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===Becoming a star===
===Becoming a star===
Diaz returned to the Octagon at ''[[UFC 47]]'', set to take on highly-touted Welterweight [[Robbie Lawler]]. Lawler was a heavy favorite coming into the fight but it was Diaz who took the offensive, chasing Lawler around the cage for the majority of the bout. It was in the second round where Diaz taunted Lawler in an attempt to get him to come after him. The move worked as Lawler swung wildly at him and missed, allowing Diaz to connect with a right hook that knocked out Lawler.
Diaz returned to the Octagon at ''[[UFC 47]]'', set to take on highly-touted Welterweight [[Robbie Lawler]]. Lawler was a heavy favorite coming into the fight but it was Diaz who took the offensive, chasing Lawler around the cage for the majority of the bout.<ref>http://www.mmaplayground.com/article/nick-diaz-diablo--24.html</ref> It was in the second round where Diaz taunted Lawler in an attempt to get him to come after him. The move worked as Lawler swung wildly at him and missed, allowing Diaz to connect with a right hook that knocked out Lawler.<ref>http://www.mmaplayground.com/article/nick-diaz-diablo--24.html</ref>


Diaz was then matched up with [[Karo Parisyan]] at ''[[UFC 49]]'', but ended up losing a hard-fought split decision. He rebounded with wins over Drew Fickett at ''[[UFC 51]]'' and [[Koji Oishi]] at ''[[UFC 53]]'' before losing for the second time in the UFC at the hands of [[The Ultimate Fighter]] [[Middleweight (MMA)|Middleweight]] winner [[Diego Sanchez]] at ''[[The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale]]''.
Diaz was then matched up with [[Karo Parisyan]] at ''[[UFC 49]]'', but ended up losing a hard-fought split decision. He rebounded with wins over Drew Fickett at ''[[UFC 51]]'' and [[Koji Oishi]] at ''[[UFC 53]]'' before losing for the second time in the UFC at the hands of [[The Ultimate Fighter]] [[Middleweight (MMA)|Middleweight]] winner [[Diego Sanchez]] at ''[[The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale]]''.


The two came into the fight with a good amount of bad blood between them. They reportedly exchanged heated e-mails before and after the official signing of the fight, which was spurred on by Diaz's public opinion that Sanchez and the rest of The Ultimate Fighter participants were being given an easier path to the top compared to the rest of the fighters in the UFC.
The two came into the fight with a good amount of bad blood between them. They reportedly exchanged heated e-mails before and after the official signing of the fight, which was spurred on by Diaz's public opinion that Sanchez and the rest of The Ultimate Fighter participants were being given an easier path to the top compared to the rest of the fighters in the UFC.<ref>http://www.mmaplayground.com/article/nick-diaz-diablo--24.html</ref>


Things went to another level in the locker room before the fight when Diaz taunted Sanchez and threw a shoe at him. Diaz was obviously confident coming into the bout but was unable to achieve success in the match, ultimately losing to Sanchez by unanimous decision. Diaz complained of a "greasy substance" on Diego's arms that impeded Diaz's takedowns. While no illegal lubricant was ever investigated, Sanchez's hair was considerably wet-looking throughout the fight, suggesting that his hair product may have leaked onto his shoulders. During the televised post-fight interview in the ring, Diaz continued the controversy by declaring that he respected Sanchez fighting ability but did not think he deserved to be there, despite Sanchez's win.
Things went to another level in the locker room before the fight when Diaz taunted Sanchez and threw a shoe at him.<ref>http://www.craveonline.com/articles/sports/04648404/pound_for_pound_nick_diaz.html</ref> Diaz was obviously confident coming into the bout but was unable to achieve success in the match, ultimately losing to Sanchez by unanimous decision. Diaz complained of a "greasy substance" on Diego's arms that impeded Diaz's takedowns.<ref>http://ronin5.com/fighters/bio/Nick_Diaz</ref> While no illegal lubricant was ever investigated, Sanchez's hair was considerably wet-looking throughout the fight, suggesting that his hair product may have leaked onto his shoulders.<ref>http://www.smso.net/Nick_Diaz</ref> During the televised post-fight interview in the ring, Diaz continued the controversy by declaring that he respected Sanchez fighting ability but did not think he deserved to be there, despite Sanchez's win.<ref>http://www.smso.net/Nick_Diaz</ref>


