I thought he was excellent, both his boxing and BJJ. He owned Gomi on the feet then dominated him on the ground, quite a performance. 155 is clearly the best place for Nate. I'd like to see him get a top 10 fighter next to see if he can crack that level, maybe someone like Jim Miller. (I was thinking after this fight though - if Nick & Nate are so comfortable on the feet, how come Jake Shields always looks like a fish out of water there, if they are in the same team and train together all the time?)
Me too.. I'm trying to play matchmaker as I type this out, and I feel a rematch with Melvin Guillard is warranted.. Jim Miller is coming off a loss, and I think Nate deserves a higher ranked opponent. As for Jake Shields, some got it.. Some don't. I really cant' tell you why his striking isn't as much of a threat like Melendez and the Diaz brothers. He looks a little unsure of himself in the midst of going toe to toe.. All those straights from the Diaz brothers in sparring don't help his confidence either.
Nate Diaz was as if he could've fought a gauntlet of Gomi's. Not on his ****ing level, even slightly. Makes you wonder how the **** this guy was bested by Kim, Rory (although Rory is a ****ing beast) and such.
Those guys are just substantially stronger than him in the wrestling department. He is better at lightweight, as long as he doesn't have trouble cutting.
Kim is huge, Gomi is tiny. Rory is much larger than Gomi and can do everything, while Gomi can only load up and hope for a KO.
Gomi was utterly hopeless, which made Diaz look better. No head movement and constantly lunging in and leaving his hands low. I think Diaz is semi relevant in the division. In terms of top ten idk, I still think he'd struggle with wrestlers with tough top games like Maynard, Sherk, Bendo, Guida, Miller etc. I don't think his striking is dynamic and varied enough to beat Guillard, Edgar, Cerrone or Pettis either. I'd put him in with a gatekeeper like Tibau and see how he does.
Because some people have zero natural ability to strike , and Sheilds is one of them , granted , if you walk into a gym nobody expects you to be a bonified striker in 6 months , but you need a certain degree of natural ability , i.e. physical strength , the ability to correctly transfer weight through your legs , the ability to pivot at the right time etc etc , Sheilds doesnt understand any of the fundamentals of striking and never will , thats my take on it anyway , a little similar to Lesnar in that sense , its just completley alien to him . Nate Diaz has always impressed me , but the guy cant wrestle , thats a flaw in his game he's always going to have , he's basically a younger clone of Nick , they have exactly the same style , difference being , Nick left the UFC when the going got tough i.e. he lost a few close ' ish decisions , Nate didnt , he stuck it out and has suffered because of it , in terms of exposure etc etc , whilst Nick has built up a resume of B level fighters (in impressive fashion one must admit) to get where he is today . Nate will come out the other end a better for it IMHO but he'll always be outwrestled by the monsters @55 , Sherk , Edgar , Maynard , Guida , and the likes ............... Diaz vs Guillard / Lauzon winner would be a good fight for the fans , and i think Diaz would take that fight in a heartbeat
I think Diaz would submit both of these guys , Cerrone has zero wrestling , his stand up while technically excellent , can be penetrated by a walk forward style fighter like Diaz , Cerrone is very capable off his back but isnt in Nate's league in terms of JJ Pettis Diaz would be an epic fight and id love to see it , partially because i like Diaz , and i dont like seeing a talented fighter like Diaz being swarmed and stuffed out in a glorified wrestling match by dominant wrestlers , this is a fight that would elevate his exposure and a fight i think he'd win