(“I hope to in the future and nowadays come off as the best type of role model I can be. You know, even though I’m missing a Wednesday on a big event like this, you know, kids, remember to brush your teeth.” — actual quote from Nick Diaz.)
Whether you’re a fan of his or not, it’s hard to deny that Nick Diaz is one of the most intriguing/confounding figures in our sport. In a sea of wolf ticket-slinging jabronis, he’s the anti-bullshit superhero that MMA wants, and dare I say it, needs. And my God is the man quotable to no end, whether intentionally or otherwise.
Having now watched his UFC 183 media scrum three times in a row, I can only compare the experience to that of a David Lynch movie — it’s long, rambling, ambiguous bordering on incomprehensible, and by the time it’s over, I’m both completely unsure of what I saw and ready to watch it again. Such is Stockton’s finest. Conor McGregor may be able to capture our attention with his arrogant, self-inflating and occasionally witty takedowns of every fighter in his division, but Diaz’s ability to captivate an audience by saying absolutely nothing while using as many half-uttered words as possible is second to none.
Check out Diaz’s full UFC 183 media scrum after the jump to see what we mean.
(“I hope to in the future and nowadays come off as the best type of role model I can be. You know, even though I’m missing a Wednesday on a big event like this, you know, kids, remember to brush your teeth.” — actual quote from Nick Diaz.)
Whether you’re a fan of his or not, it’s hard to deny that Nick Diaz is one of the most intriguing/confounding figures in our sport. In a sea of wolf ticket-slinging jabronis, he’s the anti-bullshit superhero that MMA wants, and dare I say it, needs. And my God is the man quotable to no end, whether intentionally or otherwise.
Having now watched his UFC 183 media scrum three times in a row, I can only compare the experience to that of a David Lynch movie — it’s long, rambling, ambiguous bordering on incomprehensible, and by the time it’s over, I’m both completely unsure of what I saw and ready to watch it again. Such is Stockton’s finest. Conor McGregor may be able to capture our attention with his arrogant, self-inflating and occasionally witty takedowns of every fighter in his division, but Diaz’s ability to captivate an audience by saying absolutely nothing while using as many half-uttered words as possible is second to none.
Check out Diaz’s full UFC 183 media scrum after the jump to see what we mean.
Random Thought: How hilarious would it be if the UFC started employing a translator for all of Nick’s various media appearances?
Diaz: “It’s like, you know, motherfuckers need to take notice, you know? You never know what’s going to happen. I don’t know, I don’t mean to sound like … this is … you know … people need to grow up and be mature enough to handle this shit.”
“Mr. Diaz feels that his employers undervalue him as a commodity and asset to the continued growth of the UFC brand. The security of his financial future remains uncertain at the time being, and he hopes to peacefully resolve this with his employers in as timely a fashion as possible. He thanks you all for your time and wishes you a good day.”
Ian McCall has never been shy when speaking to the MMA media. Although he has a pivotal fight with John Lineker coming up at UFC 183, McCall took a potshot at one of MMA’s top gyms.
Speaking with Steph Daniels of Bloody Elbow, McCall addressed hi…
Ian McCall has never been shy when speaking to the MMA media. Although he has a pivotal fight with John Lineker coming up at UFC 183, McCall took a potshot at one of MMA’s top gyms.
Speaking with Steph Daniels of Bloody Elbow, McCall addressed his upcoming opponent along with some recent comments made by fellow flyweight Joseph Benavidez:
I’ve never had a problem with Joe, but apparently, he has something to say. Team Alpha Male are nice guys, but they come off as the douchiest camp, and I’ve told some of their guys this. They’re the douchebag frat guys of MMA. They walk around flexing with their shirts off, bumping chests and just seem like they would be the guys that would try to bang your girlfriend when your back is turned. Good for you, you’re the coolest guys in Sacramento.
McCall was responding to Benavidez’s comment on Submission Radio that the last thing the UFC flyweight division was a champion nicknamed “Uncle Creepy.” Benavidez and McCall faced one another at UFC 156, with Benavidez picking up an unanimous decision victory.
