4. Nick Diaz – UFC 158
Diaz fans are not going to like this, but Nick didn’t deserve his title shot at UFC 158. How can someone lose a title-eliminator fight in their last bout and then fight for the title in their next bout? Well, that’s what Nick Diaz did, which is why he’s on this list.
Nick left Strikeforce as the reigning Strikeforce welterweight champion, a belt he defended 3x. Not surprisingly, a title fight between he and GSP was scheduled for UFC 137 when Nick ended up back in UFC. When Nick failed to show up for a press conference however, he was removed from the bout.
After that fiasco the following welterweight title fights happened:
- Nick Diaz defeated BJ Penn at UFC 137
- Carlos Condit defeated Nick Diaz at UFC 143
- GSP defeated Carlos Condit at UFC 154
Somehow, despite having lost to the challenger who lost to the champion in his last bout, Nick was given a title shot.
As a fan of the Diaz brothers I hate to say this, but: Nick Diaz was awarded the title shot based on his popularity, not that he was the #1 contender. For the record, I personally drove through winter conditions from Toronto to Montreal to be at UFC 158 live, so it’s not as though I don’t agree with this fight being made!
Let the hate fly, Diaz fans!
