Nick Diaz appeared on Inside MMA in what was dubbed a “rare television appearance” and he once again came across well-spoken and clear headed, further dispelling the myth that he’s a hard headed bad boy..
Nick Diaz appeared on Inside MMA in what was dubbed a “rare television appearance” and he once again came across well-spoken and clear headed, further dispelling the myth that he’s a hard headed bad boy. Diaz went on to explain how on paper he is the guy, Georges St. Pierre should be facing, even though he had to be a “villain” to get the fight. Diaz humbly adds:
I’m the one that’s in this division that’s mouthing off and talking the most. Uh, so if anybody’s…you know, in for you know, a good-whupping, or it’s time for a good-whupping, it’s probably I’m that guy.
I don’t know, Nick… for some, “that guy” will always be Josh Koscheck. Watch Diaz’s interview below.
There will never be another BJ Penn.After losing a decision to Nick Diaz at UFC 137, the former two-division UFC champion and future Hall of Famer announced his retirement from MMA.Is this really the end? Have fans seen the last of Penn?”The Prodigy” f…
After losing a decision to Nick Diaz at UFC 137, the former two-division UFC champion and future Hall of Famer announced his retirement from MMA.
Is this really the end? Have fans seen the last of Penn?
“The Prodigy” finally stepped from the shadows to address the retirement talk and give his prediction on the upcoming welterweight showdown between Diaz and Georges St-Pierre.
HDNet’s Michael Schiavello was on hand at “Pro Elite: Big Guns” to interview a quickly healed Penn a little over a week out from his three round war with Diaz.
“I think this is something I should’ve did after the first Frankie Edgar fight. A bunch of coaches pleaded with me to step away from the sport, take some time off. I was just kind of in the mix. I kept going, I kept going, trying to push myself. I don’t really like the results I’ve been getting, and I’ll just take some time off, take some time away from the sport,” said Penn.
“If I ever feel it again, I’ll come back, if it interests me or excites me. I don’t want to be sitting in the locker room saying, ‘I can’t believe I’m still doing this.’ If it excites me, we’ll see how it goes, but I definitely need some time away.”
With Penn going on an indefinite hiatus, Diaz prepares for the biggest fight of his career against St-Pierre. The fiery debates have already begun about what to expect in the championship bout.
While fans and pundits are entitled to their opinions, Penn may have the best insight and knowledge about this matchup, considering he’s already fought both welterweights.
“I think it’s going to be very, very tough for Nick Diaz to defend Georges St-Pierre’s takedowns, and if Georges St-Pierre wants to turn this into a takedown type fight, I think he’s definitely going to have an advantage,” said Penn.
Recently, Georges St-Pierre’s head trainer Firas Zihabi has stated that the welterweight great would be more likely suited for the lightweight division rather than moving up to the middleweight class.Many have speculated a potential super fight&nb…
Recently, Georges St-Pierre’s head trainer Firas Zihabi has stated that the welterweight great would be more likely suited for the lightweight division rather than moving up to the middleweight class.
Many have speculated a potential super fight with St-Pierre and the pound-for-pound great in Anderson Silva, however, now the move to the 155-pound division seems to be an intriguing feat for GSP to master as well.
Currently, the UFC’s reigning lightweight star is Frankie Edgar, who recently defended his title against foe Gray Maynard at UFC 136, TKO’ing the Xtreme Couture product with a stunning fourth round finish.
Both men have proven dominant forces in their respective divisions, so hypothetically, how would a bout between St-Pierre and Edgar shakeout?
If you’re like me, when you see that Joe Rogan or Mike Goldberg are about to launch into one of their interview segments during the Spike prelims, you likely use the opportunity to grab a beer, take a piss, or switch over to Comedy Central to re-watch the end of last week’s Workaholicsepisode (the exception to this is of course,when Jason Mamoa is around). Because let’s be honest, who wants to listen to Dana White scream over a blaring DMX song about how great the upcoming card that you can’t afford is going to be?
