# Nick Diaz is a better striker than GSP



## Mckeever (Apr 26, 2009)

I've heard enough of this crap about GSP being a better striker than Nick Diaz. This is to solely discuss the striking of Nick Diaz and how it matches up against GSP.

This is a very lengthy read, but if you want to acquire some good mma striking knowledge, then read it.

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/6/5/2158458/technique-central-how-to-out-strike-nick-diaz-part-3

*PART ONE*

"I originally planned to do this thing all in one long post...but as my writings are wont to do, it metastasized beyond my control, so I'll be splitting it into 3 parts. Warning! These will be gif-heavy.

I make no secret of my hatred for Nick Diaz. However, he is a supremely talented fighter, and he owns a unique blend of striking and grappling technique, athleticism, endurance and heart that makes him eminently dangerous no matter the opponent.

Now, this isn't an article on how to beat Diaz. That's fairly obvious-be a takedown artist with good submission defense and a decent top game. Look through the last few losses of each Diaz and it's super obvious that takedown defense is the achilles heel of their particular styles, and that Nick has fervently avoided exactly that type of fighter since his loss to Sean Sherk. No, this article will instead be on successfully striking with Nick which almost every fighter opposite him has tried and failed to do in recent memory. Given recent news on Nick signing to fight Jeff Lacy, this article will also apply to Diaz's boxing career (and the bout with Lacy may tell us whether I'm accurate in my breakdowns!) 

Striking with a Diaz tends to follow a remarkably similar pattern, each is something of a slow starter in that it takes a little while before the punches start accumulating damage and the taunts get to their opponents' respective psyches. Therefore, good strikers tend to have early success. The problem is that pretty much every opponent that chooses to strike with a Diaz (or, Nick at least) eventually fades and finds out those little jabs add up in a big way when you're gassed. This series will focus on how the Diaz style tends to cause opponents' fundamentals to deteriorate and less on specific strategies to beat him. Gifs and breakdown after the jump.



So what happens to each striker that keeps them from being successful later into the fight? Three main areas of focus tend to break down as the fight wears on: Defense, Footwork and Endurance. The last one tends to be particularly important, because as footwork and defense break down, Diaz tends to get more successful with his punches, rocks his opponent and starts ripping body shots, both of which contribute in an additive way to the opponent's gas tank running empty. Let's look at the first area in detail.
1. Defense

To start with, it's more or less been thoroughly debunked that the Diaz style of punching is powerless or pitty-pat, at least in Nick's case. Though it looks like he's only throwing arm punches, in recent fights there's overwhelming evidence for the power behind Nick's punches. So in order to understand how to defend it, we need to understand: What makes the Diaz style of punching powerful when it looks like all arm punches?

First, stance. We'll touch on this more in the next post about footwork, but the reason those pitty-pat arm punches are anything but, has to do with how Nick stands. Diaz stands in a way much more familiar to a boxing ring than a 6 or 8-sided cage, he keeps his base wide, knees nearly locked and feet close to perpendicular to each other. At the same time, his shoulders and upper body tend to be more square to the opponent. The takeaway? Standing this way gives Nick power with minimal effort from either hand. Squaring his shoulders gives a hook from either hand small distance to travel, and a wide base means that he can put a little shoulder and hip rotation into every punch while staying on balance, and keeping his feet underneath him for every shot. The disadvantages of this stance are obvious too: difficulty in sprawling quickly, and a vulnerability to leg kicks. Observe a gif that shows neatly the vulnerability and advantages of this stance all in one:










Height. This isn't exactly the same thing as reach when it comes to Nick; Daley, for example, actually had a 2 inch reach advantage. However, as has been pointed out in the comments to the GSP vs Diaz striking article, wingspan alone doesn't measure the advantage Diaz has here. The really important thing to pay attention to here are the angles Diaz is able to create (footwork is important here too, but again, that's the next section). Nick Diaz, in every mixed martial arts fight in his life, has been able to punch down towards shorter opponents; Scott Smith has been closest to matching him in height at 1 inch under Diaz's 6'1" frame. His upright, squared stance combined with the downward angle his fist travels in lets Nick sit down on his punches, often while punching over his opponent's jab. It's no secret that punching "downhill" makes it easier to generate force with less motion, and Diaz's squared shoulders give him unique angles on the temple and chin. In the gif, note the angle his left cross travels in, and how the KO hook is thrown right over a straight left (which on an orthodox fighter, would be a left jab. Giffy:










Accuracy. Not a ton to be said about this one, Nick picks his spots well and hits them most of the time. If an opponent isn't actively punching back, they should expect to be picked apart. To save everyone the bandwidth on this one, I'll just post a still image. Paul Daley mostly employed a static guard, covering up tightly against the Diaz onslaught. How'd that work out? 










So what do these things mean for a fighter trying to compete with Nick Diaz on the feet? They mean that, like the other areas I'll cover, you better be fundamentally sound in your striking defense if you're going to survive with Nick on the feet. One area of defense in particular is important against Nick: head movement.

If the Paul Daley fight proved that covering up and staying stationary against Diaz is suicide, it's because he failed to heed the lessons of Diaz's last fight of 2007. KJ Noons showed the world the value of head movement in his first fight against Diaz, dropping the now-champion with a beautiful right hook. You can see clearly in the gif linked how Nick freezes the second KJ starts to weave to the left side. This is a weakness of a high-volume style, when you're punching continuously you're more vulnerable to counters, and giving new angles and looks with head movement can exploit this weakness. You can see in the Daley image and Cyborg gif above that as Nick gets into his punching rhythm, his hands start to drop, where slipping punches can provide really dangerous counter opportunities.

Of course, head movement alone isn't enough. A fighter needs to keep his hands up to protect his head as well. This is where KJ shot himself in the foot in the rematch; despite his boxing pedigree, KJ drops his hands all the freakin' time when moving his head. 










We can see that, beyond having several years to improve his striking, Nick also makes a smart adjustment to an orthodox stance. It's clear that KJ trained primarily to face a southpaw, despite showing some head movement, he drops his hands and as a result we can see him getting tagged with multiple right hands in the above gif.

If a fighter can keep his hands up and move his head intelligently, he'll not only open up counter opportunities, but he'll also be able to get inside Diaz's range and negate that dangerous downward angle of the Diaz punches, at least forcing Diaz to short-arm rather than hitting at full extension. Melvin Guillard did this to begin his fight against Nate. Though Melvin's no master of defense and he drops his hands, bobbing and weaving a little lets him get a great window to throw the right hook to Nate's chin. Against a different fighter, this would open Melvin to knees while ducking in, but the Diaz boxing stance doesn't lend itself to fast or powerful knees and head kicks. Nevertheless, it's something of a danger, which is why it's important for a fighter's head movement to be technical and not overexaggerated. Ducking too low or forgetting to include side-to-side punch slips allows a gifted boxer like Nick to eventually time the fighter across from him.



Alright, so we've established that good boxing defense is a must against Nick in order to box effectively. But is that it? Certainly not. In our next feature, we'll focus on footwork-highlighting parts of the Daley fight for basic footwork principles, and a fairly heavy focus on Nate Diaz's fight with Marcus Davis to link footwork and head movement together, and to show the degredation of technique that occurs over the course of a fight against a Diaz.

