Love them or hate them, Nate Diaz and his brother Nick are always a hot topic within mixed martial arts circles. Whether it’s retirement talk, calling out names or just flat out flipping the bird, the Diaz brothers are forever entrenched in the minds of MMA fans around the world.
Though their fan base is strong, their records as of late, is not, going a combined 2-4 in their last 6 fights. With their current string of losses in mind, Nate Diaz’s latest fight against Grey Maynard took on a whole new level of importance for the 209.
Coming into last Saturday’s TUF 18 finale, Nate Diaz lost 2 out of his last 3 fights including getting knocked out by Josh Thompson and was in desperate need of a “W” if he had any chance of reaching the top of the lightweight division again.
Nate Diaz and Grey Maynard were looking to close the book on a trilogy that is more about a tough split decision then bad blood. Nate Diaz earned the victory in their first bout during their stint on TUF 5 with Maynard returning the favor with a arguable decision over Diaz at a UFC fight night in 2010.
This past Saturday was a chance to prove who is the better man once and for all.
When the round started the feeling out process lasted about 45 second and then was thrown out the window. What came next was a short grappling match followed by a barrage of shots usually associated with the terms, “the Stockton slap” or “punches in bunches.” What ever you want to call it, Nate Diaz uncanny ability to throw countless shots while staying out of immediate danger proved to be too much for Maynard as the Nor Cal native landed relentlessly leaving Maynard in retreat mode until the ref finally stepped in.
With a victory like this, questions on where Diaz is in the division and who will he fight next have risen. His training partner and good friend Gilbert Melendez controls a spot in the top 3 while Pettis is out (injury), Bendo and Thompson will duke it out later this year and Grant is still recovering from concussion like symptoms.
So where does the UFC go from here with Nate Diaz? They can set him up against Khabib Nurmagomedov or Rafael dos Anjos though both men are ranked under Diaz and after Nate’s comments post fight, he does not seem inclined to take fights that don’t have title implications attached to them.
They can play the waiting game with TJ Grant but even Grant doesn’t know when he’ll be ready to step back in the cage.
They can let Diaz move up to welterweight, but the UFC and Diaz know that his big money fights are at 155 where his style and size is much more imposing.
No matter the decision, once again we are talking about one of the Diaz brothers. For better or for worse they are the mixed martial arts toughest brothers, with a style that entertains and a mouth that never holds back what is on its mind.
Whatever comes next for Diaz it will surely live up to or surpass the hype. The Diaz style may not work well against top level grapplers but there is no doubt that it makes for exciting fights and their ability to always draw attention, whether it be bad or good, makes them an instant draw for any card they are on.
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Khabib is looking to get a fight against Gil right now, so I'd say the logical match-up for Nate is with Grant when he's healthy. Although, T.J. should get his shot when he returns out of fairness. I don't think it's a good idea for Nate to be inactive, and he should try to jump in any fight he can with someone inside the top 10 to stay relevant in the eyes of the casual fan and strengthen his case for contention.
Nick should return and ask for Lawler so we get Diaz/Lawler 2.
I love the Diaz v Lawler 2 idea but I find it hard to believe the UFC would give Diaz, Lawler after he won 3 in a row and beating arguable the #2 guy in the division.
I can wish though.