===Fighting inside and outside the octagon===
===Fighting inside and outside the octagon===

Revision as of 18:50, 16 September 2008

Template:MMAstatsbox Nicholas Robert Diaz (born August 2, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He is a former WEC and IFC Welterweight champion. He has also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Pride Fighting Championships and currently fights in Elite Xtreme Combat. Diaz was promoted to black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by Cesar Gracie on May 8, 2007.

He outfought and stopped former Pride FC Lightweight champion Takanori Gomi in a fight that was later ruled a no-decision due to Diaz failing a post-fight drug test. He is also the only man to own a KO victory over current EliteXC middleweight champion Robbie Lawler.

Biography

Diaz was born in Stockton, California and went to Tokay High School in Lodi for one year before dropping out. While a freshman, he was a member of the swimming team. Diaz has stated in the past that he is thankful his mother got him into swimming classes because swimming is one of the main reasons why his cardio is so impressive during his fights. Diaz has also said on multiple occasions that he had a hard childhood and grew up without his biological father.

Diaz originally started training in martial arts because he was being bullied by other teenagers who were bigger than he was. He then watched the UFC for the first time and soon wanted to be able to fight in the organization. He has a younger brother named Nathan, who is also a professional MMA fighter and the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 5. Nick also regularly competes in triathlons as part of his training. He is a big supporter of people eating organic foods.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

After years of practicing various combats sports and martial arts, Diaz became a professional mixed martial arts fighter in 2001 just after his 18th birthday and won his first fight, submitting Mike Wick with a triangle choke at IFC Warriors Challenge 15. Diaz would become a champion in just his second professional fight, decisioning Chris Lytle for the IFC United States Welterweight title in July 2002 at IFC Warriors Challenge 17.

Diaz was then invited to participate in Ultimate Athlete's King of the Mountain, a single-night tournament that took place two months later. He won his first two fights but eventually lost in the finals to Jeremy Jackson by TKO. Diaz would fight in Warriors Quest and Shooto against Harris "Hitman" Sarmiento and Kuniyoshi Hironaka respectively before winning the WEC's Welterweight Title in 2003 at WEC 6, submitting Joe Hurley with a kimura.

Diaz returned to defend his IFC Welterweight belt against the man that defeated him one year earlier, Jeremy Jackson at IFC Warriors Challenge 18. This time around it was Diaz who was able to get the win, winning by TKO in the first round. Taking notice of his success, the UFC signed Diaz over the summer and he made his debut at UFC 44, completing the trilogy against Jeremy Jackson and submitting him with an armbar in the last round of the back and forth fight that Diaz appeared to be winning on the scorecards.

Becoming a star

Diaz returned to the Octagon at UFC 47, set to take on highly-touted Welterweight Robbie Lawler. Lawler was a heavy favorite coming into the fight but it was Diaz who took the offensive, chasing Lawler around the cage for the majority of the bout.[1] It was in the second round where Diaz taunted Lawler in an attempt to get him to come after him. The move worked as Lawler swung wildly at him and missed, allowing Diaz to connect with a right hook that knocked out Lawler.[2]

Diaz was then matched up with Karo Parisyan at UFC 49, but ended up losing a hard-fought split decision. He rebounded with wins over Drew Fickett at UFC 51 and Koji Oishi at UFC 53 before losing for the second time in the UFC at the hands of The Ultimate Fighter Middleweight winner Diego Sanchez at The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale.