*PART TWO*

Welcome to Part 2 of how I hope someone will finally scout Nick Diaz properly and punch him in the head until he falls over instead of vice versa. No, but seriously, this series is partly pointing out the obvious in terms of striking technique so people start to realize how and why Nick always seems to win the striking battle, and maybe someone will finally pull off out-striking Nick (much easier said than done); partly the series is grudging but inescapable and well-earned respect for the serious skill Diaz shows in the cage. Someone in the part 1 post mentioned that such a detailed breakdown was impressive from a non-Diaz fan...it's so detailed because 1. I obsess over technique cause I think it's cool, and 2. I've spent far too much time examining exactly how Nick continues to do the thing I hate to see him doing: win.

So here's our second area of focus: footwork. We focused on defense, breaking down Nick's punching and determining that head movement, without dropping your hands KJ, is the best way to avoid the high-volume punching and open up counter opportunities. However, all the head movement in the world is useless if you can't capitalize on it in hitting on your counters. That's going to be our focus in terms of footwork, and we'll take a look at Nate Diaz's fight with Marcus Davis for how a height (and/or reach) disadvantage makes footwork critical for power generation, and a little more of Paul Daley vs. Nick to see how footwork affects angles, particularly against a rangy southpaw like Nick.



2. Footwork
To begin with, let's make an easy link between footwork and head movement. Slipping punches and making your opponent miss is all well and good; it lets you avoid damage and takes energy from your opponent. The problem with just slipping punches against Nick Diaz is that, 1. There is always, always, always another punch already on the way if you slip one of Nick's and don't punch back, and 2. Nick's gas tank is more voluminous than the combined well of tears Shinya Aoki has cried after each of his fights, so make him miss all you want and it's not going to gas him. Point being, important basic principle here, you want your feet underneath you in a balanced stance whenever you strike, and right after you move your head is a fantastic time to strike. As awesomely as Jose Aldo avoided Mark Homnick's punches at UFC 129, much to the oblivion of Joe Rogan, his example is not one you want to follow against Nick Diaz. Observe:










As nicely as he slips all of Hominick's punches, Aldo's feet are stationary and he's leaning back rather than moving sideways or in for a few of these slips. You can see particularly in the example where Aldo's back is to the camera that he wants to come back with a punch but is slightly out of position and decides against it. His back heel also comes up as he considers this counter when he needs to be shuffling his front foot forwards to close the distance. Were Aldo to try and punch at full extension from that range, he'd end up off-balance and overextended, open for counters himself.

For a Diaz-specific example, we look at Nate's fight with Marcus Davis. (NOTE: Look here for the Judo Chop I borrow the following gifs from) Marcus had early success with his punches, knocking Diaz down in the first round. Watch for Marcus' movement as he throws the left overhand and then comes forward with follow-up punches.










Marcus' footwork isn't the best here; he doesn't really keep a stance after the first punch, but having Nate up against the cage means he's able to square his shoulders with less danger. The important thing to pay attention to is that Marcus moves his lower body forward under his punches, allowing him to hit with power. Here's another example of a nice job by Marcus moving forward under his punches, also from the first. This deteriorated in a very serious way as the fight went on.

Here's a harbinger of things to come: Nate starting to establish his range by using his reach and height to stop Davis from working his way inside. It's not a great exchange for Nate yet, but his punches start to add up during the fight.










Now let's move to the second round, where Nate's punches and reach are starting to seriously bother Marcus.










You can see how difficult it is for Davis to defend against the volume of punches that Nate is throwing and still fire back, partly because of the range Nate is able to keep, and in part because (relatedly) he has a fist in his face everywhere he moves. Davis still tries to move forward and keep his feet underneath him as he punches at the end of the gif, but the volume of punches coming his way means that each time he's tagged, his forward momentum is interrupted, with the effect being that the overhand at the end of the exchange is an arm punch that falls short.

Finally, here's the 3rd round, where an accumulation of punches has slowed Davis considerably, and essentially stopped his forward movement.










Even though Nate has never shown the kind of power that Nick possesses, the sheer number of punches he throws, combined with some decent accuracy, means Marcus' face is a mess and moving forward is truly painful because of the punishment he receives each time. The contrast between Marcus' footwork in the first gif and this one is striking (dur hur). Davis is no longer moving forward at all under his punches, meaning they 1. Have no power behind them, and 2. Fall short of the target anyway. We can see this easily in how badly Davis misses with all his punches in the above image, and how little power there is behind each strike. This is why it's so important to merge head movement and footwork together; even a seasoned boxer like Marcus Davis wilted over the course of a fight due to an inability to avoid punches to the head while moving forward, which limited his ability to counter Diaz in the extreme. Though there are differences in the boxing abilities of each Diaz, the style is similar enough that the same lessons apply to striking with Nick, especially because difficulties in dealing with the Diaz range and height become additive over the course of the fight.

<Weird Analogy Time> Essentially, the range Nate kept in the Davis fight made his style into a kind of bizzaro-world anti-Shotokan, baiting his opponent into stepping forward unprotected with an unrelenting barrage of tiny punches from slightly too far away. Our most famous Shotokan stylist, Lyoto Machida, instead forces opponents to step forward unprotected by refusing to initiate strikes in a range where he can be hit back. The similarity is that decisive, technically proficient footwork combined with solid defensive fundamentals is required to land solid strikes on fighters of either style; range must be safely disrupted before a fighter can line up his counterpunch. </Weird Analogy Time>

Finally, more than moving forward and maintaining power while countering, a note on the use of footwork in gaining advantageous angles on Nick. We look to the Paul Daley fight. Here's Daley's first knockdown on Diaz:










It's a long gif, but pay attention to Daley and Diaz's front feet. Immediately at the moment Daley's clubbing left hook lands on a ducking Diaz's temple, we get a great angle that clearly shows Daley's left lead foot outside of Diaz's lead right foot. This is the spot you need to be in while fighting a southpaw, Nick Diaz especially. Anyone who knows boxing at all will tell you that the right hand is a southpaw's kryptonite, which KJ's knockdown on Nick demonstrates. KJ's lead foot, again, is outside of Nick's, opening up a beautious angle for his right hand to travel in on the way to Diaz's jaw. For Daley, a southpaw who stands orthodox, the right hand is less of an option, which actually makes this type of footwork even more of a necessity.

This angle also opens up the left hook to the temple, as demonstrated by the first knockdown, above, and the second knockdown, below:










Daley circles to his left here, working hard to keep a nice angle where he can hit Nick with both hands easily, but Nick can only tag him from one side (Nick's right) without reaching across his own body. This maintains both a punching and defensive advantage, which prevents Nick from countering/punching over Daley's left hand as he did Zaromskis'. It's not a fluke that Daley's biggest successes came while he maintained this punching angle, nor is it by chance that Diaz's success generally came when Daley failed to maintain this angle. Watch in particular for which way Daley circles when he's in trouble and exactly how effective that is in stopping Diaz's attack:










For those of you who notice something weird about how my point holds up specifically on the KO punch, nice catch and keep your mouth shut. For those of you who are wondering what I mean...just wait for the last part of this series. That does it for the footwork portion of our technical breakdown. Last, but far from least, is our look at maybe the biggest advantage Nick Diaz boasts over all his opponents: endurance/conditioning. Specifically, we'll talk about how the Diaz style is perfectly designed to draw opponents into brawls where their conditioning becomes a factor in stark contrast to Diaz's endurance being his greatest virtue. Until then...

