Nick Diaz is his own worst enemy
After his 10th straight win and third consecutive title defense against Paul Daley in what may have been one of…
After his 10th straight win and third consecutive title defense against Paul Daley in what may have been one of MMA’s greatest one-round fights, it seems fitting to take a closer look at one of our sport’s most fascinating – and, at times, frustrating – figures.
I. Diaz is a man with the virtues of his faults. When it comes to stuff like showing up for media responsibilities or doing interviews (without threatening anyone) or doing any of the other little things that normal people take for granted, he struggles.
II. Diaz is his own worst enemy. The biggest setbacks in Diaz’s career – alienating the UFC, missing a title fight because he knew he couldn’t pass a drug test, getting himself suspended for a brawl on live network TV, etc. – have all come as direct results of his own actions.
III. There’s no one more exciting to watch in the welterweight division.
IV. He just might be clinically insane. Where did he get the idea that he was going to be suspended after the Daley fight? How can he honestly believe that Strikeforce is trying to get him beat so they can get rid of him? Why does he seem so convinced that powerful forces beyond his control are constantly working against him?
V. The UFC needs Diaz. With Georges St. Pierre running out of fresh welterweight challengers, what could be better than a brash champion from another organization to come storming into the division with both middle fingers raised high in the air?
VI. Diaz needs the UFC. He wants bigger paydays? The UFC has them. He wants a chance to cement himself as one of the all-time greats?
VII. Facts mean very little to Diaz. He says he’s overworked, yet he fought three times in 2010, twice in 2009, and three times in 2008.
VIII. He’s a fascinating example of what it looks like when a person follows his impulses, with no pretense or calculation whatsoever.