Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
How is it that one guy who is supposed to be one of the best in the world can get a 25-minute beatdown in one fight and devastatingly knocked out in his next destroy a top-five opponent? It makes zero sense, and that makes me angry beyond all forms of reason. For anyone left wondering who that fighter is, it is Nate Diaz.
Diaz has long been a staple of the UFC lightweight division and has been one of its most exciting fighters. The only thing is that some of his performances have been subpar. Take for instance, his last fight against Josh Thomson. Thomson dominated Diaz in the stand-up department, which was something that we had never really seen before.
Diaz looked like he was a different fighter that night; he looked gassed really early into the second, and was hesitant with his punches. He paid for that hesitation with a kick to the face and his second loss in a row.
Anyone who watched the fight last night can tell you that Diaz stepped in that cage on a mission. He looked ready to scrap and showed zero respect for Gray Maynard. Diaz was even about to toss in an impressive judo throw against the wrestler. He pressed Maynard the entire fight and was able to rock Maynard late in the first, and immediately went for the kill.
It is the type of win that keeps Diaz in title talks. If he could just be consistent and stay focused, he would probably be champion right now. Instead, Diaz will pick his fights to shine, and if he keeps doing that, he will never get that belt.
