To MMA fans, it must seem as though Hell as frozen over.Not only has Zuffa—the company that owns the UFC—purchased the UFC’s longtime competitor Strikeforce, but Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz is being brought to very top of th…
To MMA fans, it must seem as though Hell as frozen over.
Not only has Zuffa—the company that owns the UFC—purchased the UFC’s longtime competitor Strikeforce, but Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz is being brought to very top of the mountain; he is set to face reigning UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre at UFC 137.
This fight has already sparked a vast amount of interest and will likely be one of the most anticipated matches of the entire year. People are tired of seeing St-Pierre play it safe en route to decisions and they feel that Diaz is the man to finally make the Canadian truly fight.
But will this fight really live up to the no-doubt epic level of hype it will receive? Read on and find out!
Reported by MMAConvert.com, the stable of welterweight fighters unhappy with the matchup between Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz for the UFC welterweight championship on October 29th at UFC 137 now includes Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit.Repor…
Reported by MMAConvert.com, the stable of welterweight fighters unhappy with the matchup between Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz for the UFC welterweight championship on October 29th at UFC 137 now includes Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit.
Reporter Steve Cofield spoke with Condit regarding this future championship clash between the reigning pound-for-pound king, Georges St-Pierre, and the current Strikeforce welterweight champion, Nick Diaz.
Without a current victory in the UFC and competing only in Strikeforce, this chance for Diaz to challenge St-Pierre without a win over a current UFC competitor does not sit well with Condit.
“I think Nick is a great fighter. He has been on a terror as of late beating a lot of really tough guys. (However) I think it is a little bit unfair for him to get a title shot straight out of the gate because a lot of the WEC guys making that transition didn’t get that title shot, including myself,” Condit stated.
Reeling from that initial comment and playing the diplomatic card, Condit went on to say “with that being said, I think he (Nick Diaz) deserves a shot.”
Commenting on the competition within Strikeforce, Condit wavered when asked about the level of talent that Diaz has been challenging.
“Some of the fighters that Diaz has been facing are really tough,” Condit said. “They’re not mainstream as far as what the fans may recognize as top 10. But they are tough opponents.”
The dynamics of this championship battle between St-Pierre and Diaz is a hot ticket and a fight in which the fans have been asking for.
“I think people are expecting Nick to make Georges fight, and that is what people want to see,” Condit exclaimed.
Regardless of Carlos Condit’s personal views on this main event between Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz, “The Natural Born Killer” may one day have his opportunity to claim welterweight gold and is ensuring his own personal progression through the contender ladder to guarantee that his shot will one day come.
Just one day after the big announcement that Georges St. Pierre will defend his title against Nick Diaz, the Diaz Brothers website already has something to say about it.Just reading the post lets you know that the hype surrounding this fight is going t…
Just one day after the big announcement that Georges St. Pierre will defend his title against Nick Diaz, the Diaz Brothers website already has something to say about it.
Just reading the post lets you know that the hype surrounding this fight is going to be amazing. St. Pierre better better be ready, because Diaz is going to give him a fight. Don’t be scared homie!
From diazbrothers.com:
Top 10 Reasons Nick Diaz Winning the UFC Belt is a Good Thing 10) Nick would take the Anderson Silva fight…anytime 9) Nick fights to finish, not win on points 8) Nick Ain’t Scared Homie 7) Nick doesn’t do gymnastics 6) Nick won’t tap to strikes 5) Nick doesn’t fight in bike shorts 4) Nick doesn’t “play the game” 3) Nick will box you up and choke you with a gogo 2) Nick doesn’t speak French 1) And the #1 reason Nick Diaz should be the new UFC Champ….he Ain’t No Bitch!
So what’s your call? Who will win?
A lot more hype is certain leading up to this highly anticipated fight. How well will Diaz be able to get into the mind of GSP?
GSP is a respectful guy, but will he retaliate to this post from diazbrothers.com? Only time will tell. Get ready for a fun five months leading up to this fight.
With the recent announcement of the GSP vs. Nick Diaz superfight, the MMA world has been set ablaze. Media and fans are jumping on every social site and outlet to share their thoughts on one of the biggest welterweight showdowns in MMA history. What ma…
With the recent announcement of the GSP vs. Nick Diaz superfight, the MMA world has been set ablaze. Media and fans are jumping on every social site and outlet to share their thoughts on one of the biggest welterweight showdowns in MMA history.
What makes this a superfight is defined simply by the two men who will face each other. On one side, you have Georges St. Pierre, UFC Welterweight Champion and one of the pound-for-pound best fighters in MMA. On the other you have Diaz, Strikeforce Welterweight Champion and one of the top welterweights in the world.
GSP has dominated his division in the UFC, and Diaz is the last opponent to truly define him as one of, if not the best, welterweights of all time.
Diaz has won his past 10 fights in a row, and he has successfully been the only person to hold the Strikeforce welterweight title. Diaz has defended the belt three times since its inception.
Now he comes for GSP’s title.
Diaz is a fighter not afraid to exchange with his opponent. He pushes forward and does not let the pace slow down. This is one of the biggest reasons why this could be a very interesting fight.
Diaz has attained 25 career wins in MMA. Impressive, but overshadowed by the fact that 21 of those wins were finishes. Diaz has shown that his striking is effective and has led to many TKOs or his pedigree. But his dominant strength comes on the ground.
