GSP vs Diaz at UFC 137!

[KJ Brophy]

Source! (http://twitter.com/#!/danawhite/status/76048920085676032)

[Negative2]

Did I read that right where it said it was in Las Vegas and not in Montreal??????

[KJ Brophy]

YES SIR!

[Lotus]

cool id liek to see diaz win for the lulz... but ti more than likely wont happen god i would love to see someone serra gsp again..... damnit.

[KJ Brophy]

Yeah I see GSP using his wrestling on his way to a decision

[FullMetal]

Oh snap, good on Dana! What are the implications of this.. could we see more crossover fights before their contracts expire at Strikeforce?

[Lotus]

at least when diaz loses he wont lose his title lol

edit: or will he.... DUN DUN DUNNNNN

[Thaispider]

WAR DIAZ!!!!!

[wafb]

Just throwing it out there for VP...sig bet?

[Think Green]

Pretty easy match up for GSP, but I'm excited for the pre-fight interviews!

[Lotus]

should be mad sig bets going down for this fight we should have a team sig bet again lol

[Negative2]

Pretty easy match up for GSP, but I'm excited for the pre-fight interviews!

"I'm in the best shape of life. I need to be a better George St Pierre cause he is the toughest opponent I've faced."

[Think Green]

"I'm in the best shape of life. I need to be a better George St Pierre cause he is the toughest opponent I've faced."

Ha, well, more so excited for what Diaz has to say ;) we already know what GSP is going to say!

[MKZ]

Its on mothafucka ! War Diaz ! Nick via 4th Rnd Triangle/Armbar combo.

[wafb]

should be mad sig bets going down for this fight we should have a team sig bet again lol

Canada vs USA II!!! Oh and since Diaz vs GSP is setting a precedent, Melendez vs UFC LW champ.

[MKZ]

Canada vs USA II!!! Oh and since Diaz vs GSP is setting a precedent, Melendez vs UFC LW champ.

Melendez > Any UFC LW


Ha, well, more so excited for what Diaz has to say ;) we already know what GSP is going to say!

"Uhm, you know, I don't know. I think I'm gonna beat GSP, you know, because I don't know...whatever."

[wafb]

Melendez > Any UFC LW.

lol I don't know about that. I think Miller and Pettis can hang with him.

[KJ Brophy]

Diaz signed (http://twitter.com/#!/JoshGrossESPN/status/76061191880974336) a new contract that allows him to fight in both UFC & StrikeForce events

[Negative2]

Ahhh yes the infamous duel-contract switcharoo.

I remember when Shogun had one of those. That was announced shortly before Pride was absorbed, digested, passed and flushed by the UFC.

[Q_F]

Great news. Diaz will probably make it a fun fight at the start of each round, but in the end it's GSP via top control and the occasional jab...

[cplmac]

This is awesome, we get to see GSP beat the last few brain cells clean out of Diaz' head. It would be cool if this was a title unification fight, but I get the feeling this is going to be a non-title fight which begs the question will this be a 3 round affair or 5? Not sure it matters as I see GSP stopping him before three but it will be interesting to see how the details fill in.

[mls]

Clearly a duck job on Diaz's part

[vikingpride]

This is awesome, we get to see GSP beat the last few brain cells clean out of Diaz' head. It would be cool if this was a title unification fight, but I get the feeling this is going to be a non-title fight which begs the question will this be a 3 round affair or 5? Not sure it matters as I see GSP stopping him before three but it will be interesting to see how the details fill in.

Non title fight would be an epic fail.

And i wouldn't bank on GSP doing much damage to Nick. He'll likely survive the limited time on the feet, take him down and control him on the way to a UD. Having said that though it'll easily be the most entertaining fight GSP has been apart of since he fought Fitch.

O and long ways away to worry about sig bets right now. However if we do one the punishments will have to be somewhat adjusted since Nick is likely to be a pretty large underdog. And for as much as i like him i know his odds of winning a match in the UFC vs GSP are not great.

[wafb]

O and long ways away to worry about sig bets right now. However if we do one the punishments will have to be somewhat adjusted since Nick is likely to be a pretty large underdog. And for as much as i like him i know his odds of winning a match in the UFC are not great.


http://images.free-extras.com/pics/d/donald_duck_cartoon-1060.jpg

[vikingpride]

Couldn't you have at least got a high quality image?

[wafb]

Couldn't you have at least got a high quality image?

It looks fine to me. You should get your eyes checked lol

[Brad.Taschuk]

Remember Diaz/Sherk? This will look like that. Nick's improvement has come on his feet, his wrestling is still garbage and his BJJ, while excellent, isn't going to be tapping Georges.