But in the case of last weekend’s ProElite 2-Big Guns event, Michael Schiavello’s interview with B.J. Penn felt like the first breath after awakening from a seven year coma. Penn, who has apparently mastered the technology behind Wolverine’s healing powers, showed few signs of the damage Nick Diaz inflicted upon him just over a week ago. At the event to support his brother Reagan, “The Prodigy” discussed how retiring had been on his mind for some time:
If you’re like me, when you see that Joe Rogan or Mike Goldberg are about to launch into one of their interview segments during the Spike prelims, you likely use the opportunity to grab a beer, take a piss, or switch over to Comedy Central to re-watch the end of last week’s Workaholicsepisode (the exception to this is of course,when Jason Mamoa is around). Because let’s be honest, who wants to listen to Dana White scream over a blaring DMX song about how great the upcoming card that you can’t afford is going to be?
But in the case of last weekend’s ProElite 2-Big Guns event, Michael Schiavello’s interview with B.J. Penn felt like the first breath after awakening from a seven year coma. Penn, who has apparently mastered the technology behind Wolverine’s healing powers, showed few signs of the damage Nick Diaz inflicted upon him just over a week ago. At the event to support his brother Reagan, “The Prodigy” discussed how retiring had been on his mind for some time:
I think this is something I should’ve did after the first Frankie Edgar fight…a bunch of my coaches pleaded with me to step away from the sport, take some time off. I was just in the mix…trying to push myself. I don’t really like the results I’ve been getting. If I ever feel it again, I’ll come back, if [a fight] interests me, it excites me…I don’t want to be sitting in the locker room saying ‘I can’t believe I’m still doing this.’
“The Voice” also picked Penn’s brain on the upcoming Diaz/GSP bout, now that Penn has fought them both. His analysis seemed pretty spot on:
I think it’s gonna be very, very tough for Nick Diaz to defend Georges St. Pierre’s takedowns, and if [GSP] wants to turn this into a takedown type fight, I think he’s definitely gonna have an advantage.
When asked on what kind of game-plan Diaz would need to beat GSP, Penn stated that “People get broken mentally in fights…if Nick Diaz can make GSP break somehow than the fight’s his. But, other than that, it’s gonna be a long night.”
Despite being highly ranked in numerous pound-for-pound lists, Georges St-Pierre’s recent victories are not held with the same significance as fellow pound-for-pound king, Anderson Silva.However, with the UFC welterweight champion set to meet Nick Diaz…
Despite being highly ranked in numerous pound-for-pound lists, Georges St-Pierre’s recent victories are not held with the same significance as fellow pound-for-pound king, Anderson Silva.
However, with the UFC welterweight champion set to meet Nick Diaz at UFC 143 on Super Bowl weekend, that might change.
St-Pierre has dominated the welterweight division for nearly six years, beating some of the world’s best competitors to establish himself as one of the elite fighters in mixed martial arts. But his last four wins have seen the champion easily cruise to a decision, irritating some fans, to say the least.
St-Pierre is aware of the criticism, but against Diaz, he promises to inflict damage on the former Strikeforce welterweight champion.
“I’ve had a lot of criticism about not finishing fights, but if there’s anyone who wants to finish fights it’s me,” St-Pierre told The Globe and Mail.
Fans have not seen a stoppage in the French-Canadian’s repertoire since 2009, when he earned a TKO victory over BJ Penn at UFC 94. While his latest victories have been equally impressive, there are still some fans who feel St-Pierre’s performances leave a lot to be desired.
Come February 4th, fans might just get what they want from the Saint Isadore, Quebec native.
“Everyone has a violent side,” he said. “It’s a violent sport but in real life I’m not a violent guy. I’m an athlete in a full contact sport so it requires violence to win.”
Here is Part II of my interview with UFC & MMA Legend Frank Shamrock. To read Part I, click here.BL: Who were some of the younger fighters just making their bones in the sport when you were first leaving that caught your eye? FS: One guy I always t…
Here is Part II of my interview with UFC & MMA Legend Frank Shamrock. To read Part I,click here.
BL: Who were some of the younger fighters just making their bones in the sport when you were first leaving that caught your eye?
FS: One guy I always thought would be a superstar was Vitor Belfort. We were kind of coming around at the same time. I saw in him a new level of striking, his physical ability was off the charts. He was beating guys like Tank Abbott and Wanderlei Silva in devastating fashion.