The two came into the fight with a good amount of bad blood between them. They reportedly exchanged heated e-mails before and after the official signing of the fight, which was spurred on by Diaz's public opinion that Sanchez and the rest of The Ultimate Fighter participants were being given an easier path to the top compared to the rest of the fighters in the UFC.[3]

Things went to another level in the locker room before the fight when Diaz taunted Sanchez and threw a shoe at him.[4] Diaz was obviously confident coming into the bout but was unable to achieve success in the match, ultimately losing to Sanchez by unanimous decision. Diaz complained of a "greasy substance" on Diego's arms that impeded Diaz's takedowns.[5] While no illegal lubricant was ever investigated, Sanchez's hair was considerably wet-looking throughout the fight, suggesting that his hair product may have leaked onto his shoulders.[6] During the televised post-fight interview in the ring, Diaz continued the controversy by declaring that he respected Sanchez fighting ability but did not think he deserved to be there, despite Sanchez's win.[7]

Fighting inside and outside the octagon

Diaz's next fight was against Joe Riggs at UFC 57. Similar to his treatment of Sanchez, Diaz made sure that he taunted his opponent plenty before their fight starting at the official press conference at the event in which Diaz confronted Riggs and the two exchanged words.[8] They continued their conversation at the official weigh-ins in which both fighters had to be separated by UFC president Dana White and other officials present.[9]

Riggs prevailed in a hard-fought battle, winning by unanimous decision and giving Diaz his second straight loss. After the fight, the two were taken to the hospital for observation and post-fight tests. It was there that Diaz confronted Riggs and proceeded to punch him in the face, knocking Riggs to his knees.[10] Riggs then tackled Diaz into a wall and started to knee him when the police arrived and quickly rushed in to separate the two.[11] Neither party, including the police, decided to press charges.[12]

Diaz lost his third consecutive match in a unanimous decision to Sean Sherk at UFC 59. The UFC subsequently terminated his contract and released him during the spring of 2006.

Return to the UFC

Diaz returned to his hometown of Stockton and participated in the International Cage Fighting Organization's inaugural event, defeating Ray Steinbess by unanimous decision. Diaz was slated to fight in his hometown again against John Alessio when he received an unexpected call the night before the fight from the UFC asking to fill in for an ill Thiago Alves at UFC 62.[13]

After Alessio pulled out, Diaz took advantage of the opportunity, submitting Josh Neer in the third round. Seemingly back in the UFC, Diaz stopped newcomer Gleison Tibau with strikes in his next fight at UFC 65. However even after the win and the reassurance that the UFC would give him another fight, Diaz decided to sign with the Gracie Fighting Championships and leave the UFC.[14] GFC had Diaz scheduled to fight Thomas Denny in January 2007, but due to poor ticket sales was ultimately cancelled.[15]

Diaz in PRIDE FC

Diaz was signed to a two-fight deal with PRIDE Fighting Championships with the first scheduled to be against current Lightweight champion Takanori Gomi in a non-title fight on February 24 in Las Vegas. PRIDE 33 was Diaz's first fight in the Pride organization and at the weight of 160 lb. While Gomi started the fight strong, once knocking Diaz to the ground, and twice ending up in his guard, the Californian dominated the standup battle with his unorthodox style, picking his opponent apart with quick and accurate jabs and looping punches.[16] At the end of the first round, apparently due to poor cardio on Gomi's part, the Japanese fighter was clearly stunned, throwing much wilder punches and barely maintaining his defense. The second stanza saw a continuation of this, with Gomi eventually taking the fight to the ground and opening himself up for a Gogoplata submission by Diaz and tapping at 1:46 of the round.[17] This was the second successful Gogoplata attempt in Pride's history (the first performed by Shinya Aoki on Joachim Hansen less than two months earlier at Pride's New Year's event).[18]

On April 10, 2007, the Nevada State Athletic Commission announced that Diaz failed the drug test that was taken shortly before his win over Takanori Gomi, testing positive for marijuana. The NSAC has declared the fight a "No Contest" and has suspended him for 6 months with a fine of 20% of his earnings ($3,000) won from the fight against Gomi.[19] The Commission felt that the result of Diaz's THC test, an enormous 175, was a contributing factor in his performance during the fight.[20] Commission Chairman Dr. Tony Alamo said that while a result of 15 is considered positive, the NSAC has a threshold of 50 for athletes. He also believes they “feel very comfortable that everyone that tests positive in Nevada is truly positive.”[21]

Dr. Alamo went on to say, “Mr. Diaz was 175. This creates a unique situation. I was there at this fight and believe that you were intoxicated and… that it made you numb to the pain. Did it help you win? I think it did.”[22] Despite Diaz being surrounded by other athletes and video cameras for several hours before the fight, Alamo gave no explanation for when he believed Diaz could have used marijuana in the hours preceding the event. Diaz himself dismissed the accusation. Nick Diaz is the only professional athlete to ever be accused of using marijuana as a performance enhancer in an MMA fight.

