Tag: Nate Diaz

5 Fighters To Look Out For In the last quarter of 2022

Nearing the end of 2022, we’ve had exciting fight cards, we’ve had some big knockouts, and we’ve had some big upsets. The UFC has a massive roster and is home to some of the greatest mixed martial artists. In my opinion, I have come up with 5 fighters that we should watch out for in the last part of 2022.


Nearing the end of 2022, we’ve had exciting fight cards, we’ve had some big knockouts, and we’ve had some big upsets. The UFC has a massive roster and is home to some of the greatest mixed martial artists. In my opinion, I have come up with 5 fighters that we should watch out for in the last part of 2022.

Paddy Pimblett is a British UFC Lightweight fighter who’s burst onto the scene and taken the division by storm with all 3 of his fights resulting in finishes in the early rounds. Within a short time, ‘Paddy the Baddy’ has picked up a massive following, some even suggesting it mirrors Mcgregor’s starting UFC featherweight run. He holds a record of 19 wins and 3 losses, with almost half of his wins coming via Submission, which clearly reflects his 1st-degree black belt achievement. His dominating arrival in the division has seen him awarded Performance of the Night in each fight in the UFC. He also has taken a stand on promoting mental health awareness, as it is something he holds close to his heart, and upholding a “teenage” aesthetic to appeal to and essentially influence the younger generation. He has displayed great skill in his fights. He has overcome a lot of adversity in the fight world, with his ability to drop and gain weight, weighing as much as 205lbs almost a month after his last fight, gaining notoriety and attracting trolls. Paddy has a strong friendship with Molly McCann, also a British UFC fighter in the Women’s Flyweight division, and they are admired massively by the UK UFC scene.

My next fighter is Jiri Prochazka, a Czech Light Heavyweight UFC fighter, and after a win against former LHW Champion Glover Texeira, Jiri is now the current LHW champion. Jiri has a record of 29-3-1 and has dominated all his MMA fights, with 81% of his wins coming from the 1st round. He currently sits on an 11 fight win streak in MMA and dominates his first two UFC fights against two warriors, Dominick Reyes and Volkan Oezdemir, winning by KO in the 2nd round on both occasions. He has won Performance of the Night twice in both UFC fights and Fight of the Night against Reyes. He has had 25 KO’s to his name and 3 submission victories throughout his career. His main fight style is Muay Thai, and he highlights this massively as a creative fighter within the Octagon, and his record precedes him with numerous KO victories.

Following on from Prochazka, we move to Swedish UFC welterweight fighter Khamzat Chimaev 12-0, a wrestler who has amazingly burst onto the scene. Firstly, winning 3 fights in 66 days earned him his first award in the UFC; secondly, within his first 4 UFC fights, he showed the world how dominant and skilled he was as a fighter, as he threw 254 strikes and only absorbed two. He knocked out Gerald Meerschaert in 17 seconds. He won numerous breakthrough fighter awards in 2020 from different fight reporters. He also won the award for quickest consecutive wins in modern UFC history, set at 10 days. Chimaev was scheduled to fight Nate Diaz at UFC 279 on September 10th 2022; however, come weigh-in day, chimaev came in 7lbs overweight, so his fight with Diaz was scrapped, and Kevin Holland took Nate Diaz’s place. Chimaev went on to win in dominant fashion finishing Holland via a D’Arce Choke at two minutes thirteen seconds in the first round. His previous fight against Gilbert Burns, that is what set the standard for fans watching to see how Chimaev deals with pressure during a fight. Khamzat delivered perfectly, winning via unanimous decision against Burns, scoring 29-28. He trains alongside Gustafsson in Stockholm, where Gustafsson has stated that he hasn’t met such a tough fighter as Chimaev. Most recently, Chimaev has paired up with Darren Till, which was a big shock to the MMA world, but from what it seems, they are both trainings well and learning from each other. 