Honestly, other than the UFC/Strikeforce part of this, I don't understand the excitement. Nick is kind of like Jorge Santiago in that while he left the UFC and had great results, it hardly fixed the issues in his game that caused him to be unsuccessful in the UFC.

[southpaw447]

Pretty easy match up for GSP, but I'm excited for the pre-fight interviews!

Agreed.

[Mex,HaHaHa]

Remember Diaz/Sherk? This will look like that. Nick's improvement has come on his feet, his wrestling is still garbage and his BJJ, while excellent, isn't going to be tapping Georges.

Honestly, other than the UFC/Strikeforce part of this, I don't understand the excitement. Nick is kind of like Jorge Santiago in that while he left the UFC and had great results, it hardly fixed the issues in his game that caused him to be unsuccessful in the UFC.

This. Can't say I care about this fight too much.

[vikingpride]

While this matchup might not exactly make you jump out of your seats. I think it's the most interesting and potentially exciting match they could have made for GSP, at least at 170.

[Brad.Taschuk]

The most interesting matchup for GSP right now is someone who is dangerous on the feet, and actually has a hope in hell of keeping it on the feet.

Ellenberger isn't ready yet, but I think in a year or two he'll be a real test for GSP, because there's no easy escape route there for Georges.

[FullMetal]

I'm just waiting for that first 30 seconds in each round when Nick Diaz taunts GSP as the crowd begins to turn on GSP, and not so much the other 4 mins 30 seconds where GSP lays on top of him. It'll be cool to see a GSP opponent win the crowd though.

[randyspankstito]

hells yeah!! I refuse to accept the general consensus reality here. Diaz is gonna punish GSP and put him away in the 4th. Because I will be using mind control from the bar while watching it.

[vikingpride]

The most interesting matchup for GSP right now is someone who is dangerous on the feet, and actually has a hope in hell of keeping it on the feet.

Ellenberger isn't ready yet, but I think in a year or two he'll be a real test for GSP, because there's no easy escape route there for Georges.

Well as you said right now Jake isn't ready. And GSP needs to have a challenger in the meantime and i think right now will all thinks considered Nick by far the best man for the job.


Plus i honestly don't think Ellenberger brings anything much different or anymore to the table than Kos did. I'd give Ellenberger a slight advantage in his hands and standup, but his wrestling is no where near Kos' level. And because of that i don't see him being able to keep it up on the feet like Kos did.

[Mervin]

Remember Diaz/Sherk? This will look like that.

Just curious, why this analogy?

[Gee]

There is nothing else out there for GSP right now, this match makes sense.

A super fight between the UFC and Strikeforce champ and the fight fans have been asking for. Once arranged, people still whine about it. LOL @ MMA fans...

Well, just the hardcore ones :D

[Q_F]

Plus i honestly don't think Ellenberger brings anything much different or anymore to the table than Kos did. I'd give Ellenberger a slight advantage in his hands and standup, but his wrestling is no where near Kos' level. And because of that i don't see him being able to keep it up on the feet like Kos did.

Yeah agreed. GSP not only beats everyone in the current top 10 but every prospect in two years as well, he's just that good. A ww version of Aldo fits the bill IMO but there's no such fighter...

[Harold Of The Rocks]

I love this match up. I'm not a fan of either fighter, but I do understand how styles make for great fights, and these two have the perfect styles both on the ground and standing to make for an epic fight.

Though if GSP plays it safe again it could be yet another snooze fest.

[Brad.Taschuk]

Well as you said right now Jake isn't ready. And GSP needs to have a challenger in the meantime and i think right now will all thinks considered Nick by far the best man for the job.


Plus i honestly don't think Ellenberger brings anything much different or anymore to the table than Kos did. I'd give Ellenberger a slight advantage in his hands and standup, but his wrestling is no where near Kos' level. And because of that i don't see him being able to keep it up on the feet like Kos did.

Nick is the best option for GSP right now, but so was Kos (and I wasn't excited for that) and so was Shields (and I wasn't excited for that). Diaz being the best possible candidate and me being excited for the fight are two completely separate ideas.

As for Ellenberger, I don't think he's the guy to beat GSP by any means, I just think he's got enough power, varied enough striking (which Kos lacks), and wrestling that isn't powderpuff stuff. He was the only one at WW I could really think of at the moment that fit the bill on all 3.

Just curious, why this analogy?

It was Diaz's last loss in his first UFC run, and Sherk was also the last wrestler with good sub defense, and as I said earlier, striking is the part of Nick's game he's really developed, not his wrestling or guard. I just think this fight will play out similarly, and rather than working for subs and being aggressive off his back, Diaz will instead get frustrated and gesture to the red to try to stand them up.