The failed test marred what had been Diaz's biggest win to date. With the win struck from the record, the 23-year-old Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu student retains his previous 14-6 record, including a 6-4 mark in the UFC.

Diaz in EliteXC

Diaz made his debut for EliteXC in Hawaii on September 15, 2007 on Showtime. He won a hard fought split decision over his opponent Mike Aina.[23]

MMA Weekly reported that Nick Diaz signed a two year deal with EliteXC, and most recently fought KJ Noons for the vacant 160 pound title. Diaz lost via doctor stoppage due to multiple cuts on his forehead.[24] A disappointed Diaz left the arena immediately and on his way out he flipped off the doctor from the arena entrance and shoved the camera out of his face.[25] Ironically, he stated in pre-fight interviews that the only way he was going to lose this fight was from a cut above his eye.[26]

Following a tough win over opponent Muhsin Corbbrey at EliteXC's "Return of the KING" event in Honolulu, Hawaii , an altercation between Nick and his brother Nate broke out with KJ Noons and his corner.[27] EliteXC executives asked Diaz to come to the ring and make a statement about a possible title rematch with Noons. Noons, a Native of Hawaii, asked the crowd their opinion, resulting in an echo of boos for Diaz.[28]After Nick spoke over the microphone to Noons, saying, "don't be scared homey,"[29] Carl Noons, KJ's father, lunged at him prompting Nate Diaz to throw a water bottle at the elder Noons.[30] The Diaz brothers were quickly escorted out of the cage by a group of security staff. During interviews the next day Nick claimed Carl was intoxicated and overreacting. Meanwhile Carl claimed his incident was prompted by the thrown bottle. Video replay of the event showed Nate throwing the bottle after Karl jumped at Nick. No one was injured as the Diaz brothers left the arena entrance "throwing the bird" to the fans and Noons' corner.

Nick went on to face well-traveled veteran Thomas "Wildman" Denny at the EliteXC Event "Unfinished Business" in Nick's hometown of Stockton , CA. After a sluggish start to the fight, Diaz found his range and punished Denny during the latter half of the First Round.[31] Diaz continued to keep the fight standing and maintained a high-paced tempo for the remainder of the fight, earning an impressive TKO victory over the veteran Denny :30 into Round Two.[32]

Diaz was rumored to have a rematch against the current EliteXC Lightweight Champion KJ Noons, airing on CBS October 4th 2008. However, KJ Noons and his camp refused to accept the match.[33] Mark Dion, KJ's manager was quoted as saying "As far as Nick Diaz, he's not the No. 1 contender out there."[34] Nick Diaz is rumoured to still be a potential combatant on the October 4th card.[35]

Diaz in DREAM

Diaz was victorious in DREAM.3, defeating Katsuya Inoue by corner stoppage (TKO) in the first round.[36] Diaz fight with Hayato "Mach" Sakurai for the newly created DREAM Welterweight Championship has been cancelled due to Diaz having contractual obligations.[36]

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Diaz is currently a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under the famous Cesar Gracie[37] whom he has been training with since he was a teenager. He is accomplished in both gi and no-gi jiu-jitsu. Some of the major titles he has won include the US Purple Belt Open in 2004 and a Pan American Brown Belt Medium Weight Division title in 2005.[38] He also owns a victory over renowned grappler Jorge Patino in competition via kneebar.[39]

He is known for having a very modified sport BJJ style that suits his MMA career very well. Diaz lists his favorite submission as the kimura.[40] He is widely known for his impressive upsidedown guard which he frequently uses in his fights.[41] Diaz currently teaches jiu-jitsu at Pacific Coast Martial Arts in Stockton, California.[42]

Boxing

Diaz is also a professional boxer and fights in the Super Middleweight weight class. He made his professional debut in April 2005 against Alfonso Rocha at the Radisson Hotel in Sacramento, California.[43] Diaz was victorious, winning by unanimous decision after four rounds. He has not fought since.