The next fighter is none other than Islam Makhachev. This Russian lightweight UFC fighter has annihilated his competition, holding a 10-fight win streak, with most of the fights lasting going into the later rounds, proving his durability and having 10 submission victories in total. Training with Khabib and the Dagestani team, they all prove their durability through their intense training methods up in the mountains. Islam trains at AKA, with notable fighters such as Cain Velasquez, Daniel Cormier and Khabib. Overall in his UFC fights and in UFC history, he has the least absorbed significant strike rate per minute at 0.77, meaning his defence and skillset is top level, and the next lowest rate is 1.04 per minute. He has won Submission of the Month twice and won Fight of the Night once. He is the potential next contender for a title fight, facing Charles Oliveira. However, Dana White wants Islam to face Beneil Dariush to cement his confidence in giving him the title shot. [Although Islam Makhachev vs Charles Oliveria has been slated for October 22nd 2022, at UFC 280].

Talking of Oliveira, he is my last fighter to keep an eye on in 2022. Charles Oliveira, a Brazilian Lightweight fighter, has just come off a big submission victory over Justin Gaethje; however, it didn’t come without controversy, as Charles missed weight and relinquished the belt. However, he remains in the championship picture as the No1 contender. He holds a 33-8, with an 11-fight win streak. He has the record for the most submissions in UFC at 16 victories via Submission. He also has numerous other records, such as the most finishes set at 19, the 3rd longest LW winning streak set at 11 fights, and he holds 12 Performance of the Night awards, and the list continues. His last 3 fights have been against the top 3 LW ranked fighters, and they have grandly dominated them, submitting two and winning via TKO with the other. However, he shows great determination as he recovers quickly from knockdowns or wobbles and manages to clutch the win. He fights out of Chute Boxe in Curitiba, with previous notable fighters such as Anderson Silva, Cris Cyborg and Mauricio Rua, who will go down in the history books. His next fight has been confirmed against Islam Makhachev on October 22nd 2022, at UFC 280.

This concludes my article, and we shall see how the rest of 2022 plays out and see if any of the hype continues.

What is your thought?

georgegough999

Who will be The Baddest Motherf*cker – Diaz vs Masvidal UFC 244?


On Friday, November 2, 2019, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will be making their 500th live event at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York for UFC 244.

Headlining the event will be a welterweight bout between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz for the newly created ‘Baddest Motherf*cker’ in the game belt.

After a three-year hiatus, Nate Diaz returned on August 17th, 2019 at UFC 241, with a winning performance over Anthony Pettis reminding us (those that needed reminding), why he is regarded already as one of the ‘Baddest Motherf*ckers’ in this sport by hardcore fans.

Watching cage side was Jorge Masvidal, who by all accounts wasn’t that impressed with Nate’s performance, so when Nate called out Jorge, it was music to his ears.

Coming off a five-second win via knockout of Ben Askren, Jorge Masvidal has of late been surging through the welterweight division this year with back to back violent knockout wins, and in the process, gaining more casual MMA fans due to his aggressive winning style.

The fans and the whole MMA community were begging for this matchup to be made, and to everyone’s delight, it was confirmed that Nate Diaz would face Jorge Masvidal for the Baddest Motherf*cker belt on November 2nd, 2019 at Madison Square Garden.

With both men having similar losing records Diaz (20 wins), 11 losses, one knockout, one submission, nine decisions, and Masvidal (34 wins) 13 losses, one knockout, two submissions and ten decisions, it comes down to who is the real BMF in this sport.

Although some fans will see this fight as a submission artist in Diaz, having had 11 of his wins come via submission, and knockout artist Masvidal having had 15 of wins come via knockout – a grappler vs striker fight, this couldn’t be further than what it seems on paper.

With official early betting odds coming in as Jorge Masvidal being the favourite over Nate Diaz, with odds ranging from -165 to -179, as stated by Sascha P from Sports Betting Dime, it was only fair that I asked a few other people who they thought would win the BMF belt.

