Neither the UFC’s Nate Diaz nor Strikeforce’s Nick Diaz are strangers to controversy. In fact, the Diaz brothers are two of the most polarizing individuals in the sport, which usually stems from the fact that both men are skilled competitors while also being bad-boys that aren’t afraid to do or say controversial things. In a new interview, Nate Diaz recently blasted the state of judging in MMA and added fuel to a fire that’s already raging. Here are all the details.
In a new interview with Heavy.com, Diaz said the following: “…If [your opponent] takes you down and lands in your closed guard and gets punched in the head forty times, is he still ahead on points? If you’re on top, you’re winning, and I think it’s ridiculous… In order to be a good UFC fighter or cage fighter I guess I’ve got to learn how to win the rounds. You’ve got to not fight… Apparently I’ve got to grab him and hold him, otherwise he’ll just grab and hold me… Maybe I don’t need to work on my wrestling. Maybe I just need to do the wrestling and not the fighting.”
I find myself both agreeing with and taking issue with what Diaz says, which honestly doesn’t surprise me given how many different sides there are to the “judging in MMA debate”. So let’s start from the top and work our way down.
First off, I’ve never had a problem with dominant wrestlers fighting to a decision. I enjoy a good KO as much as anybody, but some fighters just aren’t built that way. You can be taught effective striking, you can even get a few (T)KO’s on your record, but the simple fact of the matter is that only a select few MMA fighters have that real, vicious KO power that everyone loves to see. It’s a rare trait, and that’s usually why those who have it and use it to its fullest extent end up being so famous. So my point is this: don’t tell a fighter to finish a fight, because as competitive as MMA is today, that’s a pretty hard thing to do.
But here’s the distinction so few fans are willing to make nowadays: there’s a difference between dominant wrestlers and wrestlers who hold their opponents to score points. That’s the kind of fighting style that Diaz is decrying, and that’s something I honestly agree with. In his fight with Diaz, Dong Hyun Kim seemed downright afraid to strike with him, and proceeded to mostly hold Diaz in position, defend submission attempts, and land barely-damaging shots. Like so many other fighters nowadays, “Stun Gun” showed up to win, he didn’t show up to fight. That’s a terrible mentality for this kind of spectator sport even if it’s a very smart mentality to have as a fighter. Kim played it cautiously in order to win, he didn’t care what the fans thought of his performance, and ultimately, he won the fight but lost the respect of many fans, including me.
Here’s the last I’ll say on this subject: Diaz’s rant was probably motivated by some “sour grapes”, but that shouldn’t discredit what Diaz is saying. Just because both Diaz brothers have always had problems with wrestlers shouldn’t magically invalidate their opinion on the subject. I’ll be the first to admit that both Nick and Nate really need to work on their takedown defense, but I won’t pretend like that immediately disqualifies them from having their say on this fiercely-debated topic. Ultimately, Diaz is preaching to the choir. Sadly, no one seems to be listening.
And what about you, fans and friends? What’s your take on Diaz’s remarks?
Despite All Eyes on Brother Nick, UFC 125 Gets Nate Diaz vs. “Stun Gun” Kim in Pivotal Welterweight Showdown
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Bullshit. Nate Diaz Won that fight. I’ll watch nate diaz fights anytime.
nate is absolutely right. nate did more damage. the only reason he gets taken down is because he is out there actually fighting and that leaves you open to take downs. it’s fighting, not wrestling. these wrestlers should take up wrestling and not MMA. if they aren’t cut out for MMA then why are they in the sport, exploiting the judging system. if you wrestle then you need to follow up with some ground and pound or submit them. if you just wrestle for control then get out of the sport. who really feels that kim won a FIGHT? sure he “controlled” him by laying on him. but if you watch the fight nate spent the whole time trying to sub him. he could have stood up but he wanted to finish him. unfortunately, the guy on top, doing jack shit, wins the round.
Hi, Tracy. You do realize that there is such thing as intelligent street fighting where lots of friends with various skills (boxing, karate, fencing, kung fu, using a sharp yell as an attack, dirty fighting and experience) teach each other what they know. It’s very similar to what Bruce Lee taught, though Bruce Lee gave it a fancy name.
@Guillermo Lande
“Brawling/street fighting is, of course, a legitimate martial art.” huh? tank abbott dojutsu is the name of street fighting martial arts then i guess.. street/brawling is NOT a martial art! it is what thugs & hillbillies do to pass the time after a few beers. no honor & no sense. kimbotsu
I agree with the stuff Nate Diaz said in general about the point system, scoring and judging. However, in that particular fight Nate Diaz seemed like a drunk hillbilly fighting compared to his opponent. His opponent used intelligent, tight and complicated technique while Nate mostly brawled.
Brawling/street fighting is, of course, a legitimate martial art. But I don’t think the judges got that fight wrong at all.
Remember that recent nam pham fight where nam pham used excellent technique, and his opponent had technique so bad you could see his attacks coming seconds in advance (nam’s opponent stomped the ground–ballestra–before almost every attack). In the Nam Pham fight there’s an example of judges stupidly thinking clumsy, ineffective strikes score better than good and effective complicated technique.
Pff, he got dominated until round 3, **** Diaz’ bros, the think they are scary and shit.
Nate is right…fighters should go in to win the fight through fighting..not holding their opponent or just trying to wrestle them on to the floor to do **** all there!!! The Diaz brothers are the real deal!!!