To add to Nick and his brother Nathan's striking skills, they are now being trained by former WBA and WBC World Champion, Luisito Espinosa. Nick has also recently been training with Olympic Boxing Gold Medalist Andre Ward.[44]

MMA record

Professional record breakdown
26 matches 18 wins 7 losses
By knockout 10 2
By submission 5 0
By decision 3 5
Draws 0
No contests 1
Result Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Notes
Win United States Thomas Denny TKO (Strikes) EliteXC: Unfinished Business 7/26/08 2 0:30
Win United States Muhsin Corbbrey TKO (Punches) EliteXC: Return of the King 6/14/08 3 3:59
Win Japan Katsuya Inoue TKO (Towel) DREAM.3 5/11/08 1 6:45
Loss United States K.J. Noons TKO (Cut) EliteXC: Renegade 11/10/2007 1 5:00 For Vacant EliteXC Lightweight Title
Win United StatesMike Aina Decision (split) EliteXC: Uprising 9/15/2007 3 5:00
NC Japan Takanori Gomi No Contest PRIDE 33: Second Coming 2/24/2007 2 1:46 Original win via submission (gogoplata) overturned after Diaz tests positive for marijuana in post-fight drug test. Non-title bout.
Win Brazil Gleison Tibau TKO (strikes) UFC 65: Bad Intentions 11/18/2006 2 2:27
Win United States Josh Neer Submission (kimura) UFC 62: Liddell vs Sobral 8/26/2006 3 1:42
Win United States Ray Steinbeiss Decision ICFO 1: Stockton 5/13/2006 3 N/A
Loss United States Sean Sherk Decision (Unanimous) UFC 59: Reality Check 4/15/2006 3 5:00
Loss United States Joe Riggs Decision (Unanimous) UFC 57: Liddell vs Couture 3 2/4/2006 3 5:00
Loss United States Diego Sanchez Decision (Unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale 11/5/2005 3 5:00
Win Japan Koji Oishi KO (Punches) UFC 53: Heavy Hitters 6/4/2005 1 1:24
Win United States Drew Fickett TKO (Strikes) UFC 51: Super Saturday 2/5/2005 1 4:54
Loss Armenia Karo Parisyan Decision (Split) UFC 49: Unfinished Business 8/21/2004 3 5:00
Win United States Robbie Lawler KO (Punch) UFC 47: It's On 4/2/2004 2 1:31
Win United States Jeremy Jackson Submission (Arm bar) UFC 44: Undisputed 9/26/2003 3 2:04
Win United States Jeremy Jackson TKO IFC WC 18: Big Valley Brawl 7/19/2003 1 4:17 Defended IFC United States welterweight title
Win Joe Hurley Submission (kimura) WEC 6: Return of a Legend 3/27/2003 1 1:55 Won WEC welterweight title
Loss JapanKuniyoshi Hironaka Decision (Split) Shooto - 2002 Year-End Show 12/14/2002 3 5:00
Win Harris Sarmiento TKO (Towel) Warriors Quest 8: Young Guns 10/24/2002 2 1:47
Loss United States Jeremy Jackson TKO (Punches) UA 4: King of the Mountain 9/28/2002 1 0:49
Win United States Adam Lynn Submission (Armbar) UA 4: King of the Mountain 9/28/2002 1 N/A
Win Blaine Tyler TKO (Punches) UA 4: King of the Mountain 9/28/2002 2 N/A
Win United States Chris Lytle Decision IFC Warriors Challenge 17 7/12/2002 3 5:00 Won IFC United States welterweight title
Win Mike Wick Submission (Triangle Choke) IFC Warriors Challenge 15 8/31/2001 1 3:43

