BEHIND THE SCENES MMA ARTICLES & INTERVIEWS
11/15/2011
The Mystery of Nick “El Diablo” Diaz
By Christopher “sLapDatSuCKa” Jester
There is something about Nick Diaz. Whether that is good or bad is up to the individual. For fans of MMA, however, his spark outside the cage with his devil-may-care attitude and his blitzing offense inside the cage is a spectacle to witness. At best, some may consider him crazy. For MMA fans, it may not matter, because no one can say that he does not bring his A-game when it comes to fight night.
Diaz’s stock has definitely increased over the past couple of weeks. But it did not come without its hiccups. His title fight against Georges St. Pierre was removed. He was out of UFC 137, and then in again against BJ Penn. St. Pierre was out of his fight against Condit because of an injury, and then Diaz vs. Penn was promoted to the main event. Diaz’s fans have been loyal. After he was removed from the main event against Georges St. Pierre, his fans leaped to message boards and proclaimed that the UFC had robbed Diaz of his well-deserved title shot. Is it his stark persona outside of the cage that elicits his fans to adore him? Is it his pitter patter but effective boxing that makes him a fan favorite? That’s anyone guess, but to say the least, Nick Diaz is a mystery that no one has been able to solve.
Leading up to UFC 137, Nick Diaz was known to many as the Stockton, CA product who just wants to fight a good fight. He’s never been one to hold his tongue for anyone. Nor has all his actions been inspiring. The UFC should not be surprised by many of Diaz antics. All they had to do was look at the past. In his heated rivalry with Diego Sanchez, before their fight at The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale, Diaz threw a shoe at Sanchez. Diaz believed that Sanchez and other Ultimate Fighter participants were getting easier fights. This sparked Diaz’s animosity towards him. There was a similar controversy with his bout against Joe Riggs, in which Riggs won by unanimous decision. When the two were meant to get their post-fight tests at a hospital, the Diaz and Riggs had more than a few choice words. They threw fists and knees at one another. Neither decided to press charges, but it did show what kind of character Diaz was.
Subsequently, Diaz went 6-4 in his UFC career before being released, where he then ventured into Pride FC. Diaz continued being Diaz. In his first fight in Pride, he was to take on its current Light champion Takanori Gomi. While Gomi started the fight off strong, he ended up falling victim to a Gogoplata. A shroud of uncertainty seems to always follow Diaz. As prerequisite to a fight, a fighter must submit to a pre-fight drug test. After the bout, the Nevada State Athletic Commission revealed the Diaz had failed the drug test by testing positive for marijuana.
Diaz eventually made his way to EliteXC, where he won by split decision against Mike Alna. It was when he was scheduled to face KJ Noons that began a rivalry that would not be solved until their later rematch in the Strikeforce organization. In EliteXC, however, the two fought for the vacant 160 pound title. Noons were able to open up a gash above Diaz’s eye which had the ringside doctor stop the fight. Any organization should be weary when Diaz is in the ring with an opponent. After winning his next fight against Muhsin Corbbrey, a fight broke out between Diaz brothers, Nick and Nate, and KJ Noons. It was here that Nick Diaz’s famous phrase “Don’t be scared, homie” became such a popular staple in his career. But it didn’t end there. Diaz ultimately tossed a water bottle at KJ Noon’s father, Carl Noons, who had lunged at him. Their hostility ended there that night. Even though there were reports that a KJ Noons and Nick Diaz fight was going to surface, it became nothing but an idea when EliteXC ceased operations.
Diaz found major success in the Strikeforce organization. Rattling off wins against Frank Shamrock and Scott Smith, Diaz was ready to take on former rival Joe Riggs. But the fight fell through due to Joe Riggs falling ill to a drug reaction. Ironically, Diaz was intended to fight Jay Hieron for the Welterweight Championship, but the fight was terminated due to Diaz not showing up to a pre-fight drug test. However, in one of his most impressive performances, Diaz fought a grueling battle against Marius Zaromskis. The fight ended by TKO in the first round for Diaz and he became the first Strikeforce Welterweight Champion. His success continued with victories over Hayato Sakurai, Evangelista Santos, Paul Daley, and even his once enemy KJ Noons.
What became known as the “Nashville Brawl” is Diaz’s most recent memorable incident. After Diaz’s teammate Jake Shields defeated Dan Henderson, Jason Miller – who Shields had defeated before – got into the cage and demanded a rematch. While Diaz’s teammates Gilbert Melendez and Jake Shields pushed Jason Miller away, Diaz instead decided to throw a punch, which ultimately started the whole brawl. Although the fight was broken up, Diaz and others suffered three-month suspensions and fines up to $7,500.
Despite his in-cage altercations, his failed and not showing up for drug tests, people still love Nick Diaz. This was apparent when Dana White still offered Diaz a fight against Georges St. Pierre. He may be a character, and may impose a bit of controversy every now and again, but Diaz is fighter and fans can’t help but love that. Diaz has had many career defining actions in and out of the cage, good and bad, but none had been reprimanded as lethal as his removal from the proposed main event against UFC welterweight title holder Georges St. Pierre.
After missing several flights to a press conference to hype the fight, his title bout against Georges St. Pierre was scratched from the card, and welterweight contender Carlos Condit was in to replace him. Dana White had warned Nick Diaz to “play the game”; which technically means, be a little less Nick Diaz-y. Nick Diaz has never been the promotional type. Even Diaz’s manager Cesar Gracie was unable to locate Nick. But Diaz was quick to post a video on YouTube later, stating that he was unaware of his obligations to attend a press conference.
Before Diaz decided to sign with the UFC, he was discussing options to take up professional boxing as a new venture in his career. Even after bashing BJ Penn for three rounds at UFC 137, the discussion returned to the professional boxing path. At the moment, it seems that money is the driving factor behind his motivation. He wants to make the big cash, and Diaz believes boxing is where he will find it. At the UFC 137 post fight press conference, Dana White surprised Diaz with the announcement that he will fight Georges St. Pierre when he heals up instead of Carlos Condit. Is Diaz satisfied with this announcement? Who knows? No one can ever be sure with Nick. However, come Superbowl weekend, Georges St. Pierre will get his chance to solve the mystery of Nick Diaz. But who knows if that will solve anything. Does Chael Sonnen ever shut up? For MMA fans, most already have their answer.
The Best Damn Nick Diaz Highlight by FlyWin Evolutions:
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