There is nothing else out there for GSP right now, this match makes sense.

A super fight between the UFC and Strikeforce champ and the fight fans have been asking for. Once arranged, people still whine about it. LOL @ MMA fans...

Well, just the hardcore ones :D

I think if you look at my posts since this fight has been thrown around, you'll see that I'm not just changing my stance because the fight has actually been booked now, I've never thought it would have been a great fight. I hope I'm wrong, but fear I'm not. Plus, if I go in with low expectations I may actually be pleasantly surprised.

[Norway1]

I have to admit i didnt this would come to fruition, its awesome tho. Suck on that fitch !

[Mervin]

It was Diaz's last loss in his first UFC run, and Sherk was also the last wrestler with good sub defense, and as I said earlier, striking is the part of Nick's game he's really developed, not his wrestling or guard. I just think this fight will play out similarly, and rather than working for subs and being aggressive off his back, Diaz will instead get frustrated and gesture to the red to try to stand them up.

It sounds to me that you haven't seen the fight in a very long time lol. Diaz actually stuffed most of Sherk's takedown attempts and the fight took place standing up and in the "clinch" (with Sherk working for the takedown). The rare times it went to the ground, Sherk couldn't control Diaz, who was able to create scrambles and even swept/reversed him twice IIRC. Despite the 30-27 scores across the board, it was a close fight, and I actually gave round 2 to Diaz. That's why your analogy seems a bit off to me.

http://video.mail.ru/mail/makseus/10/2.html

[ThatGuyJae]

cool id liek to see diaz win for the lulz... but ti more than likely wont happen god i would love to see someone serra gsp again..... damnit.

I would love for Diaz to be that someone!! Really tired of GSP's boring safe decision victories.

[Brad.Taschuk]

My mistake there Mervin, I definitely misremembered that fight.

[Think Green]

It sounds to me that you haven't seen the fight in a very long time lol. Diaz actually stuffed most of Sherk's takedown attempts and the fight took place standing up and in the "clinch" (with Sherk working for the takedown). The rare times it went to the ground, Sherk couldn't control Diaz, who was able to create scrambles and even swept/reversed him twice IIRC. Despite the 30-27 scores across the board, it was a close fight, and I actually gave round 2 to Diaz. That's why your analogy seems a bit off to me.

http://video.mail.ru/mail/makseus/10/2.html

Well Diaz is definitely not going to be able to stuff most of GSP's takedown attempts, so it doesn't really matter. Diaz has trouble with Diego's takedowns, and Diego has shit wrestling.

His point is that a good wrestler with strong sub defense has been Diaz' weakness in the past, and GSP is a great wrestler with great sub defense... tough match up for Diaz.

[vikingpride]

Nick is the best option for GSP right now, but so was Kos (and I wasn't excited for that) and so was Shields (and I wasn't excited for that). Diaz being the best possible candidate and me being excited for the fight are two completely separate ideas.


I didn't mean you had to be excited in general. Just saying with GSP fights you've got to kind of lower your expectations. And with GSP fighting Nick it's the most exciting fight for GSP at 170 (though maybe not super exciting in general).


O and I think it maybe a bit misleading to call GSP's sub defense great. The best submission guys he's faced were likely Penn, Hughes, and Shields. All of whom are guys who predominantly get their subs from top position. A position which none of them were able to really get vs GSP except for Hughes in their first go around. And we know what happened there.

Nick will very likely be the best guard GSP has ever faced. At least in terms of sub potential. I suppose one could argue Penn, but as i said he's more of a top oriented submission artist. Not to say his guard isn't very good, but his guard is more about defense and looking for sweeps than actual subs.

Don't get me wrong i'm not trying to say Nick's guard is the WW equivalent of Aoki or anything. Just trying to point out that Nick does offer a few new and interesting dimensions to a fight vs GSP..

[Think Green]

O and I think it maybe a bit misleading to call GSP's sub defense great. The best submission guys he's faced were likely Penn, Hughes, and Shields. All of whom are guys who predominantly get their subs from top position. A position which none of them were able to really get vs GSP except for Hughes in their first go around. And we know what happened there.

Nick will very likely be the best guard GSP has ever faced. At least in terms of sub potential. I suppose one could argue Penn, but as i said he's more of a top oriented submission artist. Not to say his guard isn't very good, but his guard is more about defense and looking for sweeps than actual subs.

Don't get me wrong i'm not trying to say Nick's guard is the WW equivalent of Aoki or anything. Just trying to point out that Nick does offer a few new and interesting dimensions to a fight vs GSP..

