Posts Tagged ‘UFC 137’

Nick Diaz May be Setting the Fans up for Disappointment at UFC 137

Friday, October 28th, 2011

On paper, the main event at UFC 137 looks like it has the makings of a classic battle. The welterweights that will face off on Saturday night, BJ Penn and Nick Diaz, are known for giving it their all when they enter the cage. With that being said, there have been some very clear, and not so subtle hints that this fight may very well not live up to the hype surrounding it. Surprisingly, those words are coming from Nick Diaz.

Both Penn and Diaz have let it be known that, through their training together in the past, they have developed a friendship. While the bond may not be as tight as the one that Diaz shares with his teammates Jake Shields, Gilbert Melendez and his brother Nate, there is still some kinship there that may make Diaz hold back during the fight.

Diaz put forth a warning of sorts that his fight with Penn may not be fought in the manner that his past battles have been when  he told the media that assembled at the open workouts:

 This isn’t like a normal fight for me. It’s just, ah, more of a sporting competition this time around. So, um, I don’t know, don’t, I hope nobody’s too disappointed if it doesn’t go the same as it always does.

It was surprising to hear that type of talk from a fighter that usually walks into the cage practically spitting venom toward his opponent.  Diaz obviously has a great deal of respect for Penn and his words may indicate that the normal straight ahead style of his past fights may go out the window when the cage locks behind him and Penn on Saturday night.

All this leads to speculation as to exactly what type of fight we will witness at UFC 137. Will Diaz look to engage Penn in a glorified exhibition of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu? Will he look to keep Penn at a distance and just pick his shots instead of unleashing the barrage of punches that he normally does? Or, unlikely as it may seem, perhaps Diaz is playing mind games with his comments, hoping to lull Penn into a false sense of security only to attack when the fight begins.

Hardcore MMA fans will most likely be happy to see this fight in any form it may take. However, if the fight does become a BJJ battle, the casual fan may dismiss it as boring, without realizing the strong background these two have as BJJ practitioners.

As Saturday night nears, one thing is certain; a fight that was already looking to be very interesting keeps getting more intriguing.

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UFC 137: Georges St-Pierre Out of Main Event – BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz In

Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

UFC 137 has had its ups and downs, but through it all one thing remained constant, the main event featured UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre defending his title.  Well, that changed on Tuesday when it was announced that St-Pierre was forced to withdraw from the event due to an injury sustained in training camp.

UFC president Dana White broke the news via twitter,  “I just land in NYC and what do I always say!? I have to deal with bad s**t everyday!! GSP is out with an injury!!!” Later it was revealed that St-Pierre’s injury was not believed to be so serious that he would miss a significant amount of time. Due to that belief, his scheduled opponent, Carlos Condit was pulled from the card and will be put on the shelf until St-Pierre is able to return to action.

The news caused the UFC to move the BJ Penn versus Nick Diaz fight to main event status. The other moves included moving the heavyweight bout between Matt Mitrione and Cheick Kongo to co-main event status as well as moving the Brad Tavares versus Dustin Jacoby bout to the pay per view card.

These moves come after the original main event between St-Pierre and Diaz was scrapped after Diaz no showed two UFC press conferences that were scheduled to promote the main event. The UFC then moved Condit from the co main event to the main event. That move left Condit’s scheduled opponent, Penn temporarily without an opponent. After some negotiations, Diaz was then moved into the co main event to face Penn.

The fight between Penn and Diaz will remain a three round fight due the contracts the fighters signed prior to St-Pierre’s injury. However, shortly after the fight was elevated to main event status Diaz’s manager Cesar Gracie spoke to MMAFighting.com and implored Penn to accept a five round fight with his client. “Dana is good with it, we’ve agreed to it. If BJ agrees to it, we’ll make it happen. These guys have to prove they are ready. These guys are fighters. BJ has always said he’s a warrior. … The old school days of MMA, back when it was NHB, they fought forever. Don’t be scared, homie. Let’s make it five rounds.”

During Wednesday’s media call for UFC 137 Penn did say that he would be willing to accept a five round fight with Diaz if he was properly compensated for the fight.  It seems as if the ball is now in the UFC’s court on that subject.

Speaking of the media call, it was somewhat of a surprise that Diaz was not one of the names given for being present at the start of the call, which led to Neil Davidson of the Canadian Press to jokingly inquire if Diaz remained on the card. Diaz would eventually make the call, albeit 45 minutes after the scheduled start time.

For now it looks like UFC 137 is set to go with a three round main event between BJ Penn and Nick Diaz, but as MMA fans have learned over the last few months, don’t count on the card being set until the day of the event.

UFC 137 will take place on October 29 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NV.

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Nick Diaz: Battling More Than His Opponents In the Cage

Saturday, September 10th, 2011

On Wednesday, September 7 the UFC held a press conference for UFC 137’s main event, Georges St-Pierre versus Nick Diaz. When the participants took to the stage, there was St-Pierre, UFC president Dana White and an empty chair. White wasted no time in detailing the fact that Diaz had gone missing and as a result Carlos Condit would replace him, facing St-Pierre for the UFC welterweight title.

In a matter of minutes, Diaz went from fighting St-Pierre for the UFC welterweight title to having his future with the promotion put into doubt. During his time at the podium White stopped short of saying that Diaz would be released from the organization, but he did make his unhappiness with the fighter known.

On Thursday night, White let his followers on twitter know that Diaz had been spared from the UFC chopping block and that he would remain on the card with a new opponent, the fighter that was originally set to face Carlos Condit:

This is crazy but here we go again! You wanted it so you got it. Penn vs Diaz Oct 27th in Vegas

White quickly corrected the date on his tweet:

I meant Oct 29th

That Diaz would stay with the organization after causing such an uproar says a great deal about his worth to the promotion. It’s hard to fathom White being so forgiving to many other fighters, but as White is wont to say, “it is what it is” and Diaz has been given another chance.

It’s very likely that this will be his last chance with the promotion and it makes one wonder if Diaz can overcome being his own worst enemy.

When he fought for Strikeforce Diaz’s quirks were forgiven and perhaps even encouraged, for he was the big draw for the promotion. With the UFC, Diaz is just another fighter and he must, as White has asked him to do, “play the game,” just a little bit.

Diaz’s manager, Cesar Gracie, was far from forgiving of Diaz going missing between Tuesday and Wednesday, but when speaking to MMAFighting.com, he did offer his take on why Diaz failed to appear for UFC press duties, “He doesn’t feel comfortable being around people,” Gracie said. “He has a very deep ingrained social anxiety, and it’s something he probably needs help for, I think. I think that’s why he self-medicates himself with the marijuana. That’s my amateur opinion.”

If Gracie is on the mark with his self described amateur opinion, could that explain Diaz’s boorish behavior? Can Diaz only find comfort in the few minutes he is physically engaged in a fight? Is everything else posturing and posing, to hide the social anxiety that he is suffering from?

Honestly, only Nick Diaz can answer those questions and the odds are against that ever happening. The fact remains that if Diaz does ever want to climb to the level of top contender, he’ll need to take a look inside himself and overcome whatever issues that are holding him back from “playing the game.”

None of this is meant to say that what Diaz did earlier this week was excusable, for there is no excuse for his actions. However, if Diaz truly does suffer from severe social anxiety disorder, to simply dismiss him as “crazy” or “screw up” is just as unforgiveable and shortsighted.

 

 

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