Nick Diaz Has a Harsh Message For Khabib Nurmagamedov….
Nick Diaz has history with Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagamedov. The Stockton native is not afraid to say what he thinks. He has helped prepare his younger brother Nate fight The Notorious twice, winning once on a night that shocked the world, by rear-naked choke (the source of three of McGregor’s four losses in his MMA career.)
The second fight was a hotly contested epic, widely regarded as one of the greatest UFC fights of all time. Although McGregor walked away with a narrow win, many people believe that Diaz had a reasonable shout at victory himself. Nick played a big part in getting Nate fighting fit.
Now the elder Diaz has issued a brutal statement to lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagamedov, after making it clear that he’s not impressed by the Dagestani native’s style of fighting. Diaz believes that McGregor looked out of sorts and that on another night he could have walked away with the win.
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Dirty Style
Although he acknowledged that Khabib has an extraordinarily effective style, Diaz isn’t a fan of watching the Russian fight. Nurmagamedov has gone 27-0 in his career. While many fans find his oppressive brutal top game engrossing to watch, others find it boring. This is why Diaz wanted McGregor to win:
“I wanted him to win because I’m tired of seeing Nurmagamedov’s type of style win. To me it’s a dirty fighting style.”
It might not be slick and elegant like that of your traditional standup striker, but there’s no doubt that it’s incredibly powerful and has changed MMA as we know it today. As Joe Rogan said, the single most important component of the sport is surely wrestling right now.
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Out of Sorts
Diaz also told the UFC on Fox Sports desk that McGregor looked strangely out of sorts on the night. The Irishman’s coach, John Kavanagh, attributed this to ring rust. That and pressure could have been what undid him against the ruthlessly effective Khabib. Diaz said:
“I don’t think Conor looked like himself in that fight. First time I saw him on the screen. Yeah, I don’t think he looked 100% Conor McGregor in that fight.”
It’s a very fair comment by Nick Diaz, who obviously knows The Notorious and his style very well. We’ve seen him light opponents up on the feet, including Nate Diaz who is definitely a superior boxer to Khabib.
What Next?
Diaz appears to be angling for a return in the near future – probably back in his preferred welterweight division. The UFC will be hoping that he is serious about it this time because when you have a Diaz brother, you have drama. Nick replied to Khabib’s message of apology for his role at the UFC 229 brawl with the words:
“Then it wouldn’t be a real fight.”
The last time he fought was back in 2015 when he lost to Anderson Silva. That fight was overturned to a no-contest after Silva tested positive for PEDs and traces of marijuana were found in Diaz’s system. He’s officially cleared to fight now and has left legal problems behind him to get set for his octagon return. Who would you like him to fight next?