His jiu-jitsu, under the study of Cesar Gracie, is at a very high level. This makes him dangerous on the ground as well as standing up.
This matters because it makes him a more well-rounded opponent for GSP, who has fought high-level wrestlers or strikers in the past. But in October, fans will see GSP being tested in all areas.
The main criticism that follows the Canadian champion is that he does not finish his fights. Some say he fights safe, while others say he just either doesn’t have the ability or get the chance. Now he faces off against an opponent who finishes his fights and has very few wins by decision. It is very much a battle of opposites being pitted against one another. UFC vs. Strikeforce, decision winner vs. finisher, Canada vs. USA.
But the fact that Diaz likes to push so much may lead to an opportunity for GSP. Instead of sitting back and avoiding GSP’s takedowns, Diaz may very well come at him and try to be the aggressor. This could give GSP the chance to grasp a finish that fans and critics alike have been clamoring for. For media relations, GSP needs a finish. Diaz could be the perfect candidate.
But not to sell the Strikeforce champion short. Iron sharpens iron, as they say, and Diaz is in no short supply. Training with the likes of his brother Nate Diaz, Gilbert Melendez, and Jake Shields does nothing but improve his own abilities. With training partner Shields having been GSP’s most recent opponent, Shields may be able to shed some light and provide helpful tactics for Nick’s match against the UFC champ.
With his own desire to please the fans and continue his legacy, GSP may very well step into the Octagon in October with a different mindset. He could see it as an opportunity to silence the media or, conversely, to permanently define himself in the welterweight division of MMA.
Come October, we will all find out.
Who do you think will win and why? (Make you predictions here: Include winner, method, which round and why you think so!)
Now that almost a day has gone by since UFC president Dana White announced that Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz would be facing UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, someone has finally gotten a hold of GSP and asked him about the fi…
Now that almost a day has gone by since UFC president Dana White announced that Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz would be facing UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, someone has finally gotten a hold of GSP and asked him about the fight.
GSP is currently in Rome, Italy with some of his amateur-wrestling training partners who are competing in a meet in the European country.
“I’m excited,” GSP told The Canadian Press from Rome, “because it’s been a long time he’s been talking about me, saying like he’s the best, he was saying I was avoiding him and stuff. But I never avoid anybody.”
The talk of this fight has finally come to fruition and it is still not known if Diaz will vacate his Strikeforce welterweight belt or if he will keep it under his new contract. The new contract Diaz signed allows him to fight both Strikeforce fighters and UFC fighters.
“For me, I don’t care about the other title,” GSP said. “The title that means the most to me is UFC. It’s the most prestigious one. The UFC is [like] the NFL of football, the Stanley Cup of hockey. That’s the one that everyone’s wants to have.
“I don’t care about gaining the Strikeforce title. I’m a UFC guy and I want to stay in the UFC the rest of my career. That’s where I belong.”
To some, Diaz is a top welterweight and is considered the biggest threat to GSP’s throne. Both fighters hold impressive win streaks with Diaz’s at 10 straight victories and GSP’s at nine straight.
“Right now I’m champion. I don’t care about fighting for a title. I care about fighting the name and Nick Diaz, he’s the guy to beat right now,” said GSP. “He’s the guy that a lot of people rank him even No. 1 so that’s why I want to fight him.”
Like in his last fight against Jake Shields, a teammate of Diaz’s, GSP says it will be an interesting, exciting fight, but stopped short of saying “Don’t blink” again.
“I don’t know him as a person but he’s a very exciting guy to watch,” said GSP. “I’m happy to fight him. He’s going to bring the best out of me, because he’s always putting on a good fight, going forward. It’s going to be a good fight for me.”
– Diaz has signed a new eight-fight deal with Zuffa, which allows him to fight for both the UFC and Strikeforce. But the plan for Diaz isn’t necessarily to jump back and forth between promotions. Asked if the new deal marked the end of Diaz’s run in Strikeforce, Gracie replied, “Hopefully. If he’s back in Strikeforce, I would imagine that’s because he lost his next fight.”
(Post-fight press conferences are about to get even more uncomfortable for Ariel Helwani. Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle)
– Diaz has signed a new eight-fight deal with Zuffa, which allows him to fight for both the UFC and Strikeforce. But the plan for Diaz isn’t necessarily to jump back and forth between promotions. Asked if the new deal marked the end of Diaz’s run in Strikeforce, Gracie replied, “Hopefully. If he’s back in Strikeforce, I would imagine that’s because he lost his next fight.”
– Diaz won’t be able to pursue a boxing career while under contract. “He obviously had to be compensated for not boxing and taking this fight instead,” Gracie said. (Points on the pay-per-view, perhaps?)
– There’s still no word on what, if anything, will happen with Diaz’s Strikeforce welterweight title in the aftermath of the GSP fight.
So, will Diaz be able to “play the game” enough to last eight fights under the stricter watch of Dana White and the UFC? Or will it be hospital fights and in-cage riots until he’s eventually booted? Personally, I wouldn’t expect Diaz to suddenly cheer up just because he’s been given everything he’s wanted. Can’t wait to see the next installment of this storyline…