McCall’s confidence seems to be at an all-time high as he heads into UFC 183. The flyweight contender dismissed his opponent’s skills, saying Lineker is “basic.”
The two were originally paired up at UFC Fight Night 56, but McCall’s viral infection forced a last-minute cancellation of the bout. Ahead of this match, Lineker offered to “take it easy” on McCall, a fighter whom the Brazilian believes is nothing more than a “stepping stone.”
The McCall-Lineker bout has title implications given how highly ranked both men are. McCall is currently sitting at No. 3 in the UFC flyweight division, while Lineker is ranked at No. 6 in the official UFC rankings.
McCall looks to make it three wins in a row at Lineker’s expense, while the Brazilian bounced back from an ugly loss to Ali Bagautinov to defeat AlptekinOzkilic last July.
Luckily for UFC fans, this fight is on the preliminary portion of the UFC 183 card, which means this battle of top-10 flyweights can be seen for free on TV. Headlining UFC 183 on Saturday night is the middleweight fight between former middleweight champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva and a returning Nick Diaz.
There are several potentially entertaining bouts on the UFC 183 fight card, but the biggest storyline coming into the pay-per-view is the return of former middleweight champion Anderson Silva from a broken leg.
Silva will square off with former Strike…
There are several potentially entertaining bouts on the UFC 183 fight card, but the biggest storyline coming into the pay-per-view is the return of former middleweight champion Anderson Silva from a broken leg.
Silva will square off with former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz in one of the most anticipated matchups imaginable. With neither man shying away from talking trash and showing his arrogance in the Octagon, this has the potential to be a wild night.
Here is the full UFC 183 fight card, the predicted winners and a breakdown of the main event.
Breaking Down Silva vs. Diaz
On paper, the matchup between Silva and Diaz is one of the most unique and intriguing battles imaginable.
While many mixed martial arts fans thought the UFC would feed Silva an easy opponent after returning from a broken leg, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Diaz is one of the most unpredictable fighters in the sport and will not be afraid of Silva’s mystique.
Diaz will be looking to cement his legacy by taking The Spider down.
Silva last fought at UFC 168 in December 2013. During his rematch against Chris Weidman, he broke both his left fibula and tibia bones, and the fight was immediately stopped. After months of rehab and training, Silva has ignored those who said his career was over and has made his triumphant return.
When asked on a recent conference call about how he feels heading into the fight with Diaz, Silva told Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports, “I’m faster, stronger and happier. And UFC is giving me one more chance to show my job and what I can do inside the Octagon. I go to work. [I’m going] to show you, for my fans … my talent.”
Even UFC President Dana White shared his excitement for this matchup:
Not to be outdone, Diaz is making his first in-ring appearance since losing to Georges St-Pierre in March 2013. The 31-year-old fighter is coming back in great shape, and he will look to steal the spotlight from his challenger.
Silva and Diaz have very different styles. While Silva loves to be methodical and pick his challengers apart with precision strikes, Diaz throws an incredible amount of punches and has some of the best endurance in the sport.
Silva must be cautious around the punches and kicks of Diaz after getting knocked out by Chris Weidman for the title, but there is a major power difference. If the former UFC champion is truly focused on his match, Diaz will be in serious trouble.
Predicted Outcome: Silva def. Diaz via third-round TKO.
If Miesha Tate ever wants to get another grudge match with longtime rival Ronda Rousey, she needs to start stringing together impressive victories.
A big win over Sara McMann at UFC 183 would be a start.
The former Strikeforce champion has …
If Miesha Tate ever wants to get another grudge match with longtime rival Ronda Rousey, she needs to start stringing together impressive victories.
A big win over Sara McMann at UFC 183 would be a start.
The former Strikeforce champion has made her name from two fights with the current UFC titleholder, Rousey. As the only fighter to take Rousey to a third round, Tate stands out as one of the most recognizable names in the women’s bantamweight division.
Since losing to Rousey, she’s added two wins to her record, but neither was altogether impressive. First, she edged out Liz Carmouche, who is now 1-3 in her last four fights. Tate then coasted to a unanimous-decision win over UFC newcomer RinNakai.