“The American Psycho” Stephan Bonnar – TUF 1 finalist and UFC Hall of Famer says:

“I’m leaning on Masvidal because he’s been wrecking guys.”

Matt Bailey – The MMA Bible and superfan says:

“Masvidal has shown explosive skills recently, however, I feel Diaz will be all too familiar with this, opting to keep distance early on but will close the distance as the fight goes on.  I expect this to be a stand-up affair but feel that Diaz will look to turn to his grappling in the latter stages of the fight, and it may well hit the canvas.  I’m expecting a lot of clinching and cage work in this fight with Diaz getting the better of Masvidal in these exchanges.  Both fighters have exceptional stand-up skills in which I see it being a very fast-paced chess match style. With all of the above said my official prediction is – Nate Diaz via decision.”

Mark Baldwin of FightPost says:

“It’s a difficult fight to pick a winner.  Masvidal, after a career slump, is riding into this fight after highlight-reel knockouts of Darren Till and Ben Askren.  Masvidal is on the verge of a title shot.  A win over Diaz should give him that chance sometime in 2020.  The odds slightly favour Masvidal, and that’s the way I see it also.  There is every chance Diaz could be too busy, and for me, he has more ways to win.  But I think Masvidal gets it done, probably on points, although a late stoppage in his favour can’t be ruled out.”

And as for me, well, if Masvidal can get it done within three rounds he can win, otherwise, as Nate is known as a slow starter and comes alive more as the rounds go on, I see Nate taking it over the five rounds and wins via decision.

Nate Diaz: Road 2 War UFC 202


On Saturday, August 20, UFC® lightweight Nate Diaz will headline what is set to be one of the biggest events in UFC history, as he meets Conor McGregor for the second time in a five-round welterweight rematch inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Ahead of UFC 202®: DIAZ vs. McGREGOR 2. 

Represent LTD. & Gracie Fighter 209 proudly present:  Road 2 War which follows Nate Diaz on his day-to-day journey for the main event at UFC 202® on August 20th.

Directed & Filmed by Nick McDermott with a host of guest appearances such as Kron Gracie, Richard Perez, Victor Galdon, Chris Avila and Frank Cesen to name a few. You can watch the following six episodes below.

Check out the Nate Diaz t-shirt collection by Represent Ltd here

Follow the guys on Twitter:

@NateDiaz209
@DiazBrothers209
@NickMcD209
@RepresentLTD
@GracieFighter_209

Conor McGregor: The story so far…


On Saturday, August 20, UFC® featherweight champion “The Notorious” Conor McGregor will headline what is set to be one of the biggest events in UFC history, as he meets Nate Diaz in a five-round welterweight rematch inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Ahead of UFC 202®: DIAZ vs. McGREGOR 2, we look back at McGregor’s career so far and re-live some of the Irishman’s most memorable moments.

Conor Mcgregor Info Graphic

The early days

McGregor began boxing at the age of 12. Training at Crumlin Boxing Gym, he won a variety of amateur boxing titles. At the age of 18, McGregor’s long-time friend, Tom Egan – the first Irish athlete ever to sign with UFC – brought McGregor along to a mixed martial arts class at Straight Blast Gym (SBG) in Dublin. It didn’t take long for SBG owner and head coach, John Kavanagh, to recognise the stopping power that the young Dubliner boasted.

The amateur scene

February 2007 saw McGregor contest his first amateur MMA bout. Finishing his opponent Ciaran Campbell with a striking showcase in the first round, McGregor’s spirited celebration post-fight pointed to the showman he would later go on to become.

Notorious rising 

McGregor quickly earned a name for himself as a knockout artist on the professional scene. In March 2008 he made his professional MMA debut in the Cage of Truth organisation. He faced fellow Irishman Gary Morris, who succumbed to strikes from McGregor in the second round.

