Tag: Nick Diaz (Page 4 of 5)

      Top 10 Welterweight Rankings

      April 27, 2011 /

      nullThis week I turn my rankings to the welterweight division.

      Like my middleweight rankings, the No. 1 spot is quite obvious and everyone else isn’t really all that close.

      Still, here is my take. If you need to go back and find my pound-for-pound, heavyweight, or light heavyweight rankings, click on the links.

      1. Georges St. Pierre (21-2) – GSP is the clear leader of this group and close to being the best fighter in any weight class. I would argue that St. Pierre is the most complete fighter in all of MMA as he exhibits diverse striking, superior wrestling, and solid submission skills. The beauty of GSP is, he is always looking for ways to evolve and stay ahead of the game and I am curious to see how he attacks his UFC 129 fight with Jake Shields this Saturday.

      2. Jon Fitch (23-3-1) – Fitch is the fighter that can do no right. All he does is win, for the most part, but he isn’t able to do it in a flashy fashion, so he is often overlooked. He dominated B.J. Penn in the third round of their fight in February, but a slow start forced a draw and unfinished business. If St. Pierre is to beat Shields and move up to middleweight, I would suspect that Fitch is the favorite to become the new 170-pound champion in the UFC.

      3. Jake Shields (26-4-1) – I am still a little unsure of what to think about Shields. He has some impressive wins, but I think he is kidding himself if he thinks getting St. Pierre to the ground is going to be a walk in the park. He is a world-class grappler, but I would dare say he is one of the worst strikers in the division. You would think a guy of his talents would really work at striking to become a complete fighter, but he still clerly lacks in that department. A win over St. Pierre on Saturday would be an upset, but it would surely catapult him to the top of my rankings.

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      Fighters, Strikeforce, UFC

      Strikeforce Recap: Cesar Gracie Camp Dominates

      April 10, 2011 /

      nullIt was a night for the Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu camp on Saturday night as Nick Diaz and Gilbert Melendez defended their Strikeforce titles in impressive fashion.

      Diaz beat hard-hitting Paul Daley to defend his Strikeforce Welterweight Championship in the night’s main event.

      The two had a slug fest as each man was rocked at some point in the first round. Diaz landed more strikes, his punches didn’t seem to do the same damage as his opponent’s. Daley managed to sneak in a few powerful hooks that put Diaz on the ground. Diaz recovered, however, and eventually went on to pepper Daley with punches to the head and body. Daley eventually stumbled to the ground and Diaz followed up with a barrage of punches that forced a stoppage with just seconds remaining in the opening round.

      In the co-main event, Diaz’ teammate, Gilbert Melendez had the top performance of the night, running through Tatsuya Kawajiri in 3:14 to defend his Strikeforce Lightweight Championship. Melendez was very accurate with his punches, landing clean shots to the jaw of Kawajiri. After a few minutes of that, Kawajiri hit the floor and Melendez jumped on him, landing a slew of vicious elbows that put an end to the fight and gave Melendez his fifth-straight win.

      Saturday’s wins were a big statement for the Cesar Gracie team, which includes Nate Diaz and Jake Shields. Shields will contend for the UFC Welterweight Championship later this month and if he is able to upset Georges St. Pierre, that would give this camp three world champions. Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu has quietly become one of the top fight camps in all of MMA.

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      Events, Fighters, News, Strikeforce

      Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley Picks & Predictions

      April 9, 2011 /

      nullStrikeforce returns to Showtime tonight at 10 p.m. ET with two title fights and four total bouts on the main card. Here are my thoughts on those four contests.

      Strikeforce Welterweight Championship: Nick Diaz (24-7-1) vs. Paul Daley (27-9-2) – I like Diaz to retain his title in this bout as I think he has the better all-around skills. Daley has great punching power but is one dimensional. Once the fight hits the ground, Diaz will easily be in control and score a submission. Don’t sleep on Diaz’ striking either, as his jab has been able to cause problems for other strikers in the past.

      Strikeforce Lightweight Championship: Gilbert Melendez (19-2) vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri (27-6-2) – Melendez should be able to handle Kawajiri, who is making his first jump into the U.S. Kawajiri didn’t bother to train in a cage for this fight, which I think will be a problem. I like Melendez to work his striking and mix in some takedowns to earn another decision victory.

      Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Bout: Gegard Mousasi (30-3-1) vs. Keith Jardine (17-9-1) – Jardine is a late replacement for Mike Kyle, but I think he is a tougher opponent. Jardine has some big-fight experience, but has been on a bit of a downslide in his career. This should be a striker’s fight, and Mousasi has the faster hands and more power to work with. I look for him to land a clean punch on Jardine and earn a TKO finish in the second round.

      Strikeforce Lightweight Bout: Shinya Aoki (26-5-1) vs. Lyle Beerbohm (16-1): Beerbohm is a game fighter but I think this bout will ultimately go to the ground, and that is where Aoki should be able to take over. His slick and crafty submissions should be too much for Beerbohm to defend. I like Aoki to score a submission victory in the opening round.

      Events, Fighters, Strikeforce

      Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley weigh-in results

      April 8, 2011 /

      nullThe two title fights for Saturday’s Strikeforce card are now official as all four competitors weighed in on Friday night.

      In the main event, Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz (169.75 pounds) and contender Paul Daley (169.5) both weighed in under the 170-pound limit. Following their weigh ins, the two had an intense face-to-face stare down and had to be separated by officials as they yelled back-and-forth at each other.

      In the co-main event, Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez (154.75) and challenger Tatsuya Kawajiri (154.25) also weighed in under their 155-pound limit, making their championship fight official.

      The main card also features a light heavyweight clash between Keith Jardine and Gegard Mousasi while Shinya Aoki takes on Lyle Beerbohm in a lightweight contest.

      The main card will air live on Showtime starting at 10PM ET.

      For complete weigh-in results (courtesy of MMAMania.com), check the jump.

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      Events, News, Strikeforce

      Nick Diaz ain’t no punk

      April 8, 2011 /

      nullNick Diaz is never one to run from a fight or a confrontation.

      He fought Joe Riggs in a hospital after a decision loss to him at UFC 57 and let’s not forget about his role in this little scuffle following the Jake Shields-Dan Henderson Strikeforce bout on CBS.

      Well, on Thursday, MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani, who is one of the most widely-recognized MMA reporters in the world, got a chance to speak to Diaz about his upcoming welterweight title fight with Paul Daley on Saturday.

      What took place made even me uncomfortable. (see video here)

      Early in the interview Diaz expresses his lack of respect for Helwani and then takes it a step further at the 4-minute mark, giving more detail.

      Diaz has always been an interesting figure, but picking on Helwani doesn’t really need to be done. As a reporter that has covered college and high school sports, I don’t see Helwani as someone that is digging up the dirt. He is simply doing his job.

      Diaz did make some interesting points during the interview about judging in MMA and how the U.S. has the wrong system, but that all gets lost in his antics. Even his body language during the interview was disrespectful.

      Nick is a great fighter and clearly doesn’t care what people think of him. That’s fine, but he should stick to picking his fights with fighters, not credible reporters.

      Events, Fighters, Strikeforce

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