There’s nothing wrong with those wins, but they aren’t necessarily big enough to generate buzz for a third match with the champion.
Enter Sara McMann. The 34-year-old former Olympian would also like a shot at redemption against Rousey. Her bid for the title was stopped at just 1:06 into the first round. A hard knee to the body made her the first woman to lose to Rowdy by something other than an armbar.
But McMann hasn’t exactly made an impact since losing either. Her first fight back was a split-decision victory over Lauren Murphy.
Here’s a look at the tale of the tape, latest odds and buzz surrounding this fight along with a prediction as to which contender will emerge with some serious momentum toward a title fight.
Odds via Odds Shark as of Jan. 29, 2015 at 10:30 p.m. ET
What They’re Saying
Miesha Tate might be best known for her feud with the woman holding the belt, but that doesn’t mean she’s kept quiet leading up to this bout.
The creation of this matchup started back when Tate got her win over Nakai. McMann took to Twitter to present perhaps the most well-mannered callout in the history of MMA:
Tate then responded in the most respectful way possible:
However, as the actual bout gets closer, Tate hasn’t been as mild-mannered in declaring her intentions for McMann in the Octagon. “OK, you called me out,” Tate said per Steven Morocco of MMAJunkie. “I’m going to show you what that entails. It motivates me to think I’m going to stop her in her tracks and I’m going to continue to move forward.”
Since the fight opened, the odds have swung in McMann‘s favor, according to Odds Shark. This is likely attributed to McMann‘s extensive wrestling background. Not only does she have a silver medal from the 2004 Olympics to her name, but she’s also coming off a fight in which she scored five takedowns against Lauren Murphy, according to FightMetric.
However, Tate doesn’t feel like she should be written off because of that. Tate is looking to push McMann to determine whether the former Olympian is a well-rounded mixed martial artist, via Morocco:
I still feel like she’s timid on the feet. Sometimes you see her get hit, and you can tell that immediately she has to revert to wrestling. I think I’m a little more willing to give a punch and take a punch. I don’t know how it’s going to translate, who’s going to be better in the MMA wrestling. I think that’s probably the exciting part of it: We’re going to have to go out there and see what’s going to happen.
Even McMann would agree with Tate to some extent. She does know wrestling and finds it to be her comfort zone. As she told Duane Finley of UFC.com, at a certain point, instinct is a tough thing to control:
I know that regardless of any game plan that I have, it is unbelievably difficult for me to get close to somebody and not take them down. It really is so difficult for me, but I’ve been working on it. I’ve learned to be a bit more selective and take it when the moment is right and not just because I can. I think Miesha is going to try to wrestle me because that’s what she’s good at. She came out and tried to take Cat Zingano down right away and Cat is a good wrestler. I hope she comes out shooting because it’s something I’ve always been good at handling.
Who winds up being better at MMA wrestling is going to be a deciding factor in this matchup. Whereas most fighters would tend to avoid the department against a former Olympian, Tate does seem to be embracing the challenge.
Prediction
Looking at what both fighters have done lately, it’s hard to look at this bout objectively and not think that McMann is going to control the fight. Styles make fights, and it doesn’t get much worse stylistically for Tate.
According to FightMetric, Tate has been taken down six, five and three times in her last three bouts going back to the loss to Rousey. That’s 14 times in three fights. Conversely, McMann has 11 takedowns in her last three wins, not including the subminute loss to Rousey.
That means that not only is Tate’s takedown defense a weakness, but it’s been exposed by lower-caliber grapplers than McMann.
McMann might not have the power to finish it, but she should definitely have enough to score a unanimous decision.
UFC 183 is scheduled for Saturday. The event features a strong main card highlighted by an intriguing middleweight showdown between two mixed martial arts icons, Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz.
Silva is often cited as the sport’s most accomplished figure…
UFC 183 is scheduled for Saturday. The event features a strong main card highlighted by an intriguing middleweight showdown between two mixed martial arts icons, Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz.
Silva is often cited as the sport’s most accomplished figure. He holds the record for most UFC title defenses and, at the summit of his career, cultivated an aura of invincibility that few other greats have so much as approached.