References

  1. ^ http://www.mmaplayground.com/article/nick-diaz-diablo--24.html
  2. ^ http://www.mmaplayground.com/article/nick-diaz-diablo--24.html
  3. ^ http://www.mmaplayground.com/article/nick-diaz-diablo--24.html
  4. ^ http://www.craveonline.com/articles/sports/04648404/pound_for_pound_nick_diaz.html
  5. ^ http://ronin5.com/fighters/bio/Nick_Diaz
  6. ^ http://www.smso.net/Nick_Diaz
  7. ^ http://www.smso.net/Nick_Diaz
  8. ^ http://nickdiaz.tv/Articles/diaz-riggs.html
  9. ^ http://nickdiaz.tv/Articles/diaz-riggs.html
  10. ^ http://blogs.chron.com/fighting/2008/06/nick_diaz_tells_his_side_of_th.html
  11. ^ http://blogs.chron.com/fighting/2008/06/nick_diaz_tells_his_side_of_th.html
  12. ^ http://blogs.chron.com/fighting/2008/06/nick_diaz_tells_his_side_of_th.html
  13. ^ http://www.powerset.com/explore/go/Tokay-mated-call
  14. ^ http://www.411mania.com/MMA/columns/74638/411-Fighter-Profile:-Nick-&-Nate-Diaz.htm
  15. ^ http://www.411mania.com/MMA/columns/74638/411-Fighter-Profile:-Nick-&-Nate-Diaz.htm
  16. ^ http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/pride-33-second-coming-live-play-by-playltbrgtpresented-by-warriorweartv-6832
  17. ^ http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/pride-33-second-coming-live-play-by-playltbrgtpresented-by-warriorweartv-6832
  18. ^ http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=61c_1202008331
  19. ^ http://www.mmatko.com/takanori-gomi-vs-nick-diaz-fight-video-pride-33/
  20. ^ http://www.fightticker.com/node/2419
  21. ^ http://www.fightticker.com/node/2419
  22. ^ Nick Diaz's Win Over Takanori Gomi Ruled a No-Contest
  23. ^ http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/elitexc-uprising-play-by-play-9051
  24. ^ http://www.mmafightgirls.com/category/30/nick-diaz
  25. ^ http://mmajunkie.com/news/3534/elitexcs-nick-diaz-could-return-april-26-in-hawaii.mma
  26. ^ http://mmajunkie.com/news/4666/inside-mma-preview-kj-noons-trashes-nick-diaz-refuels-heated-rivalry.mma
  27. ^ http://promma.wordpress.com/2008/06/24/nick-diaz-to-fight-on-july-cbs-card/
  28. ^ http://www.mmafrenzy.com/2008/06/15/confrontation-between-kj-noons-and-nick-diaz-at-elitexc-return-of-the-king/
  29. ^ http://www.cagepotato.com/2008/08/21/kj-noons-manager-tells-elite-xc-what-they-can-do-with-their-deadline/
  30. ^ http://promma.wordpress.com/2008/06/22/nick-diaz-talks-about-the-kj-noons-incident-and-alot-more/
  31. ^ http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=6772&zoneid=2
  32. ^ http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=6772&zoneid=2
  33. ^ http://bleacherreport.com/articles/50200-diaz-and-noons-the-constant-soap-opera
  34. ^ http://ballhype.com/story/kj_noons_manager_says_nick_diaz_not_top_contender/
  35. ^ Diaz Vs Noons Rematch 2008
  36. ^ a b Leidecker, Tim (May 2, 2008). "Diaz to Fight Inoue in DREAM Title Eliminator". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  37. ^ http://www.groundfighter.com/products/catid/72.html
  38. ^ http://nickdiaz.proelite.com/
  39. ^ http://www.subfighter.com/news.php?op=cat&id=6&page=11
  40. ^ http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=6480&zoneid=13
  41. ^ http://onthemat.com/wiki/index.php/Upsidedown_Guard
  42. ^ http://mma-fighting.tv/Nick%20Diaz
  43. ^ http://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=312079&cat=boxer
  44. ^ http://mmajunkie.com/news/4889/performifys-picks-elitexc-unfinished-business-mma.mma


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