*PART THREE*

I thought about waiting to post this until the TUF 13 coverages dies down on Monday or Tuesday, but **** that, I'm happy with this fanpost so I'm gonna post it now. <shamelesswhoring> Please rec if you like it so it doesn't get lost in the post-event coverage. </shamelesswhoring> Here we go with our last key to out-striking the elder Diaz!



3. Endurance

This one is the lynchpin. I debated over putting this one first because it's so important, but instead I'm going to save the most important for last. Just keep in mind that as endurance deteriorates, it compounds the issues mentioned before in defense and footwork. So yes, it's important for all fighters to have conditioning. But there are particular ways Diaz opponents are enticed to blow through their gas tanks.



First, what makes endurance most important? It's not simply because Nick has one of the best gas tanks in MMA. Though it's certainly an advantage in every fight, not all of Nick's opponents have a history of being out of shape or gassing out, but they all tend to in fights against Nick. So how does Nick, in every fight, maximize his greatest asset by pitting his endurance and conditioning directly against his opponent's?

Taunts: Part of what makes the Diazes so unlikable (to me) is their complete lack of respect for any and all people not part of the Diaz family or Cesar Gracie fight team. However, if you're gonna be a total dick to anyone and everyone, with or without provocation, this is the way to do it. Fact is, the lack of respect shown by Nick in cage plays directly into his strengths when it comes to cardio. You might recognize that Nick starts each and every fight exactly the same way. This look familiar?










Nick's chin looks wide open, nice and inviting, doesn't it? Doesn't his face look just so perfectly punchable? What Nick's doing is not just attempting to engage his opponents from the opening bell, but attempting to do so in a specific way: from just far away enough that they have to reach with punches, and in such a dipshit way that his opponents can't help but try and KO him immediately out of irritation. The last part of this gif, with Frank Shamrock, demonstrates perfectly how this works:

Make your opponent think he can hit you.
Make him want to hit you HARD.
Use your superior reach and/or height to lean back out of range, get a downward angle on his chin and start working a volume of punches as soon as he moves.
It's a brilliant plan that makes use of the Diaz attitude. Remember in part 2 where I made that weird analogy about karate? Yeah, it's coming back.

The Diaz taunt, combined with the wide open hands and height advantage actually support this Shotokan comparison. The peculiarities of the Shotokan style, the wide hands, high chin, and low shoulders, though flaws in punching range, become traps instead at kicking range and beyond. They say with humility what Diaz says with arrogance: "Hit me. I'm wiiiiiide open." Thus, the opponent overcommits from too far away, only to be met halfway there with a single power shot from a Shotokan stylist, or a flurry of punches from Nick Diaz. It works because while the opponent's strike is aimed all the way at Diaz or Machida's chin, the counterpunch is aimed at the halfway spot the entire time.










Okay, so we've established that taunts and the way Diaz stands invites opponents to swing for the fences right away. But if that invites KO-counter opportunities for Lyoto Machida, why does it target Nick Diaz opponents' cardio? The difference, as I mentioned, between the Diaz style and Shotokan, is that while Lyoto is trying to knock Rashad's head clear off the in the gif above, Diaz is trying to confuse his opponents by tagging the chin and starting a swarm of punches they can't defend against. If you've watched him fight before, you know that once Nick throws his first punch, he rarely rests or stays stationary for more than a few seconds between combinations.

The Swarm: Ah, the other hallmark of the Diaz style. Firstly, the swarm of punches that Nick throws is indeed intended to finish opponents...eventually. The initial punches of the combination are aimed at the chin, which stun and unbalance an opponent, but which also take away some of their cardio. This is only part of the point, however. The other part is what an opponent is forced to do in defense. Let's look at the Zaromskis fight.










We can see here that Zaromskis is badly hurt, and also tired. The two tend to go hand in hand, as I mentioned previously. All but 3 or 4 of Nick's 16 punches are aimed at the head (we'll come to this presently). Watch Zaromskis' behavior; he's absolutely desperate to avoid Nick's onslaught of punches. He covers up, shifts this way and that even tries a counterpunch or two, which he pays for. The point of Nick's approach here though, is that Zaromskis must constantly move and expend more and more energy to try and escape, at exactly the point where he most wants to move out of range and try to catch his breath. It's the standing equivalent of an exhausted fighter whose opponent has just achieved mount. He knows he must move and try to escape immediately, but doing so requires energy he does not have and opens him up to more punishment. On the other hand, staying stationary allows his opponent to go to town on his face in the worst position possible. This is exactly the position Zaromskis is in right here, and there just isn't a good way out of it for him. This is how, once he has an opponent initially stunned or confused, Nick attacks both the equilibrium and cardio of an opponent at the same time.

Body Punches: Relatively speaking, this is probably the newest addition to Nick's style on the list. Since his release from the UFC and the beginnings of his success in Strikeforce, Nick has become one of the more dangerous body punchers in MMA, in large part because of how he sets them up. How does he set them up? By using steps 1 and 2 in this article previous (taunting/countering and then swarming) and using your desperation to cover up and get out of range as an opportunity to land undefended to the breadbasket, liver, or spleen. Frank, would you mind demonstrating?










Whoopsy spleeny! Nick's body shots don't just finish the fight though, they increase his cardio advantage as well. As anyone who's played a recent MMA video game or taken a body punch themselves will tell you, shots to the liver, solar plexus or spleen not only hurt, they disrupt your breathing in a major way, which takes away your cardio right quick. While Nick Diaz is swarming you, he's become a master at fluidly mixing in body shots when rocked opponents try to cover up to the head. Because they're undefended and a shelled-up opponent has no chance to fire back, these punches also tend to be the ones that Nick winds up on and sits down on the most. Scott Smith will demonstrate this one.










Again, the body shots hurt like hell, they take away your gas tank, and they're so fluid that you're forced to move and expend more energy immediately if you want to avoid more of them. All of a sudden you're running on fumes and triathalon runner Nick Diaz is still fresh.

Chin and Recovery Time: This is the final part of Nick's cardio-vantage, and possibly the one least based in skill. No one can tell you exactly what makes a good chin: a lot of it is neck and jaw muscles, part of it is cardio because those muscles are less able to tighten and absorb impact as you tire, part of it may be genetically determined bone structure, and part of it may be mental toughness or that ephemeral quality called "heart." Obviously, some of these factors are under human control and others are not. The exact mix and number of factors are unclear, suffice it to say that Nick has enough of them in enough quantity that his chin is decent and his recovery speed is inhuman.

This comes into play when Nick's anti-Shotokan has its flaws exploited and he's actually hit by those haymakers his opponents inevitably throw, and this happens more often than his win record would suggest. Nick has been dropped by most of the good strikers he's fought recently. We already saw the knockdowns from KJ Noons and Paul Daley in previous editions, here's Zaromskis dropping Nick if you're interested. Lucky for Nick, his excellent conditioning allows him to recover extremely quickly from knockdowns, while his chin seems to be just good enough to prevent him from getting KO'd outright on a single strike. This isn't just protective when his defense fails, it actually encourages Nick's opponents to continue blowing energy by swinging to finish on every punch. As any combat athlete will tell you, missing punches gasses you more than landing them, and nowhere does this happen more often than in a frantic attempt to finish an athlete who recovers quickly.

