Nick Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi 2007 Fight of the year Candidate

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Nick Diaz Pre-Fight Interview at EXC Uprising

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Nick Diaz Pre-Fight Interview at EXC Renegade

Bio Video: Nick Diaz

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Nick Diaz Gym Tour Video

FIGHTER’S NAME: NICK DIAZ

Nickname:  Diablo (the nickname is rarely used, if ever)

Height: 6'0'' Fighting Weight: 160 lbs. Regular Weight: 175 lbs.

Birthdate: August 2, 1983 Age: 24

Born, Raised, and Fighting out of: Stockton, Calif.

MMA Record: *15-6 (plus one no contest). The Cesar Gracie camp considers Diaz to be 16-6. NSAC ruled the Gomi right a no contest after Diaz tested positive for marijuana but Gracie's camp believes the decision to overturn was political (they accuse NSAC of favoring the UFC and its business interests). Gracie refers to the fact that PRIDE recognizes the Gomi fight as a win for Diaz even after NSAC's ruling as an argument as to why others should refer to it as a win as well.

Wins: 7 (T)KOs; 5 submissions; and 3 decisions. Losses: 5 decisions and 1 (T)KO.

Pro Boxing Record: 1-0 (1 win via dec.)

Fight Team: Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy Head Trainer: Cesar Gracie

Fighting Style: Boxing/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Bio: Born in Stockton, California on August 2, 1998, Nicholas Robert Diaz experienced a rough childhood and grew up without the presence of his biological father. Despite being a high school dropout, Diaz used athletics as an escape before leaving school. He was a member of the Tokay High School (in Lodi, Calif.) swim team, which set the stage for his strong conditioning. He turned to martial arts after being bullied by teenagers that were larger than him.

It would be interesting to know the current status of those bullies, as Diaz has gone on to become one of the most dangerous pound-for-pound mixed martial artists in the world, combing world class Jiu-Jitsu skills with lethal striking abilities. Fighting since the age of 19, Diaz is only 24 despite already having 20 fights on his resume. He's taken on some of the best fighters in the world and stood toe-to-toe with them all, including the likes of Karo Parisyan, Diego Sanchez, Robbie Lawler, Sean Sherk, and Takanori Gomi.

It was his win against Gomi which garnered Diaz the most attention he's ever received for a performance in a fight. At PRIDE 33 in Las Vegas this past February, Diaz stood toe-to-toe with Gomi and got the better of the standup game. Gomi, considered the best striker in the world at 161 lbs., was no match for Diaz on his feet and even resorted to trying to take the fight to the ground. After blasting Gomi with punches for 5-plus minutes, Diaz submitted him with a gogoplata at 1:46 of round 2, pulling off one of the biggest upsets in MMA of the year.

Outside of MMA, Diaz has pursued excellence in other athletic fields. He won the U.S. Jiu-Jitsu Purple Belt Open in 2004 and a Pan American Brown Belt Medium Weight Division title in 2005; he made his professional boxing debut against Alfonso Rocha in April of 2005 and won via unanimous decision; he also competes in triathlons. His most recent full triathlon: On Aug. 4, 2007 Nick placed third in his age group in the Vineman Ironman Triathlon in Southern California. (IronMan is a grueling 2.4 mile swim followed by a 112 mile bike ride and then a 26 mile run).

Storylines:

· With PRIDE pretty much defunct and Gomi a free agent, might a win here by Diaz possibly set the stage for a rematch against Gomi that could possibly take place inside of an EliteXC cage?

· Diaz and Noons will be competing for the distinction of being forever known as the first-ever EliteXC lightweight (160 lbs.) champion.

Fight History:

· Last fight was a split decision victory over Mike Aina during EliteXC "Uprising" in Hawaii on September 15, 2007.

· Former IFC U.S. welterweight champion.

· Former WEC welterweight champion.

· Boasts a lifetime UFC record of 6-4 (which is even more impressive when you consider the level of competition they threw at him).

· Made his pro MMA debut at the age of 18 on August 31, 2001 when he submitted Mike Wick with a triangle choke at 3:43 of round 1 at IFC: Warriors Challenge 15.

· Notable No Contest: Submitted Takanori Gomi with a gogoplata at 1:46 of round 2 during PRIDE 33 in Las Vegas on February 24, 2007. The decision was overturned after Diaz failed a drug test having tested positive for high levels of THC (marijuana).

