveira, and Michael Chiesa.
Henderson was thought to be unsubmittable by everyone in the MMA world. But Pettis took another belt from Henderson yet again, via armbar this time. Melendez is a Cesar Gracie black belt, the same BJJ coach as the Diaz brothers, and had never been submitted before, but Pettis defeated him via guillotine choke.
Charles Oliveira broke the record for most submission wins in UFC history and broke his own record in each of his next two fights. Pettis defeated him via guillotine choke. Michael Chiesa is the only one of the bunch that isn’t a BJJ black belt, but he does have a purple belt, and submission wins over high-level BJJ black belts like Jim Miller, Beneil Dariush, and Carlos Condit. Pettis submitted Chiesa via triangle choke.
If this proves anything, it’s that Pettis can certainly submit just about anyone, he’s that talented on the mat. Then he showed he’s still got it on the feet by knocking out Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, who’s 57-0 in kickboxing with a black belt in American Kickboxing and a 5th-degree black belt in Kempo Karate, and had never really lost a stand-up fight until now.
As far as these two matching up together, Diaz is the taller man at 6′ with a 76” reach, and Pettis is 5’10” with a 72.5” reach. This could go a little bit like Pettis’ fight with “Wonderboy”, as “Wonderboy” was peppering Pettis’ face with his straight punches, keeping Pettis on the outside. Diaz could perhaps do that with his boxing, but what if Pettis’ kicks make that an even playing field? Maybe the length of Diaz’ reach won’t matter as much considering how good Pettis is at kicking.
Another interesting thing about this fight is that Pettis has much more developed hands than he really ever has. He hurt Ferguson down at 155 pounds, and he KO’d Thompson at 170 pounds, someone who’d never been knocked out. Pettis was always known as a kicker, but his hands have come along very well. It’s a wonder how this fight will go considering each guy’s skill set.
Neither of them really try for takedowns, most of each of their submission wins are off their backs, and each of them is an expert at their own respective striking department. Most of each of their losses are to opponents that are constantly pressuring them too, generally for the takedown. Neither of them have lost many stand up fights.
How does this epic welterweight showdown go this weekend?
Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal would no doubt be a huge fight, but there’s one major thing standing in the way. That’s according to former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping. ‘The Count’ recently spoke up about the potentia…
Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal would no doubt be a huge fight, but there’s one major thing standing in the way. That’s according to former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping. ‘The Count’ recently spoke up about the potential match-up on his “Believe You Me” podcast (via BJPENN.com). He noted that a bout with a big […]
Yesterday (Wed. August 14, 2019) Nate Diaz got the mixed martial arts (MMA) world talking when he sparked up what looked to be like a joint at his UFC 241 open workout. Diaz will be taking on Anthony “Showtime” Pettis in the co-main event of UFC 241 on pay-per-view (PPV). The former lightweight spoke to […]
Diaz will be taking on Anthony “Showtime” Pettis in the co-main event of UFC 241 on pay-per-view (PPV). The former lightweight spoke to the media after and was asked about the substance he was smoking. Diaz revealed it was his own line of CBD from Game Up Nutrition. ESPN’s Marc Raimondi also cleared up some concerns about the matter.
He noted that CBD is allowed in and out of competition, however, it’s THC that is prohibited while in-competition, which Diaz was not intaking.
“Diaz said the joint was CBD, his own line from Game Up Nutrition. CBD is legal in- and out-of-competition in the UFC’s anti-doping policy. Diaz said he’ll have to save the THC for after the fight since it’s prohibited in-competition.”
Diaz said the joint was CBD, his own line from Game Up Nutrition. CBD is legal in- and out-of-competition in the UFC’s anti-doping policy. Diaz said he’ll have to save the THC for after the fight since it’s prohibited in-competition.
Diaz will be ending a three-year layoff against Pettis this weekend. He hasn’t fought since his 2016 decision loss to Conor McGregor at UFC 202. Now, Diaz has decided to stick around at welterweight, and will take on the former 155-pound champion in his first fight back.
What did you think about Diaz sparking one up at UFC 241 open workouts?
Anthony Pettis is set for a big fight in the co-main event of UFC 241 when he takes on Nate Diaz. Yet, that was not always the plan as “Showtime” reveals he was offered Conor McGregor at UFC 244 in Madison Square Garden. “First it was McGregor and I was like let’s do it in […]
“First it was McGregor and I was like let’s do it in Madison Square Garden,” Pettis said during the UFC 241 open workouts (h/t MMA Fighting). “Something fell off with that and then it popped up Nate and I was just like we’ll see what happens. Then he signed the contract and we’re here.”
But, it was never brought to the contract stage. Instead, it was just verbally discussed but the former lightweight champ didn’t hesitate to accept.
“It was just mentioned,” Pettis said about fighting McGregor. “They’re like at Madison Square Garden. Like f—k yeah.”
“It doesn’t really matter. I’m fighting the best in the world,” Pettis said when asked if he would still like to face McGregor. “Nate’s one of the guys. He’s definitely a tough dude. Even though me and Nate have our problems, I respect his game.
“He’s a fan favorite fighter. He’s going to come and try to fight me. He’s not going to try holding me down for 15 minutes looking to sneak over a decision so I respect that about him.”
Would you be interested in seeing Anthony Pettis vs. Conor McGregor?
