MMA Combat - Gomi vs. Diaz on for UFC 135

MMA Combat - Gomi vs. Diaz on for UFC 135

Gomi (above) will look to re-capture his best form vs. Diaz

"The Fireball Kid" Takanori Gomi (32-7-0) will make his return to the octagon at UFC 135 on September 24, where he'll face the crafty Nate Diaz in a lightweight tilt. Gomi, formerly considered to be the #1 lightweight fighter in the world with B.J. Penn's departure from the division years ago, is 1-2 since joining the world's biggest promotion with a quality knockout win over Tyson Griffin; Kenny Florian and most recently, Clay Guida both fared better against the Japanese star however, stopping Gomi via rear naked, and guillotine choke respectively.

Since 2007 Gomi is 5-4-1, but was also tapped-out by Nate's older brother Nick Diaz before the Gracie Jiu Jitsu student tested positive for marijuana, overturning the result to a 'no-contest'. In that particular bout, a strong start by "The Fireball Kid" gave way to cardio issues that saw a fit Diaz pour on his 'punches in bunches' style. Utilizing his reach advantage, Diaz pawed at Gomi keeping the power puncher at bay until a desperate take-down attempt resulted in a fight ending gogoplata (only the second time the maneuver has been pulled off in mixed martial arts competition, under a major promotion).

Diaz (13-7-0) last appeared at UFC 129 - St. Pierre vs. Shields, in Toronto, Canada, where he was out-wrestled by Canadian Rory MacDonald en route to a unanimous decision loss. The defeat was Diaz's second straight decision loss at welterweight, prompting a move back down to the 155lbs division. The Ultimate Fighter Season 5 winner has compiled a record of 8-5-0 since joining the UFC ranks, and with a similar style and frame, will likely use the blueprint drawn up by his brother in preparation for Gomi. The Cesar Gracie black-belt has been stopped only once in 20 professional appearances.

The fight card for UFC 135 as it currently stands can be found below. The event will take place at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado, and is headlined by a light heavyweight title bout pitting challenger Quinton "Rampage" Jackson against champion Jon "Bones" Jones.

Matchups:

UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Jon Jones (No. 1 LHW, No. 6 PFP) vs. Quinton Jackson (No. 4 LHW)

Matt Hughes vs. Diego Sanchez
Nate Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi
Damacio Page vs. Norifumi Yamamoto
Ben Rothwell vs. Mark Hunt
Travis Browne vs. Rob Broughton


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MMA Combat - Diaz vs. St. Pierre Headlines UFC 137

MMA Combat - Diaz vs. St. Pierre Headlines UFC 137

Instantly creating one of the year's biggest headlines in the world of mixed martial arts, Wednesday evening UFC president Dana White announced via his official twitter account that reigning welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre (22-2-0) will defend his place atop the 170lbs division against UFC veteran and Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz (25-7-0). The bout will be contested at UFC 137, which is slated to take place October 29, 2011, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"U wanted it! U GOT IT!!! GSP vs DIAZ Oct 29th UFC 137 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas." stated White, who recently shot down a series of rumors that the highly anticipated bout would take place this coming December at UFC 140 in Montreal, Quebec.

This certainly is the fight fans have been calling for, particularly since the Zuffa acquisition of the Strikeforce brand. Although White initially declared that cross-promotional champion vs. champion super-fights were out of the question, it appears as though the company's upper brass has softened to the idea; and why not? Nick Diaz is a fan favorite from coast to coast, and is especially popular in the West where he wears his Stockton colors on his sleeve.

The outspoken Cesar Gracie disciple has posted ten consecutive victories with only one bout going to the judges cards during that time. He owns thirteen of his twenty-six career wins by way of [T]KO and has endeared himself to fans by way of his trash talking, 'punches in bunches' style that has stifled opponent after opponent for three years running. Recently, Diaz's boxing aspirations appeared to be taking priority in his professional life, but after Zuffa presented their offer, it's understandable that those same aspirations will see their way to the back-burner once more. The Gracie Jiu Jitsu black belt had asked for this fight after teammate and friend Jake Shields saw his streak snapped at the hands of the champion on April 29, at UFC 129, in Toronto, Canada; now he will get his crack without running the gauntlet that is the UFC welterweight division, and you can be sure he'll make the most of it.

