Monday Morning Reverie: Head Scratching
Mike Sloan May 12, 2008
Is there anybody in the room willing to stand up and explain to me
why Nick Diaz (Pictures) isn't one of the most marketed
and popular fighters in the sport of mixed martial arts?
I don't expect him to be at the level of Chuck Liddell (Pictures) or Randy Couture (Pictures). But aside from the MMA diehards, the native of Stockton, Calif., seems to toil in relative obscurity. That baffles my mind beyond explanation.
For starters, the Cesar
Gracie (Pictures)-trained fighter has some of the
sport's slickest jiu-jitsu. His boxing arsenal also ranks among the
top of the heap, and though his striking isn't on par with Anderson Silva's, his technique
bests at least 95 percent of MMA's combatants.
And most importantly, which is quite bizarre, he's been a participant of some of the greatest, most exciting fights the sport has ever seen, particularly in the UFC. Whether he won, lost or got robbed of a decision, it wasn't rare for him to nab UFC fight of the night honors.
I haven't been able to put my finger on why Diaz is shunned by the bulk of MMA fans in America. Granted, he hasn't fought in the UFC since November 2006, and his last fights in the Octagon weren't promoted to the extent of main card bouts, but there has to be some sort of lingering reason why Diaz isn't marketed as much as many of his peers.
Is it because of his reported marijuana use and failed urinalysis after his unbelievable gogoplata submission of Takanori Gomi (Pictures)? Is it because his UFC record is right at .500 and his professional ledger isn't as glamorous as that of some other fighters? Is it because he wasn't a cast member on any seasons of Zuffa's reality TV game show? Is it because, save for when he feels he got robbed in a fight, he isn't an overly vocal personality outside the cage?
He is arguably the most exciting fighter in the sport, yet he commands but moderate fanfare. He toppled a solid Japanese contender in Katsuya Inoue (Pictures) in dominating fashion on the Dream card this past weekend, but almost nobody in the United States saw it.
Maybe after his next fight he'll begin to really start pulling in some attention. Because regardless of whether he faces Hayato Sakurai (Pictures), Shinya Aoki (Pictures) or some alcohol-laden hobo behind Arby's, it'll be the best fight on the card.
Let's All Calm Down, Shall We?
Virtually nothing within Mother Earth's embrace is as predictable as the fight fan.
In the aftermath of hundreds of mixed martial arts events and thousands of fights, it has become effortless, if not second nature, to almost directly quote imminent "expert" blog analyses, myopic e-mails and cluttered chat room banter rooted firmly in kneejerk reactions.
I suggest the fight world take a collective deep breath, hold it in a while and let the performances of the fighters and the outcomes of contests marinate in its mind.
In other words: Let's calm down just a little bit, shall we?
For starters, it's time to lay to rest the absurd arguments of a Georges St. Pierre (Pictures)/Anderson Silva showdown and how great a fight it would be. I briefly touched base on this "dream fight" a few months back, and now I feel the need to squash this illogical cerebration for good.
As great a fighter as "Rush" is, he'd stand little to no chance against "Spider" and the reasoning is quite simple. Silva is the greatest all-around striker this sport has ever seen, whereas St. Pierre is not even close. GSP is probably stronger than Silva, but on the ground the Brazilian's submission prowess would nullify St. Pierre's attacks. And Silva is much too big a fighter naturally, and a great big man always beats a great small man.
So with that put into print, let's move away from this fight, as it would wind up being one of the biggest mismatches in main event history.
And since when did Anthony Johnson become a top contender at welterweight? I'm not calling this guy a bust or a chump or a flash in the pan by any means. He might become a world champion or an all-time great, but come fellas, the man has only six professional fights.
Yes, he just clobbered Tom Speer (Pictures) with a highlight-reel knockout. But didn't he lose to Rich Clementi (Pictures) in his previous fight? Haven't these same people who are already hoisting Johnson atop the 170-pound weight class forgotten about explosive though vastly inexperienced Sokoudjou, Houston Alexander (Pictures) and Chris Leben (Pictures)? Those guys were all supposed to be all-time greats and look where they are right now.
And lastly, please stop sending me 1,200 word e-mails explaining in detail how Kimbo Slice will be, without question, the heir to King Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures). Let's let the man fight a few more times first.