 

The Point Depot

McGregor’s second pro bout in May 2008 lasted just one round, as he defeated Mo Taylor via TKO at Cage Rage: Contenders – Ireland vs. Belgium. This would be McGregor’s first outing in The Point Depot (now the 3Arena) in Dublin, which would go on to host all three of UFC’s trips to the Irish capital.

A stumbling block

In June 2008, a loss to Lithuanian Artemj Sitenkov proved to be a serious stumbling block for McGregor. Although he later bounced back with a win over Stephen Bailey six months later, the young Dubliner drifted away from the sport. In response, McGregor’s mother, Mags, took it upon herself to call John Kavanagh to seek his help in encouraging her son to return to the gym. Kavanagh later visited McGregor in his Lucan home and encouraged him to commit to his fighting career.

A new found dedication

In November 2010, and with another win under his belt, McGregor moved up to lightweight to take on fellow surging Irish prospect Joe Duffy. When McGregor was submitted in little more than 30 seconds, many feared that the defeat would trigger another exodus from the sport. But, on the Monday after the loss, McGregor was back in the gym with a new found dedication to training.

A winning streak

The loss to Duffy would trigger a phenomenal 15-fight win streak for McGregor. After defeating Hugh Brady in one round in February 2011, McGregor’s outings against Mike Wood and Paddy Doherty lasted a combined 20 seconds, as he scored two devastatingly fast knockouts.

 

A warrior in the cage

In June 2011, a second round win over Artur Sowinski saw McGregor signed by the European promotion Cage Warriors, a key moment in the young fighter’s career. He quickly proved to be a stellar addition to the roster.

Falling to featherweight

After a lightweight bout with Aaron Jahnsen was stopped inside one round in September 2011, McGregor announced his intentions for the featherweight division. McGregor elbowed his way to another first-round victory over Steven O’Keefe, which positioned him perfectly for a title shot.

Tears and a title shot

Jiu-jitsu ace Dave Hill was McGregor’s opponent for the vacant Cage Warriors title bout in June 2012. The event took place in The Helix, a venue located inside Dublin City University Campus. The intensity that McGregor displayed at the event’s weigh-in had such an impact on his English opponent that fans claimed Hill began to cry after going nose to nose with ‘The Notorious’.

The lightweight title

McGregor’s popularity spread to new heights following his win over Hill. Cage Warriors wasted no time in booking a New Year’s Eve show, where ‘The Notorious’ was initially slated to defend his title against American Jim Alers. He instead went on to face Ivan Buchinger for the lightweight title on December 31st, 2012. A crisp left hook ended the show in the first round and sent McGregor’s star on the ascent.

The hype train

When UFC President Dana White visited Trinity College in Dublin to be presented with a gold medal for Honorary Patronage by the Philosophical Society in February 2013, he was inundated with requests from fans for him to sign a young fighter named Conor McGregor.

The world stage

It was revealed that McGregor would face The Ultimate Fighter alumnus Marcus Brimage in his UFC debut on April 6, 2013, in Stockholm, Sweden. A stunning left uppercut separated Brimage from his senses and, with that, a star was born. McGregor’s now infamous call for a bonus after the fight, “Hey Dana, 50 G’s baby!” – endeared him to the sport’s international fan base.

Sitting on the sidelines

In August 2013 McGregor suffered an injury to his knee midway through his bout with young featherweight Max Holloway. Holloway became the only man to last the distance with McGregor. Post-fight, a scan revealed that McGregor had suffered a torn ACL, which would mean eleven months before he could take to the Octagon once again.

A night to remember

UFC’s return to Dublin in July 2014 coincided with McGregor’s return to action, and his first main event slot. McGregor’s first-round KO of Brazil’s Diego Brandao finished a perfect 6-0 night for the Irish contingent, at an event which broke viewing records for UFC’s streaming platform, UFC FIGHT PASS.

