Hong_Kong_Phooey:
3. Nate Diaz loses, but comes out a winner
How did it happen that despite getting battered for 24 minutes by Leon Edwards, one good moment to close the fight made Nate Diaz feel like an even bigger star coming out of this event?
That’s the power of this man’s brand, but you shouldn’t be surprised, motherf*ckers.
Anyone who has been paying attention knows Diaz’s (20-13 MMA, 15-11 UFC) star power in the UFC has outgrown wins or titles. He has that unique element to him that can allow him to land one strong punch against Edwards (18-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in an otherwise one-sided fight, and then have the majority of the social media feedback claiming he was the real winner, despite clearly losing four of five rounds .
It was all he needed, though. The moment opened the door for Nate to very predictably bust out the Diaz brothers classic about how he would’ve won with “street rules” or in a fight to the death, and that’s exactly the route he went at the post-fight press conference.
You can’t blame him, either. The people eat him up, and will carry the water of that narrative on his behalf moving forward.
Because of that, Diaz remains in such position that he can continue to pick his moments. He said he wants to get back in three or four months, but it all depends on the options that surface. When a good fight arises – such as a Conor McGregor trilogy or a Jorge Masvidal “BMF” title rematch – he can jump back in and have no one care in the least about the result with Edwards.
He didn’t come out a winner, and it doesn’t make him a bigger star. Eventually you have to win fights. The articles saying he’s winning and he’s a bigger star will certainly keep his star power alive for longer, as the people writing those articles seem to be the only ones that are thinking that way.
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