Diaz Drama: Nate Wants Top Contenders, Nick Will Have to Kill KJ Noons

Neither Nick nor Nate Diaz are strangers to controversy. The brothers have been involved in bitter rivalries, post-fight brawls, and all manner of not-so-nice activities. Saying that the Diaz brothers are MMA’s premier bad boys would be an understatement. But for the first time in either man’s careers, their abilities are beginning to eclipse their bravado. Nick and Nate were always talented, but with a string of recent performances, both men are starting to get taken seriously as best-in-the-world talent. Tough tests lie ahead for both men, as Nate Diaz recently made known his intentions to fight top-tier welterweights in the UFC, while Nick’s arch-rival and next opponent recently claimed that Nick would have to kill him to beat him.

At UFC 118, Nate Diaz put on one of the best performances of his career, although it could have been his worst. Never one to let an opportunity to showboat slip by, Nate almost got TKO’d when he showboated a bit too much and left himself open to a big shot from heavy-handed striker Marcus Davis. Diaz recuperated and seemed invigorated thanks to the near-brush with disaster, and went on to pick Davis apart en route to trapping “The Irish Hand Grenade” in the modified Guillotine Choke that has become Nate’s specialty. With two straight victories over two notable Welterweight talents under his belt, Diaz wants the best and will more than likely be given the best.

But is he ready? I personally think so. I think Nate’s striking may not be on Nick’s level just yet, but it’s certainly getting there. He still can’t quite pull off the showboating like Nick can, but when his back is against the wall, more often than not he turns up the heat and clinches a victory. I’d love to see how Diaz would fare against heavy-handed strikers like Dan Hardy, Thiago Alves, or Chris Lytle. Nate keeps looking better and better at Welterweight, so I think now is the time to see if he can finally make the jump in competition and become a title contender.

For Nick’s part, he’s currently set to face arch-rival KJ Noons for the second time, this time with the strikeforce Welterweight Championship on the line. Both men hate each other so much that they took part in a well-publicized post-fight brawl in the defunct Elite XC promotion. In an interview with Strikeforce, Noons had this to say regarding the upcoming rematch: “On October 9^th, I’m fighting a guy that, if I had a kid, I wouldn’t want him looking up to. He’s a trash-talking, pot-smoking chump… Nick says he’s bringing his guys, but so am I. They’re going to need to beef up security… This is beyond a grudge match. I’m going to light him up like a Christmas tree. He’s going to have to kill me. It’s very personal.”

While I think the whole “you have to kill me to beat me” boast is so over-used that it’s completely meaningless, I also think that Noons will be a huge test for Diaz. Diaz looked unstoppable at Welterweight, but his first fight with Noons was a rarity: Noons was the one doing the picking apart. A stint in pro boxing has made KJ’s hands better, deadlier, and more technical than ever, and it’s going to be really interesting to see if Nick’s advancing skill is enough to even the score to 1-1.

I think some very interesting things are in store for the Diaz brothers. If Nate can keep winning in a division where virtually all the top stars have fought and lost convincingly to long-reigning UFC Welterweight Georges St. Pierre, I think he’s only two or three fights away from a shot at the title, so long as Georges St. Pierre wins the rematch between himself and current contender Josh Koscheck. If Nick can continue his streak of dominating wins with a (T)KO over Noons, I frankly don’t see any Strikeforce welterweight being able to beat him in the near future. It’s proving time for both brothers, but I fully believe that their time is now.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you think the future holds for Nick and Nate?