· Notable Wins: Won a three round decision against Chris Lytle at IFC Warriors Challenge 17 on July 12, 2002; won the WEC welterweight title when he submitted Joe Hurley with a Kimura at 1:55 of round 1 at WEC 6 on March 27, 2003; KO'd "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler at 1:31 of round 2 at UFC 42 on April 4, 2004; recorded a TKO victory over Drew Fickett at 4:40 of round 1 at UFC 51 on February 5, 2005; won a three round decision victory over Ray Steinbeiss at ICFO 1 on May 13, 2006; submitted Josh Neer with a Kimura at 1:42 of round 3 at UFC 62 on August 26, 2006.

· Notable Losses: Lost a three round split decision to Kuniyoshi Hironaka while fighting for the Shooto promotion in Japan on December 14, 2002; lost a split decision to Karo Parisyan at UFC 49 on August 21, 2004; lost a unanimous decision to Diego Sanchez on November 5, 2005 during the live season finale of The Ultimate Fighter 2; lost a unanimous decision to Joe Riggs at UFC 57 on February 4, 2006; and lost a unanimous decision to Sean Sherk at UFC 59 on April 15, 2006.

Scouting Report:

Strengths…

· Very lanky fighter for the 160-170 pound weight class and possesses a great reach.

· His Jiu-Jitsu is world class. One of only two people to ever receive a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu from head trainer Cesar Gracie (David Terrell is the other). His favorite submission is the Kimura but Diaz showed against Gomi that he knows just about all the holds when he tapped him with a gogoplata.

· Can finish an opponent with his Jiu-Jitsu while in top position and also while in bottom position. His ground and pound is also another option in which Diaz can elect to finish a fight. He could be on the verge of becoming a complete fighter.

· Has competed professional as a boxer and his standup has improved greatly over the past few years. He showed vs. Gomi last February that he can stand with anyone in his weight class.

· He's very lean so the power in his hands that he possesses is very deceptive.

· His cardio is not an issue. Diaz competes in IronMan triathalons.

Weaknesses…

· Is a very emotional fighter who has a tendency to make mental errors at crucial times during his bout.

· While his standup is strong, his ground game is even better. Yet there have been times when Diaz relied too much on his standup just to prove a point when he possibly could have taken a fight to the ground and finish an opponent.

· Has been plagued by inconsistency throughout his career, which was a major reason why the UFC released him from his contract during the spring of 2006. As much as he's accomplished, he's capable of even more. Diaz is a fighter with the potential to be a top five pound-for-pound fighter in the world and he's not living up to that promise.

· Needs to become a better defensive standup fighter. Has a tendency to mis-judge his range and stands too close with shorter fighters and takes on unnecessary contact.

· His wrestling has improved a lot but could always stand to improve more.

Personal/Factoid:

· Younger brother Nate Diaz was added to the UFC roster after winning the lightweight tournament final of the fifth season of The Ultimate Fighter.

· Little known fact: Diaz was not the original choice for Takanori Gomi at PRIDE 33. PRIDE had tried to schedule a match between Gomi and Duane "Bang" Ludwig but Ludwig never formally signed for the fight after he couldn't get off the card of a local Colorado show. Diaz had been scheduled to fight for the Gracie Fighting Championships against Thomas Denny in January but the show was cancelled due to poor ticket sales and PRIDE seized the opportunity to sign Diaz to fight Gomi almost immediately after word of the cancellation was leaked.

· Has trained with former WBA and WBC World Champion Luisita Espinosa.

· Holds a victory over renowned grappler Jorge Pantino in Jiu-Jitsu competition.

· Is known for tracking down the e-mail addresses of his opponents and taunting them electronically leading up to their fight.

· Along those same lines, reportedly also got into a fight with Joe Riggs at a Las Vegas area hospital following their fight at UFC 57.

· Diaz's gogoplata on Gomi was technically only the second ever successful gogoplata in PRIDE's storied history (Shinya Aoki tapped Joachim Hansen two months earlier during PRIDE's New Year's Eve event).

I answered a lot of questions from my fans in October and November. Click on link below to check it out:

Oct.
http://www.proelite.com

Nov.
http://www.proelite.com

Thanks for all your support.

-Nick Diaz