I don’t want to go into too much detail about how I personally feel about Nick Diaz’s five year suspension handed to him by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for smoking weed. But just to touch on it briefly, I will say that I share the same feelings towards this case with the majority of the MMA community. Ariel Helwani said it best on the September 17th episode of “The MMA Beat,” “As the days go on as I begin to digest this news more and more, I really truly believe that this was the most disgusting act ever associated with mixed martial arts.” I’ll just leave it at that.
This article is not about how I feel about the court ruling or about NSAC. I could go on for hours about how unfairly the commission handled this case but I am not going to do that, at least for right now. Instead, I want to turn the attention to Nick Diaz. If this is truly the end of Nick Diaz’s career, what will he be remembered for? What legacy has Nick Diaz left for not only the sport of MMA but for the world of sports in general? When Nick Diaz’s name is brought up in 1000 years by now by aliens observing our “ancient” artifacts, what will he be remembered for?
In order to start answering some of these questions, I’d like to take some time to get personal. First things first. Nick Diaz is and always will be my favorite fighter. To me, Nick Diaz was (if he is done fighting) one of the best true mixed martial artists to ever compete in this sport. He could light you up like a Christmas tree on the feet with his high volume, aggressive boxing but when fights got to the ground, he could submit you while either on top position or most notably while on his back with his dangerous guard. Pair this fighting style with Nick Diaz’s “give no f**ks” attitude and you get a truly mesmerizing figure in MMA. The only other fighter who could trigger the same types of reactions as Nick Diaz was his younger brother, Nate. I vividly remember watching Nick Diaz highlights from various promotions before making his return to the UFC, a return that would eventually lead Nick to a title shot against his rival, Georges St-Pierre. The clips in these highlight videos included the demolishing of Marius Zaromskis and Frank Shamrock in Strikeforce, the armbar Diaz latched onto Evangelista Santos from the guard after being leg-kicked to oblivion for the first round, the Gogoplata Diaz caught Takanori Gomi with in Pride, and so on and so forth. That’s what I will always remember Nick Diaz for and I’m sure some might agree with me.
When it comes to the majority of the MMA fanbase, their views on Nick Diaz and his legacy will probably differ from mine. When the majority of people look back at Nick Diaz’s career, they will likely remember his second stint in the UFC. They will remember Wolf Tickets, “Where you at, Georges?,” the “Diaz 1, 2, 5” Movement, his knack for ditching press conferences, his in-cage antics (ie Diaz vs Silva at UFC 183), among other things. The more casual and even some hardcore MMA fans will remember Diaz not for his fighting but more for his tactics outside the cage. That’s not a bad thing. It’s what made Nick who he is. Diaz always presented himself as a slightly socially awkward outcast but for some reason always knew what to say on the mic to increase interest in his fights. And the best part is that none of this was fabricated. He wasn’t Chael Sonnen. He wasn’t Conor McGregor. When it came to Nick Diaz, what you saw was what you got. Most MMA fans will remember Nick Diaz as a fighter who spoke his mind and didn’t give a damn about what people thought.
How Nick Diaz was able to build such a large fanbase and capture the eyes of thousands of viewers will always be a mystery. He was never built for fame but somehow, Nick Diaz became one of the most captivating figures in all of MMA. Whether you remember Diaz for his fights or his outside the cage personality, there is no question that Nick Diaz left a dent in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts that can never be replaced by another fighter. And if you disagree with me, I got four words for you, “Don’t be scared, homie.”
technicalelbows 