Back-to-back losses to current champ Chris Weidman and a gruesome leg injury have since pushed Silva out of the spotlight…until now. He’ll look to reascend the 185-pound ranks and reclaim his title. First stop on the rebound is Diaz.
Diaz is an enigmatic fighter who has shown the skills and grittiness to compete at the highest level. Suspect focus and inconsistency have stunted his career, but a win over Silva, even now, would do much for bolstering his legacy.
Beyond the headliner, the UFC 183 main card features an additional four bouts that range from lightweight to middleweight. As always the Bleacher Report picks crew is ready to supply you with our forecasts for the upcoming show.
Read on for predictions by Riley “Rahvin” Kontek, James “Machin Shin” MacDonald, Sean “Sammael” Smith, Scott “Shai’tan” Harris and Craig “Aginor” Amos.
UFC 183 and the return of Anderson “The Spider” Silva is upon us. That in itself is enough to create a significant buzz throughout the MMA community. The fact that the Spider is taking on the enigmatic and popular Nick Diaz adds a touch more intrigue.
…
UFC 183 and the return of Anderson “The Spider” Silva is upon us. That in itself is enough to create a significant buzz throughout the MMA community. The fact that the Spider is taking on the enigmatic and popular Nick Diaz adds a touch more intrigue.
Does any fighter deliver better quotes than Diaz?
Both men are coming off a significant layoff. Silva is 39 years old and he has to wrestle with the potential mental effects left behind by his gruesome leg injury in his last bout.
With so many variables, it’s hard to predict what will happen in this one. Were this fight taking place three years ago, my prediction would be swift and decisive. Silva’s stand-up game would have been too diverse, and I would’ve said he is too athletic for Diaz.
Now it’s hard to be sure.
Tentatively, I’ll still pick Silva based on the same principles and because Diaz hasn’t fought in two years himself. However, the confidence level of this pick isn’t as high as it would have been if both men were active, and without baggage.
While I’ve given my prediction on the main event, I don’t blame you if you still want to check out the show. Here’s the vital viewing information, as well as the full fight card and my predictions for every bout.
Joe Lauzon vs. Al Iaquinta
The Al Iaquinta vs. Joe Lauzon bout has Fight of the Night written all over it. Lauzon has won the award six times in his UFC career. Only Frankie Edgar and Diego Sanchez have collected more.
Lauzon has also won 13 overall Fight Night bonuses which is the most in UFC history. He was the victim of a nasty head kick from Anthony Pettis back at UFC 144 in 2012. Pettis won KO of the Night for his performance. Basically, any time Lauzon fights, there’s a good chance he and/or someone he faces is going to get a bonus.
Iaquinta‘s hard-charging style makes it seem likely that the trend could continue. He’ll pressure Lauzon, but he must be careful. The 30-year-old veteran is one of the best submission artists in the sport.
Lauzon has captured 18 of his 24 wins by submission, and that has been Iaquinta‘s weakness thus far in his career. All three of his professional losses have come by tapout. Still, I’m having a hard time anointing Lauzon as the winner.
He’s been in so many wars, it seems like just a matter of time before it catches up to him. Iaquinta is seemingly coming into his own. He’s won his last two fights, and both wins came by stoppage.
At 27, this is his time to make a move up the lightweight ranks. Because of that, I’m going with Iaquinta, but this one would have a one next to it in a confidence pool.
TyronWoodley vs. Kelvin Gastelum
There’s no doubt Kelvin Gastelum will be a significant contender at welterweight for the next few years. However, he’s not ready to take down TyronWoodley. The latter is too explosive in the stand up, and too strong as a wrestler.
Gastelum has been able to use his size as a weapon against most of his opponents, but Woodley is the rare welterweight who is likely strong enough to prevent himself from being smothered. Woodley‘s ability to close distance with speed should also play a role.
Per this interview with MMA Fighting, Gastelum believes he’ll give Woodley problems with his pace.
I’m expecting Woodley to counter that with leg kicks to disturb Gastelum‘s pursuit. In the second round, the speed and power from Woodley will deliver the strikes that set up a stoppage win.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.