Georges St. Pierre has simply been dominate since picking up the UFC welterweight championship for a second time. He is a winner in nine straight appearances, and has successfully defended his title six times while unanimously winning thirty-three consecutive rounds in that span. Taking out top-ten names like Fitch, Penn, Alves, Hardy, Koscheck, and Jake Shields, the level of competition these warriors have faced in the last five years is hardly comparable. That isn't to say that Diaz is not a dangerous match-up... St. Pierre has already proven he can out-grapple even the strongest wrestler in MMA competition, but Diaz presents an opponent that offers a furious number of combinations standing, while owning one of the better BJJ games in the sport without being hampered by a limited gas tank.

We can however, be mindful that Diaz has not faced an opponent with a strong wrestling base for nearly half a decade (Gleison Tibau being the last), and has dropped three of four bouts against such competition if you start with Diego Sanchez in 2005. Here lies the key to the match; can Nick Diaz develop his traditionally weak take-down-defense enough in the coming months to keep this fight standing?

Be sure to check back with MMA Combat for all the updates on UFC 137; with only one fight booked for the card at present, it already promises to be a great one!

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The Prospect of Diaz vs. GSP Edit Blog Entry

UFC 129 saw Georges St. Pierre (22-2-0) once again defended his welterweight title against a top five welterweight, and one that hadn’t lost in nearly six years while compiling 15 wins in that time. Jake Shields was a game challenger, although I personally wonder how he would have fared against a more confident St. Pierre who was noticeably concerned with an irritated/injured eye early on.

The UFC is now faced with a situation where the champion has handily defeated six of the top seven welterweights – accordingly to several credible ranking sites – in mixed martial arts today; Nick Diaz (25-7-1) remains the lone man out, coming in at number six on Sherdog.com’s welterweight top ten, and is the only man currently outside of the UFC banner in the bunch.

If there was ever a time to capitalize on the Strikeforce welterweight champion’s popularity, particularly in the West coast, the time is now. No remaining welterweight inside the UFC has the marketability that Diaz would bring to this main-event; the Stockton native is riding an extreme confidence high on the back of ten consecutive wins, and as a tri-athlete, has the kind of gas tank to continue pushing the pace against the notoriously cardio-strong GSP. His Jiu-Jitsu is of a high level, which will rival if not surpass St. Pierre in that area, and his offensive boxing continues to improve by leaps and bounds with each bout.

It is worth mentioning however, that Nick Diaz has not fought a high-level MMA wrestler in some time, arguably since his TKO victory over Gleison Tibau at UFC 65 in November of 2006. Diaz has never possessed the kind of takedown defense or strength to ward off powerful wrestlers; that blueprint was written by Diego Sanchez, Joe Riggs, and Sean Sherk respectively in 05/06, and remains the only time Diaz has lost consecutive matches in his career to date.

Georges St. Pierre is perhaps the best mixed martial arts wrestler in the sport’s short history; his timing and explosiveness is unparalleled and his speed will be on par with Stockton’s favorite son. Taking a glimpse at their most recent victories tells a tall tale; while Diaz has toppled (literally) Zaromskis, Sakurai, Noons, Santos, and Daley… St. Pierre has arguably won every round in his past five bouts – and beyond – against the likes of B.J. Penn, Thiago Alves, Dan Hardy, Josh Koscheck, and Jake Shields.

Bringing Nick Diaz into the UFC without the intention of granting him an immediate title shot, or presenting him with a favorable style match-up first would be detrimental to the marketing value he currently offers. In this writer’s opinion, it’s highly likely that either of Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves, Josh Koscheck, or Jake Ellenberger could derail that hype and Zuffa knows this. Not to mention, with Cesar Gracie Academy teammate Jake Shields dropping the most recent of a growing list of decisions on St. Pierre’s resume, Nick Diaz also presents an attractive storyline in the way of revenge…

It will be interesting to see how Zuffa handles these negotiations, and the extent to which they’re willing to bend. Dana White had initially stated that cross-promotion super fights were not an option for the UFC brand, but at this point, what alternative do they have?


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