Even if you only watch a UFC event when it happens to be shown at your local bar, this weekend’s UFC 143 is worth tuning into for one reason: Nick Diaz.
Diaz battles Carlos Condit this Saturday for the UFC interim welterweight championship and the chance of an eventual showdown with current champion Georges St. Pierre.
Diaz is one of the few MMA fighters who has gained recognition as one of the best in the world while fighting outside of the UFC. He gives his all in a fight, and doesn’t hide his disdain for fighters he feels don’t do the same. Georges St. Pierre, whom Diaz has spent much of the past two years calling out for being a “safety first” fighter, is one such example.
His matchup against Condit promises to be an exciting and fast-paced fight, since both are known to look for the finish right from the get-go. The two fighters have different striking styles; Condit employs more of a Muay Thai style, while Diaz uses a boxing approach. Both have strong jiu-jitsu skills and neither fighter looks for takedowns. This will be the first UFC welterweight title fight without St. Pierre in over five years, and it’s refreshing so see some new faces in that spot, especially two crowd-pleasers like Diaz and Condit.
Though I’m a long-time St. Pierre fan, I’m glad he’s been out of the fight game for a while.
Despite being one of the UFC’s biggest and most recognizable stars, St. Pierre has been labelled a boring fighter — questions about his desire to fight aggressively and finish his opponents always come up.
Fortunately for him, Diaz has arrived.
Known for aggravating promoters and generally saying and doing whatever he wants, Diaz’s long list of accomplishments include being the Strikeforce welterweight champion, participating in a post-fight brawl on network television after a fight he wasn’t even involved in, and fighting a fourth round against opponent Joe Riggs at the hospital following their fight at UFC 57. Should he win on Saturday, Diaz would be the opponent St. Pierre needs and has been waiting for. St. Pierre begged the UFC for a fight with Diaz after being verbally assaulted by him following S. Pierre’s win over BJ Penn at UFC 137.
Diaz is the complete opposite of the current champion. Where St. Pierre is polite and polished, Diaz is outspoken and brash. St. Pierre doesn’t talk trash — Diaz dishes it out in heaps. St. Pierre attacks his opponents’ weakest areas — Diaz is out to prove he can beat his opponents at their own game. As the champion of a division in which he has outclassed almost all the other top fighters in mostly forgettable fights, Diaz will provide a matchup for St. Pierre that is sure to generate interest.
I wasn’t a fan of Diaz’s before. He comes off as arrogant and disrespectful, routinely flipping on his opponents, cameramen, and fans. But he has proven himself to be a great fighter, and he could provide a matchup for St. Pierre that could get fans truly excited to see GSP fight for the first time in a long time.
No one can dispute the fact that St. Pierre is one of the best; his problem seems to be he’s just too good. He’s so well-rounded that he can take the path of least resistance to victory, but that hasn’t translated into exciting fights. A key to St. Pierre’s success has been his cerebral approach; he doesn’t let himself get emotional or caught up in a feud, but Diaz has already managed to get under his skin and that could put St. Pierre off his game. St. Pierre has already declared in a statement that he wants to “give [Diaz] the worst beating in UFC history.”
I expect Diaz to beat Condit on Saturday. It won’t be an easy fight, as Diaz’s style leaves him open to receive punishment. But his style of boxing will punish and frustrate Condit and earn Diaz a unanimous decision, setting up a potential summer fight with St. Pierre.
Diaz no-showing press conferences all those months ago that prevented the initial match-up from happening might have been the best thing for a welterweight division that was getting a little stale. All the controversy gave Diaz more time in the spotlight, and when St. Pierre–Diaz does happen, there’s bound to be a lot of hype and bad blood. That is, of course, unless Condit decides to ruin the UFC’s plans.