So when it all adds up, Nick's superior cardio contributes to keeping his recovery time low, while all of the others things he's doing contribute to chipping away at his opponents' power and ability to take punches. To see this illustrated in a moment, here's the final exchange with Paul Daley (click to view).










From this angle and at this speed, you can see the KO hook land perfectly. As I watched this live, I shouted, "Oohhh!" at the TV...but not because of Nick's punch. Paul Daley clearly lands a thunderous right hook at the exact same time Nick lands his. It's not in as good of a spot (on the cheek), but it looked devastating in real time. In addition, you can see that Paul's positioning is actually pretty good here-his left foot is outside Diaz's right, giving him a really good angle for his punch. It's Nick's chin that lets him survive this. Daley is tired and hurt by this point, which takes something away from his punch and ability to withstand punishment. Oppositely, Diaz is still going strong cardio-wise, meaning his neck muscles can stay tight to absorb this impact, and his punch still carries nearly the force it had at the beginning of the round. Diaz's ability to force Daley to work hard every second of the fight, and efforts to disrupt his breathing with body shots meant that in taking away his cardio, Nick was able to out-strike a fighter who, on paper, was the better and more powerful puncher.



So there's the analysis. What have we learned? In essence, Nick Diaz is a master at using the peculiarities of his attitude and physical presence to force his opponents to fight his fight, pitting his best qualities against his opponents' weaknesses. He is the ultimate test of striking technique at welterweight, the pressure he brings will eventually cause your technique to deteriorate and become more and more wild, from a desperate attempt to stop the onslaught of strikes and just hit the bastard, or a rapidly emptying gas tank and slackening muscles, or both at the same time. So what do you need to beat Nick Diaz? You could always take him down and control him from there; no matter how close the Sanchez and Sherk fights were, it's undeniable that wrestling was Diaz's achilles heel in those bouts. Georges St. Pierre may be just the man to initiate that gameplan, he would seem to have the ability to avoid submissions with his smothering top control and punishing ground 'n pound. GSP's unwillingness to challenge Jake Shields on the ground makes me doubt his confidence in this area though.

But say you don't have world class wrestling and black belt level submission defense. What if you're forced into a striking exchange with Nick? You'll need:

Disciplined strike defense: This doesn't mean shelling up or bobbing around while dropping your hands. You'll need decent head movement, and you'll have to employ it without giving in to the temptation to drop one or both hands. Keep your feet under you and move your head just enough to slip Nick's punches. This will prevent him from getting the initial touch on your chin that he needs to set up his power shots, and open him up to counter punching opportunities.
Good footwork: Cutting angles is a must. Never move straight back or rush straight in, and circle to the blind spot on the lead side whenever possible. You'll need to quickly move in or out of range as the situation demands, and you'll need to keep your stance while you do it; being able to fire off a stiff shot at any time will be your counter to letting Nick pressure you by following you to the edge of the cage. Keeping your feet underneath you will also let you use your head movement to capitalize on those counter opportunities, rather than just creating them.
Variety in striking offense: Headhunting against Diaz is a quick way to gas yourself. Not since his 5th professional fight has Diaz been TKO'd, so odds are you're not gonna be able to do it with one punch. Diaz's height makes his chin hard to reach and reaching for it makes you easy to counter, so work in strikes to the body and legs whenever possible. It sucks when Nick punches you in the liver, so do him the favor right back! The liver is an easy target for a straight right hand on a southpaw, provided you're positioning your lead foot to the outside. However...
Keep a cool head: It requires mental discipline not to swing to knock Nick Diaz out with every punch. Follow every good corner's advice here: just touch him. Tap him with every punch or kick, never look for the KO. You can ruin a great gameplan and gas yourself out quickly by doing this. Evangelista Santos did a great job exploiting Nick's vulnerability to leg kicks, but tried so hard to kick his leg in half that he gassed by the end of the first (granted, Cyborg has gas tank issues anyway). Hit stiff, not wild; this will contribute to being able to keep your feet underneath you with each punch, which will add up hugely by the last round when your punches still have steam on them because your feet are still underneath you.
Cardio, cardio, cardio: This goes without saying. If it's going to be a 3-rounder, be prepared to go 5. If it's a 5-rounder, 7. Cardio for grappling is a bitch, and is something you'll have to take care of on your own...good luck with that. For striking though, cardio will have two dimensions. First, practice moving constantly. CONSTANTLY. I'm talking Guida vs. Gomi or Edgar vs. Penn level movement here. In and out, circling back and forth, never setting for more than a second or two. It's a choice between making Nick follow your movement, or letting him corner you with his. Second, be prepared to punch. A lot. Here's where keeping a disciplined attitude will help, don't put everything into every punch. But do be ready to throw (and defend against) upwards of 440 strikes over the course of a 5-round fight.
As you can see, it's a daunting task, yet not impossible. Diaz opponents have had these skills before, some were just missing one or two elements, others had them all and failed to properly utilize them. As I mentioned, Cyborg likely could have chopped Nick down had he been better conditioned and not tried to kill his legs with each and every kick. Paul Daley would also seem to have each element necessary, but scouted Diaz incorrectly, believing that a peek-a-boo defense while circling to his right would be sufficient. He too fell into the trap of swinging for the finish. The welterweight division will need a Frankie Edgar styled fighter to beat Nick Diaz standing; a technical and highly conditioned athlete who can keep a cool head and be satisfied with outclassing Diaz rather than caving his skull in. As Brian Stann proved against Chris Leben, the only option when facing a high-level brawler is to be more patient and technical than he is. Paradoxically, trying for the finish is more likely to result with you being the one who gets finished in the end. Thanks for reading everyone! Let me know if there's a subject you'd like to see tackled on Technique Central in the future."


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## limba (Jul 21, 2009)

Duuuuuuuuuude...is that your creation?!

I don't see any links, so it must be yours.

If so...That's f*ckin IMPRESSIVE!

+ rep

_PS: i should make a thread called "GSP is a better wrestler than Nick Diaz"...but it would be a very very short thread _

_PS2: GSP will grind Diaz for 25 mins_ 

Great effort Mck!


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## Mckeever (Apr 26, 2009)

limba said:


> Duuuuuuuuuude...is that your creation?!
> 
> I don't see any links, so it must be yours.
> 
> ...


ha ha, I'm sorry to disappoint you man, but I can't steal the credit for that piece. I forgot to add the link at the bottom, i'll edit the OP now.

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/6/5/2158458/technique-central-how-to-out-strike-nick-diaz-part-3

As for the wrestling, I don't think even Nick Diaz fanboys are going to deny that GSP is a vastly superior wrestler.

It's the striking which seems to cause a lot of debate and I thought this article was a great breakdown.

The dude that wrote this, is some long time boxing coach.


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## limba (Jul 21, 2009)

Mckeever said:


> ha ha, I'm sorry to disappoint you man, but I can't steal the credit for that piece. I forgot to add the link at the bottom, i'll edit the OP now.
> 
> http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/6/5/2158458/technique-central-how-to-out-strike-nick-diaz-part-3
> 
> ...


Annyway...nice to post this.
I haveb't read it all, because i'm tired and have to wake up early tomorrow, but *in theory*, what i've read so far is correct.

