("Say, ‘DANA!’")
Strikeforce announced today that welterweight champion and Gracie jiu-jitsu black belt Nick Diaz (23-7, 1 NC) has signed a new multi-year, multi-fight deal with the San Jose, California-based promotion.
Details of deal, including the duration and whether or not the contract is non-exclusive were not released, but with the signing Diaz put to bed rumors that he was angling for a return to the UFC to compete alongside his Team Cesar Gracie teammate Jake Shields when his Strikeforce contract ran out.
“I’m looking forward to continuing my career with Strikeforce,” said the 27-year-old Stockton native. “When I first got here, there weren’t a lot of great 170-pound fighters for me to fight, but that’s definitely changed. There’s a lot of really good fighters in the division now and I’m ready to fight anyone who thinks they can beat me.”
8-0 in his past eight fights, Diaz has only lost one fight in the past two years, which was a result of a stoppage due to a cut he sustained in his first bout with KJ Noons at Elite XC: Renegade in 2007. He was released by the UFC following back-to-back wins over Josh Neer and Gleison Tibau in his last two Octagon appearances.
Diaz won the Strikeforce 170-pound strap in January when he defeated prospect Marius Zaromskis by first round TKO. He has since successfully defended the belt against Noons in their much-anticipated rematch in October that saw Diaz win via unanimous decision. In non-title action this year Diaz also finished Hayato "Mach" Sakurai by first round armbar at DREAM 14 in May.
His first bout on his new contract will see Diaz make his second title defense on January 29 against Chuteboxe fighter Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos (18-13) in the main event of the appropriately named Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg event in San Jose.
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comments@the Handsome - Tap dance, no. Pass a drug test, yes. Not get into brawls outside (or inside) the cage, yes. Show up for press conferences etc, yes.
cheers, we have our moments
... in between bong hits
at least thats when i do
'Chronic saved the best for last and easily had the most intelligent post on the entire thread. Nick got paid, "Ultimate Fighting" is stuck rematching GSP against guys he already dominated and considering Dana's Queen Bitch tendency to fire guys left and right, Strikeforce will be able to land some good free agents in the future. Shit, not only did Diaz get fired after winning two in a row he should've been signed for life after his scrap with Lawler. He entertained, he talked shit AND he stopped Ruthless. Was he supposed to tap dance, too??
I'd take the smart money too, I am so smart...S-M-R-T, S-M-R-T...
Ellenberger is no joke, and the fact that you give Nick even odds against him says (IMO) that you think Nicks no slouch. I personally think he'd beat him. I'm not sayin Nick is the best 170'er out there, but he's on everyones top 10 list. People hate on him for personal reasons. Aside from me bein a fan, I just recognize his skill set as one that could definately hang with the UFC boys. Including Martin Kampmann or Carlos Condit.
@Smitty - I'd give Ellenberger even odds against Diaz. Nick is solid, but he is not beating a Carlos Condit, or a Martin
Kampmann, or any of the 170ers at AKA. I would like to see him and Diego go at it though. Not as much as I'd like to see him and MAYHEM though.
I see EVERY 170 pounder in the UFC as a "prime" 170'er because, it's the worlds number 1 mma promotion. If Diaz was to continue to win, regardless of who he fights, it will definately get the attention of Dana. That's how this game works. People rack up wins in smaller organizations, and are eventually invited to the big show. Now whether Dana swallows his pride and invites him back remains to be seen. I don't disagree with what you said about Diazs' opponents, and that his next fight with Daley will tell us a lot, but you can't tell me with a straight face that you think ANY of those WW's you named can beat Nick............cause they can't.
Such a joke. So he gonna continue to call out people that he WILL NEVER fight. Laughable homie.
Someone said it above....he is like the 17 yr old 8th grader who thibnks he is the baddest in middle school. So sad, Nick could of went to UFC, then again he couldnt fight esay opponents and look like the sht there. At Strikeforce he can get easy fights and call out(knowing he will never fight them) the toughest mma guys in UFC.
I would of really liked to see if he could hang with the UFC guys. Obviously he cant or he would of went to the UFC, where it is knows the best of the best fight and are. But he can stick to being the big fish in the tiny pond
You're living in a fantasy land.
Exactly which prime 170er do you see the UFC dropping, and wouldn't the fact that said person got dropped by the UFC suggest they are going to do much to get someone like Diaz over as "one of the best in the world"? The best win Diaz has in his 7-fight streak is over Zaromskis, a guy who went out and got his ass kicked by a journeyman in Cyborg in his very next fight.
If Diaz can beat Daley standing, I'll given him credit for a legit win, but the UFC has every single other top-10 WW fighter, not to mention a shitload of top prospects in guys like Story, Ellenberger, Hathaway, Hendricks, Stun Gun, etc. Why would Dana want to challenge Diaz? It's not like the guy is Fedor. If anything, Diaz is going to see he needs the UFC to prove he's one of the best.
You never know UFC could have offered him a contract just big enough for SF to have to counter and pay him more then they really wanted too. there is more then one way to destroy your competition then to just take all there marketable fighters.
Because, as we all know, when Strikeforce has a potentially interesting matchup, they won't find some way to fuck it up...*COUGH* FEDOR V OVEREEM *COUGH*
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