BL: When you first retired, did you expect to be out as long as you were?
FS: No, I thought the sport would turn around in a couple of years. The sport was right on the edge. We were hired by the old UFC owners to go out and speak with the politicians. The resounding comment was “We love it, but it’s not a sport without rules and regulations.” We were told “As soon as you get that done, you guys will be good.”
Even when we got the rules implemented, the brand and the idea had already been tarnished in the eyes of the general public. The original marketing line of no rules didn’t go away for a long time and held us back. Once the media got a hold of it and we got a bad reputation, it took us a long time to change people’s minds. It took about five-and-a-half years to get things turned around.
BL: When did you first meet Dana White and the Fertitta brothers?
FS: I met Dana when he was Tito’s manager. When they bought the UFC, they flew me out and gave me their pitch. That was the first time I met Lorenzo and sat down with those guys.BL: Was there one main reason why you couldn’t come to terms with them and make your way back to the UFC?
FS: The main reason was they didn’t know anything about the sport—they weren’t martial artists. They were a new company who had bought a damaged brand, but didn’t really know anything about the sport. For me, it was less of a risk to keep doing what I was doing.
Another reason I stayed in Japan was because I was making three or four times the money that they were offering me. At the time, the sport wasn’t that big here, while it was huge over in Japan. I also didn’t believe they were going to make it in the short-term so I decided to go elsewhere.
BL: There is what seems to be some bad blood between you and Dana White. They have chosen to exclude you from their history, including your rightful place in the Top 100 UFC fights of all time. Do you think there will ever come a time where the two of you can sit down and work things out?
FS: I have no problem with any of those guys. I made a business decision a long time ago that didn’t involve them and they didn’t particularly like that. They have retaliated against me since then. I am ok with who I am and what I have done.
I don’t need to be in their Hall of Fame or Top 100. That’s their business; their company and they can do whatever they want. Everyone has an opinion about it, but it doesn’t keep me up at night.
When the sport becomes a real sport and by that I mean a sport with a ranking body, a commission and a union, they have all the elements necessary to protect the public, the athlete and the promotion. It has yet to get to that point; it’s still a one-man show.BL: What was the organization that you decided to join rather than the UFC?
FS: At the time it was K-1, which was a kickboxing organization looking to promote MMA events. They paid me very well to be their man. The UFC was trying to build their brand and, because I wasn’t on their team, they decided to exclude me.
I didn’t take too kindly to being excluded because in all honesty it wasn’t really fair and as you know the rest is history.
BL: Are there any fighters that you regret never having the opportunity to fight?
FS: One guy that I could never seem to make it happen with was Kazushi Sakuraba. Everyone else I had at least one opportunity to face, but he was the one guy I was never able to pin down and come to terms with.
BL: How close did you come to having a rematch with Tito Ortiz?
FS: I had a shot at it when he was a free agent. I sat down with him and broke some bread. We kind of came to what I thought was a preliminary understanding, but I didn’t have the money that we both needed in order to make it come together.
Tito did well for himself; he picked a persona and ran with it. It was all a persona with him. I respected him tremendously, he’s a hell of a nice guy and I respect him immensely. He fought everyone in the world and is one of the main reasons the fighters of today make the money they do.
BL: Can you name one or two fighters of today who you believe are ahead of the crowd?FS: I really like Jon Jones and I think his future is pretty unlimited. I look at a fighter and see who the complete MMA package is. By that I mean they can do it all, punch, kick, wrestle, knee, etc. I think GSP has sort of established himself as the real deal because he is good in all of the areas.
I think Nick Diaz is up there. He has the ability to do everything. It’s just ridiculous how good he is. The world class athletes I like to call version III or generation III who are good at everything and great at one certain aspect. Anderson Silva is good at everything, but great at striking.
We are moving into the next generation where a guy will be great at everything and will continue to get better and better every time out. GSP is that guy and, if Nick Diaz improves his wrestling, he could be in that category. They will always have that one aspect where they are just a little bit better that will get them past their opponents.
There will never be another