But, like i've said before: all this will be irrelevant... because *striking is uselles when you are on your back and GSP is on top of you*...

_PS: i find "the taunting" argument hilarious...that only works on stupid fighters. And GSP doesn't fall in that cathegory.
Btw: Nate Diaz tried to taunt MacDonald and landed on his head 3 times..._


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## Mirage445 (Dec 20, 2006)

Awesome post broski...I gotta spread some rep.


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## aerius (Nov 19, 2006)

Nick Diaz is a better boxer than GSP, news at 11. A better striker? No. No one at welterweight has better kicks than GSP and the rest of his striking ain't too shabby either. Nick Diaz doesn't have kicks in his arsenal, he's got punches and knees to leg when he's got the other guy pinned against the fence. There's a lot of holes to exploit when he's up against a complete striker instead of some dumbass who chooses to box with him.


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## ACTAFOOL (Dec 10, 2008)

wow, great find man, i was actually crazy enough to read all of it...and i kept thinking how the hell could this guy have anything new to say in the other parts?

but all 3 parts are very informative and awesome:thumbsup:...though a lot of the stuff is pretty obvious i do like his details on angle and footwork...that was nice

diaz is a weird beast in the stand up...not many can beat him, i think of the few who could would be AS and aldo (he could faberize him easily)

too bad GSP will wrestlefuck him....still...this match up is very interesting to me, i dont care what the haters say



also, GSP has very overrated striking, he has head kicks and jabs, and those 1-2 superman punches...hes far from a ''complete'' striker also, no clinch game, no knees, no leg kicks


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## M_D (Apr 8, 2007)

The OP asked for people to actually read the article then post about diaz striking 

So if you did not read the article dont post in the thread, why is that hard to understand? (this is rhetorical dont answer)

by the way OP good article


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## aerius (Nov 19, 2006)

ACTAFOOL said:


> also, GSP has very overrated striking, he has head kicks and jabs, and those 1-2 superman punches...hes far from a ''complete'' striker also, no clinch game, no knees, no leg kicks


You might want to ask Fitch and Koscheck about that one, I seem to recall Fitch getting knocked goofy by a knee from the clinch and Koscheck getting tooled with leg kicks along with the jabs to the face.


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## ACTAFOOL (Dec 10, 2008)

aerius said:


> You might want to ask Fitch and Koscheck about that one, I seem to recall Fitch getting knocked goofy by a knee from the clinch and Koscheck getting tooled with leg kicks along with the jabs to the face.


1 knee, wow...come on...you know GSP doesnt use knees in his attack, rampage used some against hammill...i guess that means hes a MT striker now:confused02:

and i dont remember any devastating leg kicks in the kos fight


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## Shoegazer (Jun 23, 2007)

Well, I read the whole thing, watched the gifs for each point, etc. Very cool read, and very informative. I've always been sort of mystified by how Diaz manages to be so good and just sort of chalked it up to chin and endurance - knowing full well that didn't fully explain it. 

Now I can't help myself but wade into the murky darkness of "who's the better striker?" I fully realize GSP has beautiful kicks and technique and unquestionably is a high level striker in all facets of striking. I also realize that Diaz, while having nice MMA boxing, is a below-average professional boxer in terms of skill that rarely throws kicks and checks them even more rarely. That said, I'm not sure GSP could outstrike Diaz in a pure striking match (i.e. no takedowns allowed). Yes, I really think Diaz would win that. Seriously. If anyone could trigger the ultra-nice GSP to lose his discipline and brawl, it's the ultra-prickish Diaz. Diaz's mug is an irresistable force that not even GSP could resist. 

However, the real thing will be settled on the mat and I've yet to see Nick come up with any similar, devastating strategy on the ground as he employs on his feet. It sort of makes me wonder why he has not worked on this with the same intensity and anger as he obviously has on his striking and cardio. He seems content to use the "well that guy didn't really want to fight me" defense (which has _some_ merit). 

Hope he's able to make it an interesting fight.


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## aerius (Nov 19, 2006)

ACTAFOOL said:


> 1 knee, wow...come on...you know GSP doesnt use knees in his attack, rampage used some against hammill...i guess that means hes a MT striker now:confused02:
> 
> and i dont remember any devastating leg kicks in the kos fight


Your claim was that GSP has no knees, no clinch game, and no leg kicks, all I had to do was show one knee from the clinch and a single leg kick to prove your statement wrong.

Now I will gladly admit that the clinch & throwing knees is the weakest part of GSP's striking, he ain't anywhere close to the Chute Boxe guys for example. As for his leg kicks, while he's not going to cripple his opponents with a couple kicks like Pat Barry or Shogun, he does land them consistently and it adds up over the course of a fight.


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## ACTAFOOL (Dec 10, 2008)

Shoegazer said:


> Well, I read the whole thing, watched the gifs for each point, etc. Very cool read, and very informative. I've always been sort of mystified by how Diaz manages to be so good and just sort of chalked it up to chin and endurance - knowing full well that didn't fully explain it.
> 
> Now I can't help myself but wade into the murky darkness of "who's the better striker?" I fully realize GSP has beautiful kicks and technique and unquestionably is a high level striker in all facets of striking. I also realize that Diaz, while having nice MMA boxing, is a below-average professional boxer in terms of skill that rarely throws kicks and checks them even more rarely. That said, I'm not sure GSP could outstrike Diaz in a pure striking match (i.e. no takedowns allowed). Yes, I really think Diaz would win that. Seriously. If anyone could trigger the ultra-nice GSP to lose his discipline and brawl, it's the ultra-prickish Diaz. Diaz's mug is an irresistable force that not even GSP could resist.
> 
> ...


right, the article doesnt try and prove that diaz is a better technical striker, it simply proves why he is a better striker even though he is more simple than GSP

and after reading it its hard to disagree, at the end of the day the best striker is the most effective one, period.

if GSP truly is a better striker he will prove it fight time, though i believe he will just wrestle with diaz


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## Mckeever (Apr 26, 2009)

You could make the argument than Nick Diaz has the most effective striking at WW, the most effective BJJ at WW and the best conditioning in the division. He's an extremely well rounded fighter.

I was puzzled by how any time GSP took Shield's down, he was very cautious of his guard and stood right back up immediately. I believe Diaz definitely has a better guard and bottom game over Jake.

In GSP's entire career, he's never actually faced a really aggressive fighter from the bottom position.

It's an intriguing match up. Can't wait.

I still have GSP as a 60/40 favourite, but I believe Nick has the best chance out of everyone else at WW to take the belt.


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## ACTAFOOL (Dec 10, 2008)

thats another good point, shields has great jitz but i wouldnt say he has a better guard than diaz...still GSP wanted NOTHING to do with his game, though maybe thats because shields posed no threat standing so he just took the easier route

since diaz does ahve good striking, GSP is more afraid of getting caught like before, so even if he is afraid of diaz's ground game he knows its safer than standing so he will take him down

though diaz is getting better at bjj every day no doubt, hes much better nowadays than when he was in the UFC, and his body type is great for bjj off his back

penn isnt great of his back, shields isnt great off his back and serra just loves to be stupid, and still won by some miracle, anyway...penn and serra had a significant size disadvantage and at this level that makes a difference

this is one of the few times GSP will fight some1 who is not only a good striker but uses his range incredibly well and is taller than him (diaz is taller right?)

