Fan Favorites 06.25.09: Nick Diaz

Posted by Brandon Longe on 06.25.2009

Love him or hate him, Nick Diaz has become a huge figure in the world of MMA. 411's Brandon Longe presents ten reasons for jumping on the Nick Diaz bandwagon! From his boxing skills to his tendency to cause drama in and out of the ring and especially the Gogoplata, join in the Nick Diaz love!

When I originally sat down to write this column, it was named Five Reasons Why Nick Diaz is Slowly Becoming One of My Favorite Fighters. After starting to write and watching all of his fights I hadn't previously viewed, I realized that he is one of my favorite fighters and for more than five reasons. So let's get right into it.



10. Boxing Style
Nick's boxing style is like none I've seen before. He gets a lot of critics complaining about his lack of knockout power because he throws so many quick light jabs. Despite all the lighter strikes he does mix in some stronger strikes when he knows they will land. He basically ended the fight against Scott Smith with those brutal body punches that dropped him so Nick could finish him via choke soon after the fight hit the ground. In that fight, Nick landed 192 punches out of 371 thrown! Nick also knocked out Robbie Lawler at UFC 47. I would also like to point out the fact that he stood in the pocket, pressed the action and out boxed Lawler who is widely considered to be the superior striker. To describe Nick's boxing style to someone that hasn't seen it, I would say it looks like a cat playing with a toy, the toy being his opponents head. The way he throws those lightning fast peppering strikes can really cause problems for a lot of fighters, especially with those long arms of his. I think Nick's quick feet also fall under his boxing style. Most of the time this kid is moving forward but when he does need to take himself out of striking range he can normally do so in a very timely manner. This makes him a tough matchup for other fighters who like to normally push the pace themselves. After watching the Diaz-Smith bout I couldn't help but to be in awe of Nick's boxing prowess. I could go on and on talking about how his punches come from different angles like Chuck Liddell's or how he spars with top-shelf boxers on a regular basis but I need to get on to reason two here, so let's move on.

9. All Around Skills
Nick Diaz is a true mixed martial artist. There are very few fighters in the world that can beat Nick Diaz in every aspect. Chances are if you can out box the guy he has the advantage on the ground and vice versa. He is one of those rare guys who excels in his stand-up and ground game. Nick received his black belt in BJJ under Cesar Gracie on May 8th of 2007. He also has remarkable conditioning. As part of his training he often competes in triathlons. Add this great cardio to his boxing and jiu-jitsu skills and it becomes apparent that Nick is a complete MMA fighter.


8. Fighting Spirit
Nick will fight anyone anywhere at anytime time. It seems like any weight lately as well. (We probably won't see Nick at lightweight again, but that's another column.) These kind of true fighters help to make our sport the greatest sport in the world. Nick is one of those guys you're pretty sure had a winning street fighting record before he started his professional career. Recently Nick had facial surgery to shave down his brow so that he wouldn't cut as easy. That is a man dedicated to his life as a fighter. Love him or hate him, Nick Diaz is a fighter.

7. The Drama
I can't think of many Diaz fights that didn't come with some bad blood, excessive shit-talking or some sort of drama. He had the scuffle in the ring with KJ Noons' dad. Then there was the after fight brawl in the hospital with Joe Riggs. The interview of Nick explaining the benefits of marijuana in training was hilarious and who could forget the presser before the Shamrock fight? That was classic. For many, these types of antics outside the cage, and inside the cage with the Noons altercation, take away a lot of the Nick Diaz appeal and paint him as the bad guy. I've heard many comments about how people wish he wasn't such a jerk so they could like him. The sometimes unprofessional and immature conduct of Nick seems to really hurt his fan base at times. In my opinion all these things make for great entertainment.


6. Size
The way that Diaz fights, utilizing the jab and being a BJJ black belt, his long limbs become a huge advantage for him. At 6'0" fighting at 170 he has a reach advantage on a lot of his opponents. We've seen how good he is at using it to his advantage. His lengthy limbs are what enable him to stand back and pepper his foes with those annoying strikes. They also are what allow him to stay out of range and retreat quickly when a slugfest starts up. On the ground Nick's long legs are awesome for throwing up triangles, wrapping up opponents, and pushing an advisory off if he wants to get back to his feet. Of course we can't forget that his long legs made it possible for him to finish Takanori Gomi with a gogoplata back in Pride also. Which brings me to my next reason…

5. The Gogoplata




This fight was a huge contender for fight of the year. It was a battle of legendary proportions. The greatest part of this fight was the finish. Nick secured a Gogoplata on Gomi in the third round after almost losing due to a cut. Only once before in Prides history has a fight been finished in this fashion. Less than two months prior Shiya Aoki finished Joachim Hansen with this amazing submission. Ending a match with a Gogoplata is just not a common occurrence in MMA.
This, for me, really adds to the Nick Diaz legacy. Wait, legacy? He is only 25 years old!

4. Youth
Nick Diaz is a veteran of this sport at only 25. Nick started his MMA career shortly after his 18th birthday. He has fought for Pride, the UFC, EliteXC, Shooto, the IFC, the WEC and Warriors quest. Not to mention some other small MMA tournament competitions and now Strikeforce. Nick already has more experience than many guys 5 years older. He may not have even reached his prime yet. This means that Nick is still maturing as a fighter and that we will have many more Nick Diaz fights to look forward to in the future.

3. Aggression
Nick is always moving forward! This guy is a stalker. This type of push the pace fighter is really fun to watch. A fighter with such great cardio and the ability to throw an unheard of amount of strikes is a tough fight for anyone. Nick can really wear an opponent out. A lot of fighters can get really frustrated when being pressed and peppered with jabs all fight. This fighting style is not only effective but entertaining as hell.

2. Showmanship
What a fun fighter to watch. I don't think Nick is a fighter who gets caught up in the glitz and glam of being a cagefighter but he does love to put on a good show. When watching the Diaz-Corbbrey fight, you could see that as soon as the crowd started to get restless Diaz started right into his in cage antics. Sticking his head out saying hit me, dropping his hands and raising his hands egging on Cobbrey to hit him. He did what he could do to get the crowd right back into the fight and give them something to watch. Nick knows how and loves to please a crowd.

1. Record
20-7, 1 no contest. This is a decent record for a successful veteran fighter. Than if you look deeper into it, his record is better than it looks. The no contest was actually the win over Gomi taken away due to his positive THC screening. He also has two close split decision losses on his record along with a loss due to a cut. Either way you look at it he is a successful fighter with many great fights behind and ahead of him.


These ten reasons make Nick Diaz one of the most exciting fighters in the sport today and one of my favorites. Now I only wonder who he will fight next. It's really up to Strikeforce to come up with something for him. I personally would love to see a rematch with Robbie Lawler. Cung Le vs. Nick Diaz would be a fun fight to watch as well. I really have no idea what plans Strikeforce has for him but I do know I will be watching with excitement.

Of course, even after emphasizing all the reasons why I like Nick Diaz so much, I must concede that he is still only my second favorite Diaz….