SAN JOSE, Calif. – Once again, Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz (24-7 MMA, 5-0 SF) stood toe-to-toe with his opponent, talking trash and firing jabs with reckless abandon.
Once again, Diaz had his hand raised at the end of the conflict.
And with Diaz’s current win streak now at nine-straight fights, the question immediately becomes, “What’s next?” The fiery Californian said he’s done squashing beef. For now, just bring him whomever will pay the bills.
“Sometimes you get into some conflict, and that’s happened to me more than once, and so now everybody feels that I’ve gone and matured and grown up or something,” Diaz said on Saturday night. “But that’s just the way fighting is. If you’re going to make it personal, then it’s really going to be a personal thing. It’s already personal; the guy that wins is going to make more money.”
Diaz made his full paycheck on Saturday night, earning an impressive second-round submission win over longtime Brazilian veteran Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos (18-14 MMA, 1-2 SF) in the main event of the Showtime-broadcast “Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Shields” event in San Jose, Calif.
There wasn’t much heated discussion leading into the fight – a bit of a rarity when it comes to Diaz fights – and some MMA observers questioned the validity of Santos’ position in a world title fight. Diaz, who absorbed 34 vicious leg strikes from Santos according to a CompuStrike report, said he never doubted the Brazilian’s abilities.
“He’s a really worthy opponent,” Diaz said. “It’s not like he’s some joke or something.
“He came down to 170; it’s probably the biggest guy I’ve fought at 170 pounds, and he was strong. He’s got really big legs (and) big feet, and he kicks really hard – harder than anybody else that I had ever sparred in kickboxing with.”
But after several spirited exchanges on the feet over the course of nearly two full rounds, Diaz needed just moments on the ground to lock in a fight-ending armbar in the closing moments of the second frame. The finish was preceded by a very Diaz-like 66 successful arm strikes, and the champion said the entire process was just as he had envisioned.
“I did see him taking me down from eating too many punches and getting tired and rushing for a takedown,” Diaz said. “I did figure I’d be able to ladder up and finish an armlock or a triangle choke on a guy like that.”
As with any title win, potential future matchups became an immediate point of discussion at the evening’s post-fight press conference. With K.J. Noons recently vanquished and Jason “Mayhem” Miller apparently unwilling to concede any weight in order to fight, Diaz may be out of natural rivals.
However, with undefeated prospect Tyron Woodley continuing his fast ride up the welterweight track, the wrestling ace may soon find himself in an enviable position.
Diaz insists he’s not trying to stir up any trouble, but he said he’s not been blown away by what he’s seen thus far with Woodley.
“I don’t want to talk bad about anybody,” Diaz said. “I don’t have anything about him that impresses me. I don’t know much about him. I hear he’s a wrestler. So now that I hear he’s a wrestler, it’s whatever.
“I’m sure he’s got a lot of potential. Anybody that makes it in here to fight in Strikeforce has got a lot of potential. That’s the best thing I’m going to be able to say about anybody wanting to fight me.”
By virtue of his December win over Scott Smith, British slugger Paul Daley has also entered title talk, and his strike-first style would likely provide a fan-friendly contest with the champ. In typical fashion, Diaz sees few potential challenges in the potential contest.
“I see me putting punches on him, and maybe him taking me down, too, and getting caught in a choke,” Diaz said. “He could run from me, and I could run him down, take him down, and beat him on the ground. I don’t know. I could see that fight going a lot of different ways. I’m not really impressed with Paul Daley as a mixed martial artist.
“I’m sure he knows what’s going to happen if he steps in there to fight me. All they can really do is try to down-talk me and minimize what I’ve done in the past and what I might do to them.”
Strikeforce does have a few other options. Jorge Masvidal has competed at welterweight, and Tarec Saffiedine was also on a nice run before recently falling to Woodley.
Diaz said he’s uninterested in making challenges. Instead, he’ll return home and just wait for the phone to ring.
“I’m just here to fight,” Diaz said. “I fight for Showtime, and I have a manager. It’s whatever.”