GSP has always been the bigger guy...except for the fitch fight, though fitch has no stand up...well, he does but we all know its not threatning, and GSP is light years ahead of him


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## Mckeever (Apr 26, 2009)

ACTAFOOL said:


> thats another good point, shields has great jitz but i wouldnt say he has a better guard than diaz...still GSP wanted NOTHING to do with his game, though maybe thats because shields posed no threat standing so he just took the easier route
> 
> since diaz does ahve good striking, GSP is more afraid of getting caught like before, so even if he is afraid of diaz's ground game he knows its safer than standing so he will take him down
> 
> ...


Yes, Diaz is the taller man and that's going to be a pretty significant advantage in the striking department.


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## Shoegazer (Jun 23, 2007)

To me, Shields has a much more dangerous guard for GSP than Diaz. He wont try many subs from his back, if any, but he's apparently got freakish grappling strength and almost ALWAYS reverses his opponent and ends up on top - controlling them and winning the round. THAT'S what GSP wanted no part of. I don't think he was scared of being subbed or pounded out by Jake at all. 

Diaz on the other hand will be throwing up multiple sub attempts, but GSP is way too careful to get caught and way too strong to get reversed. GSP will not bang with Nick on the feet. Diaz is going to need to come up with something revolutionary in his game to stop the takedown or GSP is just going out-position him for 5 rounds on the mat.


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## slapshot (May 4, 2007)

I like to describe diaz's style as "pitter patter pow" He throws a lot of lighter strikes and mixes it up very well. Fighters IMO get lulled into thinking "hay these strikes are ok I can take them" but like stated they add up and as the rounds go on he start throwing more power and catching fighters with harder shots.

P.S. I dont see how anyone can feel GSP would be able to stand with Nick, he had a harder than expected time with Shield even taking the eye poke into consideration. Shields has way less skill striking than Nick. GSP has one option and thats to take him down and lay n pray. He cant get too active from top or he might find himself in a armbar or choke.


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## ACTAFOOL (Dec 10, 2008)

Shoegazer said:


> To me, Shields has a much more dangerous guard for GSP than Diaz. He wont try many subs from his back, if any, but he's apparently got freakish grappling strength and almost ALWAYS reverses his opponent and ends up on top - controlling them and winning the round. THAT'S what GSP wanted no part of. I don't think he was scared of being subbed or pounded out by Jake at all.
> 
> Diaz on the other hand will be throwing up multiple sub attempts, but GSP is way too careful to get caught and way too strong to get reversed. GSP will not bang with Nick on the feet. Diaz is going to need to come up with something revolutionary in his game to stop the takedown or GSP is just going out-position him for 5 rounds on the mat.


thats true but come on...constant subs will always have a chance of sinking in, no matter how good your sub defense is, especially for 25 mins, thats why its interesing, GSP not being able to finish guys is a serious problem for him

though GSP probably wont even let him attempt any subs, he will most likely just lay on top of him with minimal space between them...but whats interesting is will the ref let that go?

maybe enough boos, or depending on the ref we get more stand-ups and thats always dangerous for GSP in this case

no1 can deny this fight isnt interesting


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## osmium (Mar 6, 2007)

I think GSP has regressed in his striking by focusing way too much on his boxing(which really isn't very good). He will find more success with kicks against Nick than punches and since GSP has mediocre defense he should want to stay out of the range of Diaz and his volume punching.


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## Breadfan (Jan 3, 2008)

Very well written. I do think this will be the hardest fight GSP has had in UFC thus far. 

I'm not necessarily saying that GSP will lose for sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if he does.


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## Pound&Mound (Dec 10, 2007)

Nick is great and all but he's fought no wrestlers with good BJJ defense in strikeforce. He lost to Diego Sanchez FFS who has shitty wrestling to begin with. GSP by wide unanimous decision.


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## gigogreco (Nov 10, 2010)

diaz has always had height and reach advantage. 

Plus he loves to fight, that mentality of his, is a winner in itself.

he starts slowly, as he tries to read his opponets and get a sense of distance. He knows that his opponents have to "travel" further and be more explosive to land their strikes, this will cause anyone to lose stamina. He uses pitter pat punches, always trying to maintain that distance. He is managing the distance really good and thus the fight can be fought at his high pace andn hisn choice of distance

his opponent will always feel that diaz is within his range and they are slighly out of theirs. Tehy are at the end of his jab, a punch other mma´ers dont use enough

with a loss of explosiveness and feeling more tired, the opponent will slowly crumble mentally, as diaz lands and they miss. They hesitate and doubt, while diaz at this point thnrives and steps up.

He doesnt mind staying in the pocket either, but seems to do this more , when his oppoment is tired or hurt. He likes to throw down, as he is a natural born fighter. This mentality of wanting to fight, again stresses the opponnent.

and last but not least, he has the chin to complete this style. Should he be floored, he has the skills to stall or even submit you.

his style simple fucks with your stamina, if the fight stays standing.


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## Big_Charm (Jan 7, 2011)

I wish I could spread more rep Mckeever, I have to share first 

Great thread. There's great points, however...

I still see GSP dominating this fight. It's going to be nasty and I cannot wait!

Also, loving the sig.... Game of Thrones :thumb02:


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## Squirrelfighter (Oct 28, 2009)

Diaz definitely has the better hands by a wide, wide margin. Aside from a good ranging jab, GSP's hands have never looked spectacular. Whereas (as much as I dislike him) Diaz's hands have almost always looked spectacular. 

Diaz's biggest weakness in this fight isn't his TDD which has always been notoriously bad. Its his weakness to leg kicks. In the fight with Santos I can count on one hand the number of leg kicks he checked. This is, as the OP said, mostly because of his stance, but also partially (IMO) because of the Stockton mentality of "you ain't shit, you can't hurt me."

When it comes to takedown defense we all know the story of everyone GSP has ever fought who doesn't have fantastic takedown defense. This fight is going to look like a much closer version of the Thiago Alves fight. If it becomes anything else I'll be flabergasted.

Also: The Shotokan comparison? That is so off its silly. Diaz is like Machida because they both control range and goad people into attacks. So does every other counter-striker in the history of the sport.


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## BobbyCooper (Oct 26, 2009)

I've just finished reading this silly article.. well until the Machida-Shotokan comparision OMG!! This must be the most ignorant thing I have ever read so far!

I won't even bother picking out all these terrible arguments.. it would take me forever!!

GSP is a complete striker actually and Diaz is just a below average Boxer.

GSP MMA striking >>>>>>>>> Diaz silly Boxing without any Defense what so ever!!!!


Also Taunts I am how stupid?? 

You need set ups in this Sport!! Watch Anderson Silva or Lyoto Machida figth and you see how you can hit an opponent without them even knowing what you gonna do next. 

This is striking not Taunt your opponent into somthing.. no one other then cans and guys with low braincells will fall for this.


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## Breadfan (Jan 3, 2008)

BobbyCooper said:


> I've just finished reading this silly article.. well until the Machida-Shotokan comparision OMG!! This must be the most ignorant thing I have ever read so far!
> 
> I won't even bother picking out all these terrible arguments.. it would take me forever!!
> 
> ...