The toughest of tests

Having been sidelined for almost a year, McGregor went on to face two of his toughest tests to date in Dustin Poirier and Dennis Siver. A first round TKO over Poirier in September 2014 was followed by a second round TKO win over Germany’s Siver in January 2015, as Boston turned green for McGregor’s second trip to the TD Garden. A sold-out crowd erupted with the win, and McGregor made a beeline for champion Jose Aldo, who sat Octagonside.

 

The World Tour

In March 2015, McGregor joined Aldo for UFC’s very first world press tour. The tour spanned eight cities in five countries, over the course of 12 days in order to promote UFC 189: Aldo vs. McGregor. But, just 12 days out from the event, Aldo was forced to withdraw from the fight citing a rib injury, and McGregor instead went on to defeat late replacement Chad Mendes to secure the interim UFC featherweight title.

Unification

On December 12th, 2015, McGregor ended the 10-year undefeated reign of champion Jose Aldo within just 13 seconds. UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor broke UFC gate and attendance records at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. McGregor, meanwhile, underlined his status as one of the biggest draws in the history of UFC.

155lbs

McGregor immediately announced his intention to move up to lightweight. But when an injury ruled out a scheduled bout with lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos in February 2016, a polarizing opponent stepped up to the mark.

A whole different ball game

In the absence of his usual relentless weight cut, McGregor was jovial and energized throughout the week leading up to UFC 196, as he prepared to meet Nate Diaz at welterweight. On March 5th, 2016, the pair faced off in one of the most highly anticipated match-ups in UFC history. Caught on the end of a jab-cross combination by Diaz, McGregor looked for the takedown and was pounced on by the jiu-jitsu black belt. A rear-naked choke from Diaz followed to bring McGregor’s 15-fight win streak to an end.

Losing the battle, winning the war?

On August 20, 2016, Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz will meet once again, as McGregor vows to return to greatness and prove to the world that he is, indeed, the greatest of all time.

Watch UFC 202®: DIAZ vs. McGREGOR 2 live on BT Sport from 1am BST on the morning of Sunday, August 21st and catch the Early Prelims from 11:30pm on Saturday 20th, live on UFC FIGHT PASS.

UFC Press Release

 

 

 

UFC on FOX 17: Dos Anjos vs. Cerrone Full Results


UFC on FOX 17 came from Orlando last night, Saturday 19th December. The main event was  a lightweight championship bout between Rafael dos Anjos and Donald Cerrone.

It was to be Rafael dos Anjos who made a huge statement to retain his lightweight title in just 66 seconds on the first round defeating Donald Cerrone by strikes.

In the co-main event the new and improved Alistair Overeem dispatched of  Junior Dos Santos in the second round via a TKO stoppage  in a heavyweight clash.
Nate Diaz also made his long awaited return to the octagon and took home a unanimous decision win over top 5 lightweight Michael Johnson in a great three round battle which saw him also pick up Fight of The Night Bonus.
Here are the full results:

Main Card 

Rafael dos Anjos  Def  Donald Cerrone Via TKO (strikes) 1:06 Round One

Alistair Overeem Def Junior Dos Santos Via TKO (punches) 4:43 Round Two

Nate Diaz  Def  Michael Johnson Via 29-28, 29-28, 29-28

Karolina Kowalkiewicz  Def  Randa Markos Via Unanimous Decision 29-28, 29-28, 30-27

Preliminary Card 

Charles Oliveira Def Myles Jury  Via Guillotine Choke 3:05 Round One

Nate Marquardt Def C.B. Dollaway Via KO 0:28 Round Two

Valentina Shevchenko Def Sarah Kaufman Via Split Decision 29-28 28-29 29-28

Tamdan McCrory  Def Josh Samman  Via 4:10 Traiangle Choke Round Three

Nik Lentz Def  Danny Castillo 29-28, 28-29, 30-27 Split Decision

Jim Alers  vs. Cole Miller decalred a No Contest at 1:44 Round Two Via Dr Stoppage (accidental eye poke)

Preliminary Card (Fight Pass)