Misc. Debris
I remember fondly the massive hate mail I got last year when I matter-of-factly mentioned how Gomi's first-round obliteration of Mitsuhiro Ishida (Pictures) didn't really impress me. I was called every slanderous name under the sun and I was even invited to defend myself on one of the first episodes of the "Savage Dog Show."
I didn't think Ishida, even though he had scored a win over Marcus Aurelio in his previous match, was as good as everybody thought. I expected Gomi to dismantle him easily. Well, Ishida scored a good win over Gilbert Melendez (Pictures) (I'll give him that) and had his hands full with an 0-1 Bu Kyung Jung (Pictures) just before he was tapped out by the ageless Caol Uno (Pictures) on Sunday. Yes, Ishida is a good fighter, but for everybody who was in disbelief at my comments back in January '07, doesn't Gomi's win over him seem less and less impressive these days? I thought so. …
Obviously it's a little too early to label him the next great thing at lightweight/welterweight, but Eddie Alvarez (Pictures) looks like the real deal. He just took apart a tough Joachim Hansen (Pictures) en route to a unanimous decision win in one helluva fight. I'm anxious to see how Alvarez's next four fights unfold -- that's where the real litmus test begins for the kid from Philly. …
I never thought I'd say it, but I hope Affliction does well. The clothing company whose apparel is, in my opinion, so trendy that it makes my skin crawl is actually putting together an intriguing MMA event next month. The Fedor/Tim Sylvia (Pictures) fight is one thing, but to also nab perennially stiffed Matt Lindland (Pictures) as well as an alluring rematch between Pedro Rizzo (Pictures) and Josh Barnett (Pictures)? Sign me up! But please, leave the shirts that 1,000 meatheads will be pulling out of their closets at home. …
With all of these old-school fighters coming out of retirement in moves designed mostly as cash-ins while the sport is hot, there remains one fighter who has yet to resurface. What is the over/under on a resurrection of the great Joe Son? We had Oleg Taktarov, Mikey Burnett, Royce Gracie (Pictures) (to a degree) and countless others. I'm still waiting for The Son's return.
Hit me up at www.myspace.com/sherdogsloan or find me on FaceBook
I don't expect him to be at the level of Chuck Liddell (Pictures) or Randy Couture (Pictures). But aside from the MMA diehards, the native of Stockton, Calif., seems to toil in relative obscurity. That baffles my mind beyond explanation.
Advertisement
And most importantly, which is quite bizarre, he's been a participant of some of the greatest, most exciting fights the sport has ever seen, particularly in the UFC. Whether he won, lost or got robbed of a decision, it wasn't rare for him to nab UFC fight of the night honors.
Yet Diaz jumps around from organization to organization these days
with little more than a cult following. He's similar to the great
Erik Morales of boxing fame in that his immense talent coalesces
with his hunger to do whatever it takes to win, save for the fact
that "El Terrible" was an absolute superstar in his sport. Diaz is
far from one in MMA.
I haven't been able to put my finger on why Diaz is shunned by the bulk of MMA fans in America. Granted, he hasn't fought in the UFC since November 2006, and his last fights in the Octagon weren't promoted to the extent of main card bouts, but there has to be some sort of lingering reason why Diaz isn't marketed as much as many of his peers.
Is it because of his reported marijuana use and failed urinalysis after his unbelievable gogoplata submission of Takanori Gomi (Pictures)? Is it because his UFC record is right at .500 and his professional ledger isn't as glamorous as that of some other fighters? Is it because he wasn't a cast member on any seasons of Zuffa's reality TV game show? Is it because, save for when he feels he got robbed in a fight, he isn't an overly vocal personality outside the cage?
He is arguably the most exciting fighter in the sport, yet he commands but moderate fanfare. He toppled a solid Japanese contender in Katsuya Inoue (Pictures) in dominating fashion on the Dream card this past weekend, but almost nobody in the United States saw it.
Maybe after his next fight he'll begin to really start pulling in some attention. Because regardless of whether he faces Hayato Sakurai (Pictures), Shinya Aoki (Pictures) or some alcohol-laden hobo behind Arby's, it'll be the best fight on the card.
Let's All Calm Down, Shall We?