You sound very biased here. Please understand that even if GSP is your favorite fighter and in the event that he's the best fighter in the world, it doesn't mean he's the best at every single thing. His boxing is fine, but saying that Diaz's boxing is below average is silly, given his history as a pro boxer, training with Andre Ward  in the past and such.

I'm not hating, Bobby, and I know you're going to go crazy on me since it seems you prefer confidence over reason, but Diaz's boxing alone is better than GSPs boxing.


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## BobbyCooper (Oct 26, 2009)

Breadfan said:


> You sound very biased here. Please understand that even if GSP is your favorite fighter and in the event that he's the best fighter in the world, it doesn't mean he's the best at every single thing. His boxing is fine, but saying that Diaz's boxing is below average is silly, given his history as a pro boxer, training with Andre Ward  in the past and such.
> 
> I'm not hating, Bobby, and I know you're going to go crazy on me since it seems you prefer confidence over reason, but Diaz's boxing alone is better than GSPs boxing.


I'm not even a GSP Fan. 

GSP is in actual striker.. Diaz is just a silly below average Boxer who almost always gets Knocked Out.

Watch some Nick Diaz fights.. like Santos for example. The guy destroyed his legs and won easily standing up before he gassed out.

How can people not see this????? Is beyond me!!!!!!!

Every silly Boxer will get beat to a pump against a skiller, Kickboxer-Muay Thai-Karatea like GSP is.


People should educate themself before they write a silly article like that.


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## osmium (Mar 6, 2007)

Diaz is a brawler not a boxer. The art of boxing is based on defense not having a great chin.


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## slapshot (May 4, 2007)

BobbyCooper said:


> I'm not even a GSP Fan, I'm a Diaz hater! You have to realize my posts are tainted by my dislikes.
> 
> GSP is in actual striker.. Diaz is just a silly below average Boxer who almost always gets Knocked Out.
> 
> ...


Edited for honesty.


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## No_Mercy (Oct 17, 2006)

Damn what did I just read; a novel. Crazy breakdown. 

Like the part about Aldo slipping with his feet planted. That's skills right there...remember him slipping all of Hominicks' punches left and right. 

GSP has excellent conditioning, BJJ from Renzo/Danaher and Roger Gracie, better boxing coach (Roach), Muay Thai coach (Phil Nurse), strategist (Greg Jackson), and trainer (Firaz.) GSP will slam em repeatedly and grind em away trying very hard to TKO or submit Diaz. He's gonna leg kick Diaz to death, pepper em with jabs, do side kicks, and land the superman combo at will. I already see it. 

At the end unless Diaz gets submitted or somehow TKOed we are going to see a very bloody fight guaranteed. If there's one person he can KO it's Nick Diaz his strength isn't even comparable. GSP is too strong, too fast, too athletic. Although I respect Diaz, GSP is BETTER at all aspects.


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## BobbyCooper (Oct 26, 2009)

No_Mercy said:


> Damn what did I just read; a novel. Crazy breakdown.
> 
> Like the part about Aldo slipping with his feet planted. That's skills right there...remember him slipping all of Hominicks' punches left and right.
> 
> ...


Nice :thumbsup:

Finally somebody who is not a Diaz FanBoy and actually knows who GSP and Diaz is. 

Everybody who has seen either one fight before, is able to write this Post right here.

But no.. people never can lay down their bias.

This is a truthful breakdown and shows that Diaz has no advantage at all over the p4p great!


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## Soojooko (Jun 4, 2009)

BobbyCooper said:


> Nice :thumbsup:
> 
> Finally somebody who is not a Diaz FanBoy and actually knows who GSP and Diaz is.
> 
> ...


Not many people have got Diaz winning. Your problem, bob, is that if anybody gives Diaz more than zero percent chance, you call them biased and clueless. Its like there is no grey area. If I say I think Diaz has a small chance of winning, you respond like I said, "Diaz is gonna crush GSP into a puddle of maple syrup".

Its madness trying to have a conversation with you... but, if I'm honest... I like it.


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## slapshot (May 4, 2007)

No_Mercy said:


> Damn what did I just read; a novel. Crazy breakdown.
> 
> Like the part about Aldo slipping with his feet planted. That's skills right there...remember him slipping all of Hominicks' punches left and right.
> 
> ...


I disagree, if there is anyone GSP cant finish its Diaz, the man has a granit chin and will throw in high volume and wilt GSP in every exchange and GSP will need to take Nick down to win and thats as close to a fact as you can get in MMA where you can never be 100% sure until its over.


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## Iuanes (Feb 17, 2009)

The problem with the article is that purports to be about MMA striking but isolates the striking game so that we're basically talking about Diaz's chances in a K1 fight against GSP.

Its been said before, and it a happens all the time in GSP fights, is that the threat of his shot amplifies the effectiveness of his striking game. You can't talk about jabs and hooks and leg kicks without considering the shot as a type of strike.

Diaz has an advantage over GSPs other opponents in that he has reach, great boxing, and isn't going to commit to a silly power shot. The thing is, his takedown defense is poor enough that GSP could shoot from outside and probably work a takedown.

Also, any talk about cardio and taunting are irrelevant when talking about GSP. GSP has a great tank himself, we can split hairs about whose is better, but I think we can say neither one is going to gas. As for the taunting, GSP doesnt go in for that kind of stuff. We all know that.

Also, the article talks about how Diaz was susceptible to leg kicks, only the opponent who used it against him gassed. OK. So what if GSP leg kicks Diaz, is he going to gas? No.

And for an article dealing with 'MMA striking' its surprising to find so little about kicks. For all his reach, Diaz can be out ranged if GSP decides to work in the legs, and one thing GSP definitely is superior in to Diaz is his diversity of MMA strikes. Also, I don;t think GSP has too much to fear if he Diaz catches a kick, I really think TDD defense and wrestling are too good for this to even matter.


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## BobbyCooper (Oct 26, 2009)

Soojooko said:


> Not many people have got Diaz winning. Your problem, bob, is that if anybody gives Diaz more than zero percent chance, you call them biased and clueless. Its like there is no grey area. If I say I think Diaz has a small chance of winning, you respond like I said, "Diaz is gonna crush GSP into a puddle of maple syrup".
> 
> Its madness trying to have a conversation with you... but, if I'm honest... I like it.


You're so wrong here Soojo.. just look below :sarcastic12:



slapshot said:


> I disagree, if there is anyone GSP cant finish its Diaz, the man has a granit chin and will throw in high volume and wilt GSP in every exchange and GSP will need to take Nick down to win and thats as close to a fact as you can get in MMA where you can never be 100% sure until its over.


Diaz cuts like a knife dude.. watch some Nick Diaz and GSP fights before you post.


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## Soojooko (Jun 4, 2009)

BobbyCooper said:


> You're so wrong here Soojo.. just look below :sarcastic12:
> 
> 
> 
> Diaz cuts like a knife dude.. watch some Nick Diaz and GSP fights before you post.


The vast majority think GSP will win the fight. At least, thats the impression I'm getting. Hell, I'm one of them.


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## BobbyCooper (Oct 26, 2009)

Soojooko said:


> The vast majority think GSP will win the fight. At least, thats the impression I'm getting. Hell, I'm one of them.


But still it seems like I am the only one who thinks that this is a Pointless fight..

people actually voted to see this Fight instead of Silva. 


It's beyond me Imagination!!