Kamaru Usman Def Leon Edwards Via Unanimous Decision 29-28, 30-27, 29-28

Vicente Luque Def Hayder Hassan Via Anaconda Choke 2:13 Round One

Francis Ngannous Def Luiz Henrique Via KO 2:53 Round Two

Bonuses

FOTN

Nate Diaz vs. Michael Johnson

POTN

Vicente Luque

Rafael dos Anjos

UFC on FOX 17: Dos Anjos 154.5 lbs, Cerrone 154.5 lbs Weigh-in Results


UFC on FOX 17 comes from Orlando Saturday 19th December. The main event is a lightweight championship bout between Rafael dos Anjos and Donald Cerrone.  In the co-main event Junior dos Santos battles Alistair Overeem in a heavyweight clash.

UFC Olando fox

Before we can get to the fights ahead we have to make sure they’re all on course to make weight.

Here are the full weigh-in results:

Main Card 

Rafael dos Anjos (154.5 lbs) vs. Donald Cerrone (154.5 lbs)
Junior Dos Santos (239 lbs) vs. Alistair Overeem (243 lbs)
Nate Diaz (156 lbs) vs. Michael Johnson (155.5 lbs)
Karolina Kowalkiewicz (114.5 lbs) vs. Randa Markos (116 lbs)

Preliminary Card 

Myles Jury (146 lbs) vs. Charles Oliveira (150 .5 lbs)*
C.B. Dollaway (185.5 lbs) vs. Nate Marquardt (186 lbs)
Sarah Kaufman (136 lbs) vs. Valentina Shevchenko (134 lbs)
Tamdan McCrory (185 lbs) vs. Josh Samman (186 lbs)
Danny Castillo *(158 lbs) vs. Nik Lentz (156 lbs)
Jim Alers (145 lbs) vs. Cole Miller (146 lbs)

Preliminary Card (Fight Pass)

Leon Edwards (171 lbs) vs. Kamaru Usman (171 lbs)
Hayder Hassan (170 lbs) vs. Vicente Luque (171 lbs)
Luiz Henrique (248 lbs) vs. Francis Ngannou (254 lbs)

*Have 1 hour to make weight

UFC Road to the Octagon: Dos Anjos vs Cerrone


Road to the octagon

Delve into the unique lives and fierce training camps of six of the world’s most successful mixed martial artists as they prepare for the spotlight of the UFC’s biggest stage on UFC Road to the Octagon: Dos Anjos vs Cerrone 2.

‘Fight against Nate Diaz isn’t happening now’ Matt Brown


According to Matt Brown’s official Twitter, their scheduled fight will not be happening at UFC 189.

The UFC did announce the fight last week, but as soon as it was announced, Nate Diaz took to his Twitter account to state that he was not approached for that fight and he wants to fight former lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis instead.

Matt Brown Tweet
Matt Brown Tweet

Nate Diaz did appear on Monday’s The MMA Hour and explained his reason’s why he tweeted what he did:

It was just kind of like, ‘you’re fighting.’ Well then I guess I’m fighting. It’s all good, it’s in the past, it already happened. I just, I’m not into being tricked into fighting anymore. I think I should have a little more say. I think I’m older now, and like I said, if I’m going to fight, I think it should be worth my while, not just because they say I’m fighting and now I’m fighting. If someone got a hold of me, that’d be great, If not, it’s all good too. I don’t need to fight. Like I said, I don’t need to fight my life away. I’m all good with not fighting, so if they want to work that out, that’d be great. If not, I’ll be watching and tuning into the fights and making sure everything is going good and taking some time off relaxing.

Nate Diaz

The UFC are still to release an official comment on the cancellation of the Brown-Diaz fight but there is also a fourth spot left on that card!

Maybe, just maybe there will be a shock announcement, although as we now know, it will not be Anthony Pettis as he is now scheduled to meet Myles Jury on July 25th at UFC Fight Night Chicago.