I agree with all your points, but I still think GSP has great sub defense. Subbing GSP while he is on top of you in an MMA fight is almost impossible imo. You also forgot about his fight with Mayhem.. who is also a pretty good sub specialist. Serra is very accomplished in Bjj as well.

I mean other than Damian Maia (who hasn't been getting subs recently) and Aoki, who in MMA is really subbing people off their back? Jacare I guess, but he hasn't subbed anyone decent from his back.

[MKZ]

The only type of fighter that can beat GSP is a Little Past aeating Guido, that has power in his punches but GSP doesnt know. He cant be his toughest opponent to date either.

[MKZ]

I mean other than Damian Maia (who hasn't been getting subs recently) and Aoki, who in MMA is really subbing people off their back? Jacare I guess, but he hasn't subbed anyone decent from his back.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b0/BradImes.png/200px-BradImes.png

Also *waits for Thai to mention Paul Sassangle.*

[vikingpride]

I agree with all your points, but I still think GSP has great sub defense. Subbing GSP while he is on top of you in an MMA fight is almost impossible imo. You also forgot about his fight with Mayhem.. who is also a pretty good sub specialist. Serra is very accomplished in Bjj as well.

I mean other than Damian Maia (who hasn't been getting subs recently) and Aoki, who in MMA is really subbing people off their back? Jacare I guess, but he hasn't subbed anyone decent from his back.

Mayhem isn't anything special on the ground with subs really. Granted he's got a good deal of wins via Submission, but most of those are also from the top spot.

And For as good as Serra's credentials read he's really never been much of a submission guy. In fact he hasn't subbed a guy since 2002.

I would agree with catching subs in guard being pretty rare though. Just trying to point out that i don't think GSP has any spot in the fight where he is as safe as he was in previous bouts.

[Brad.Taschuk]

I think Nick's aggressive guard will actually play into GSP's favour. It will open up more opportunities for passes, and it'll allow GSP to get some nice positions like side turtle control if Diaz tries to scramble up, where he'll be able to slowly dismantle Nick (not Serra levels of dismantling, and likely not enough to get a stoppage, but I feel like we'll see some more violence from him than normal). There's a big gap between the Cyborgs of the world and GSP, and that'll be more than evident in this fight.

[Q_F]

Well then Brad, then this fight should get us excited. We might see a more entertaining GSP than the jab em to death one we've seen in his last two fights.

[vikingpride]

Well then Brad, then this fight should get us excited. We might see a more entertaining GSP than the jab em to death one we've seen in his last two fights.

Exactly.

[cplmac]

I don't see how GSP can lose to Diaz, and that's not just Diaz hate.

[Brad.Taschuk]

Would anyone be surprised if GSP just held on in those positions and rode Diaz until he got him somewhere easier to control though?

I don't have any faith in GSP dishing out the type of beatdowns he did back from 05-08 anymore, even when opportunities present themselves like crazy (i.e. Broken-faced Kos).

[wafb]

I dunno, I have a feeling the fight will last three rounds and then stopped due to cuts.

[Q_F]

Would anyone be surprised if GSP just held on in those positions and rode Diaz until he got him somewhere easier to control though?

I don't have any faith in GSP dishing out the type of beatdowns he did back from 05-08 anymore, even when opportunities present themselves like crazy (i.e. Broken-faced Kos).

Maybe Diaz pisses him off. Or maybe fans' criticism sinks in. I certainly hope so, otherwise i might start boycotting his fights tbh...

[vikingpride]

I dunno, I have a feeling the fight will last three rounds and then stopped due to cuts.

Yeah with elbows allowed on the ground it certainty benefits the guy on top who wants to do the bare minimum to keep it there. And elbows allow wrestlers to do just that.

If GSP does make this fight boring than there is absolutely no hope for him to be exciting ever again at 170. Because Nick just isn't a guy who puts on boring fights.

Edit: whats almost funny is how polar opposite these guys are. GSP is known for looking for the path of least resistance in every fight. If he's matched up vs a wrestler prepare for him to pepper with jabs and dance around. If he faces a standup guy prepare for him spam TD's and control. On the other hand Diaz basically says lets fight wherever. If you want to stand and bang lets do it, if you want to take it down let me work some subs. GSP is Mr politically correct while Nick just says w/e he's feeling.

[Negative2]

Nick Diaz hasn't ever beat anyone at their own strength. Smarten up.

[stitch1z]

GSP by devastating KTFO!!!1!

[JT42]

Wow I am impressed with Dana's performance!

I seriously doubted that this fight would be put together and even though GSP is rightfully the favorite it is definitely the best possible fight for him