Virtually nothing within Mother Earth's embrace is as predictable as the fight fan.
In the aftermath of hundreds of mixed martial arts events and thousands of fights, it has become effortless, if not second nature, to almost directly quote imminent "expert" blog analyses, myopic e-mails and cluttered chat room banter rooted firmly in kneejerk reactions.
I suggest the fight world take a collective deep breath, hold it in a while and let the performances of the fighters and the outcomes of contests marinate in its mind.
In other words: Let's calm down just a little bit, shall we?
For starters, it's time to lay to rest the absurd arguments of a Georges St. Pierre (Pictures)/Anderson Silva showdown and how great a fight it would be. I briefly touched base on this "dream fight" a few months back, and now I feel the need to squash this illogical cerebration for good.
As great a fighter as "Rush" is, he'd stand little to no chance against "Spider" and the reasoning is quite simple. Silva is the greatest all-around striker this sport has ever seen, whereas St. Pierre is not even close. GSP is probably stronger than Silva, but on the ground the Brazilian's submission prowess would nullify St. Pierre's attacks. And Silva is much too big a fighter naturally, and a great big man always beats a great small man.
So with that put into print, let's move away from this fight, as it would wind up being one of the biggest mismatches in main event history.
And since when did Anthony Johnson become a top contender at welterweight? I'm not calling this guy a bust or a chump or a flash in the pan by any means. He might become a world champion or an all-time great, but come fellas, the man has only six professional fights.
Yes, he just clobbered Tom Speer (Pictures) with a highlight-reel knockout. But didn't he lose to Rich Clementi (Pictures) in his previous fight? Haven't these same people who are already hoisting Johnson atop the 170-pound weight class forgotten about explosive though vastly inexperienced Sokoudjou, Houston Alexander (Pictures) and Chris Leben (Pictures)? Those guys were all supposed to be all-time greats and look where they are right now.
And lastly, please stop sending me 1,200 word e-mails explaining in detail how Kimbo Slice will be, without question, the heir to King Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures). Let's let the man fight a few more times first.
Misc. Debris
I remember fondly the massive hate mail I got last year when I matter-of-factly mentioned how Gomi's first-round obliteration of Mitsuhiro Ishida (Pictures) didn't really impress me. I was called every slanderous name under the sun and I was even invited to defend myself on one of the first episodes of the "Savage Dog Show."
I didn't think Ishida, even though he had scored a win over Marcus Aurelio in his previous match, was as good as everybody thought. I expected Gomi to dismantle him easily. Well, Ishida scored a good win over Gilbert Melendez (Pictures) (I'll give him that) and had his hands full with an 0-1 Bu Kyung Jung (Pictures) just before he was tapped out by the ageless Caol Uno (Pictures) on Sunday. Yes, Ishida is a good fighter, but for everybody who was in disbelief at my comments back in January '07, doesn't Gomi's win over him seem less and less impressive these days? I thought so. …
Obviously it's a little too early to label him the next great thing at lightweight/welterweight, but Eddie Alvarez (Pictures) looks like the real deal. He just took apart a tough Joachim Hansen (Pictures) en route to a unanimous decision win in one helluva fight. I'm anxious to see how Alvarez's next four fights unfold -- that's where the real litmus test begins for the kid from Philly. …
I never thought I'd say it, but I hope Affliction does well. The clothing company whose apparel is, in my opinion, so trendy that it makes my skin crawl is actually putting together an intriguing MMA event next month. The Fedor/Tim Sylvia (Pictures) fight is one thing, but to also nab perennially stiffed Matt Lindland (Pictures) as well as an alluring rematch between Pedro Rizzo (Pictures) and Josh Barnett (Pictures)? Sign me up! But please, leave the shirts that 1,000 meatheads will be pulling out of their closets at home. …
With all of these old-school fighters coming out of retirement in moves designed mostly as cash-ins while the sport is hot, there remains one fighter who has yet to resurface. What is the over/under on a resurrection of the great Joe Son? We had Oleg Taktarov, Mikey Burnett, Royce Gracie (Pictures) (to a degree) and countless others. I'm still waiting for The Son's return.
Hit me up at www.myspace.com/sherdogsloan or find me on FaceBook
Related Articles