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## slapshot (May 4, 2007)

Soojooko said:


> The vast majority think GSP will win the fight. At least, thats the impression I'm getting. Hell, I'm one of them.


Bobbies just being difficult as usual.


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## Soojooko (Jun 4, 2009)

BobbyCooper said:


> But still it seems like I am the only one who thinks that this is a Pointless fight..
> 
> people actually voted to see this Fight instead of Silva.
> 
> ...


There you go Bobs. When you use the word "think", its much nicer! 

Ok, I agree. As much as I think GSP will win, I am curious to see the fight. I dont think its pointless. It needs to happen regardless of chances. Because if GSP wins, its another chapter closed and we wont have the constant wondering from Diaz fans as to his chances against GSP. StPierre needs to properly clean out the division. Doesn't matter if you or I think the fights are pointless. They still need to happen.


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## BobbyCooper (Oct 26, 2009)

Soojooko said:


> There you go Bobs. When you use the word "think", its much nicer!
> 
> Ok, I agree. As much as I think GSP will win, I am curious to see the fight. I dont think its pointless. It needs to happen regardless of chances. Because if GSP wins, its another chapter closed and we wont have the constant wondering from Diaz fans as to his chances against GSP. StPierre needs to properly clean out the division. Doesn't matter if you or I think the fights are pointless. They still need to happen.


LOL Diaz isn't even top 10 yet.. hasn't beat anybody relevant in this World.

Would lose against every decent UFC WW..


ITS A STUPID FIGHT JUST LIKE HARDY!!

Don't you see the similarities in these fights??


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## Soojooko (Jun 4, 2009)

BobbyCooper said:


> Don't you see the similarities in these fights??


No, I don't. Outline them for me.:confused02:


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## BobbyCooper (Oct 26, 2009)

Soojooko said:


> No, I don't. Outline them for me.:confused02:


Thats why I hate MMA Fans.. They buy into silly Hype and need years to educate themself.

People actually think JBJ is a better standup fighter then Shogun :confused05: How Stupid are MMA Fans??


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## Breadfan (Jan 3, 2008)

BobbyCooper said:


> Diaz cuts like a knife dude..


And GSP bleeds when he gets hit (which just so happens isn't very often since he's not a boxer, more of a LnP GnP jitsu artist. 

Maybe this fight will end by doctor stoppage?


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## Soojooko (Jun 4, 2009)

BobbyCooper said:


> Thats why I hate MMA Fans.. They buy into silly Hype and need years to educate themself.
> 
> People actually think JBJ is a better standup fighter then Shogun :confused05: How Stupid are MMA Fans??


Dude. You said there were similarities between the Dan Hardy and Nick Diaz title shots. I asked you to explain... and I get this in return. What kind of debate is that?

Learn some diplomacy Bob. It'll make things easier.


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## Breadfan (Jan 3, 2008)

Soojooko said:


> Dude. You said there were similarities between the Dan Hardy and Nick Diaz title shots. I asked you to explain... and I get this in return. What kind of debate is that?
> 
> Learn some diplomacy Bob. It'll make things easier.


This guy's a very successful troll, or as I said before, someone who chooses confidence over reason.


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## BobbyCooper (Oct 26, 2009)

Breadfan said:


> And GSP bleeds when he gets hit (which just so happens isn't very often since he's not a boxer, more of a LnP GnP jitsu artist.
> 
> Maybe this fight will end by doctor stoppage?


You just don't know what you are talking about.

GSP has some of the best GnP in the MMA World. 

Diaz had multiple surgeries on his eyebrow.. of course this fight will end via doctor stoppage.



Soojooko said:


> Dude. You said there were similarities between the Dan Hardy and Nick Diaz title shots. I asked you to explain... and I get this in return. What kind of debate is that?
> 
> Learn some diplomacy Bob. It'll make things easier.


And I just answered you. You need to learn to read between the lines or is that a little too much for you? Maybe you are starting to get dementia already?!

Both guys are Hyped up to death.. and non of them has actually beat a top guy yet to deserve this fight with GSP. 

Thats what I am talking about here.


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## Soojooko (Jun 4, 2009)

BobbyCooper said:


> And I just answered you. You need to learn to read between the lines or is that a little too much for you? Maybe you are starting to get dementia already?!
> 
> Both guys are Hyped up to death.. and non of them has actually beat a top guy yet to deserve this fight with GSP.
> 
> Thats what I am talking about here.


Read between the lines? What the f*uck does that mean? That I should try and de-scramble your inane ramblings into coherent English?

So, the FACT that Diaz and Hardy have COMPLETELY different skill sets means nothing, right? They are both hyped, and therefore exactly the same fight. What a load of cobblers.


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## BobbyCooper (Oct 26, 2009)

Soojooko said:


> Read between the lines? What the f*uck does that mean? That I should try and de-scramble your inane ramblings into coherent English?
> 
> So, the FACT that Diaz and Hardy have COMPLETELY different skill sets means nothing, right? They are both hyped, and therefore exactly the same fight. What a load of cobblers.


Get some common sense man!!

Both are hyped up as being Number 1 contenders.. It's completely bullshit all over again!!

Read between the lines means? You should know what that means lol


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## Soojooko (Jun 4, 2009)

BobbyCooper said:


> Get some common sense man!!
> 
> Both are hyped up as being Number 1 contenders.. It's completely bullshit all over again!!
> 
> Read between the lines means? You should know what that means lol


Common sense? Oh, the irony.


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## Squirrelfighter (Oct 28, 2009)

BobbyCooper said:


> I've just finished reading this silly article.. well until the Machida-Shotokan comparision OMG!! This must be the most ignorant thing I have ever read so far!
> 
> I won't even bother picking out all these terrible arguments.. it would take me forever!!
> 
> ...


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## oldfan (Mar 14, 2010)

> Join Date: Oct 2009
> Location: Germany
> Posts: 7,087
> Credits: 255.10
> ...


so... basically you two have the same argument every fight.

Bobby declares that someone has zero chance then sookie says there's always a chance then bobby starts insulting anyone who doesn't agree with him. they are casuals who need to be educated (by him)

Bobby, it's kind of cute when you let your love of Machida blind you to reason, reality and common courtesy. Not so much when it's hate for another fighter or just plain arrogance that you somehow know more than anyone else.

No, I haven't forgotten that you called the Sonnen/Silva fight perfectly. I also haven't forgotten that you declared that Nick had ZERO chance against Daley and insulted anyone who disagreed.

read between those lines bob.


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## ArcherCC (Dec 12, 2010)

The biggest problem is Diaz's defensive boxing is utter shit, his whole defensive plan is taunt them into punching him in the head....nothing else just taunting them and getting hit in the head. Does he have a hard head? Yes, does that matter? No, enough punches to the head and your done, unless your Fujita of course but only the Reem could break old Iron Head.


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## oldfan (Mar 14, 2010)

ArcherCC said:


> The biggest problem is Diaz's defensive boxing is utter shit, his whole defensive plan is taunt them into punching him in the head....nothing else just taunting them and getting hit in the head. Does he have a hard head? Yes, does that matter? No, enough punches to the head and your done, unless your Fujita of course but only the Reem could break old Iron Head.


The OP addressed that extensively. What did you think?


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## Mckeever (Apr 26, 2009)

Bobby Cooper, you are some thing else.


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