Strikeforce Diaz vs. Daley Recap and Analysis
Posted on April 10, 2011, 12:52 AM by Ryan VenturaPaul Daley was walking into hostile territory Saturday night in San Diego. The fans may have been in the 619, but they brought the atmosphere of Stockton, California to the Valley View Casino Center. It was clear that Paul Daley was public enemy number one and they couldn't wait to see Mr. 209 himself, Nick Diaz enter the six-sided cage. As soon as Diaz made his walk into the cage, the whole arena exploded. This was the main event and the first major Strikeforce event under ZUFFA's rule. Even UFC president Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta were present for the card. You can literally feel the tension in the air, even at home.
Fans are very familiar with Nick Diaz and Paul Daley's career antics. Both men are the bad boy faces of Mixed Martial Arts. Going into this bout, both men were fairly quiet. Not the usual trash and smack talk. That was until the weigh-ins last Friday, with the two combatants standing face to face exchanging words that nearly led to blows. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker had to settle the two sides and anticipation for this fight was at an all-time high.
Now the champion and the challenger stood across from each other in the cage. Belt on the line, pride on the line, and perhaps even a chance to contend for a UFC title was on the line too. Paul Daley was looking for redemption and to prove he is a threat in the welterweight division. Nick Diaz wanted to continue his winning ways and show the world that he is still one of the best.
As referee “Big” John McCarthy was explaining the rules of the bout, the two fighters stared each other down once again exchanging pleasantries. With no touch of the gloves and the ring of the first round bell, it was on. This fight lived up to the hype and more. It had a little bit of everything and it was very close. Both men stayed true to their word and kept majority of the fight standing.
Nick Diaz using his signature unorthodox striking landed a few good shots, Paul Daley showcasing his brand of striking as well. The fight was back and forth, both men getting rocked numerous times. There were brief moments on the ground, but a big chunk of the fight was spent on the feet. Neither man had an edge on each other. That was until one brief exchange, with Paul's back against the cage, late in the first round. Daley got rocked, on wobbly legs fell to the ground, and Diaz went in for the kill.
Once again Nick Diaz is successful in defending his welterweight strap, with a possibly a UFC title shot waiting for him in the horizon. With Nick having practically cleaned out the division in Strikeforce, it's only a matter of time till he gets his shot at Georges St.Pierre's gold. That is unless of course Nick Diaz' teammate Jake Shields defeats GSP.
Questions I have after Diaz vs. Daley:
-The match between Nick Diaz and Paul Daley was a very close bout till the end, I'd actually like to see a part two, do you?
-With this loss, what will become of Paul Daley's future? He isn't exactly in ZUFFA's good graces, will the honor his contract, then drop him like a bad habit?
-How long will it take for Nick Diaz to make the UFC and contend for the welterweight gold there?
-Is there anyone currently on the Strikeforce welterweight that can beat Nick Diaz?
Notes from the rest of the fights:
-Gilbert Melendez looked like a beast against Tatsuya Kawajiri and we all know the “Crusher” is no easy walk in the park. In my personal opinion, he is the number one lightweight in the whole world. I dream of a match between El Nino and the UFC Lightweight champion.
-Gegard Mousasi in my mind got robbed against “The Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine. Gergard Mousasi got a point taken away in the first round because of an illegal upkick while on his back, but “The Dreamcatcher” dominated all three rounds for fifteen minutes. Jardine was purely out-classed and looked like he didn't belonged in the same cage with Mousasi.
-Lyle Beerbohm at one time was considered one of MMA's top prospects in the Lightweight division. He was no match for “The Baka Survivor” Shinya Aoki and Aoki once again showed the world why he is one of the best Jiu-Jitsu practitioners in Mixed Martial Arts.
Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley Awards:
Fight of the Night – Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley was one of the best fights I've seen this year so far. Even though the bout was very short, the fight went back and forth but it was extremely close. It could have been either man's fight and I hope to see a part two.
Performance of the Night - Gegard Mousasi's performance against Keith Jardine was MMA Striking 101. Each blow was accurate and powerful, you can see the evidence all over “The Dean of Mean's” face. K-1 caliber striking was showcased in the Strikeforce cage that night! Even though Mousasi didn't get the W, it was clear who was dominated that night.
Finish of the Night - Gilbert Melendez completely destroyed Tatsuya Kawajiri. With vicious punches, and destructive elbows landed on the ground, “El Nino” earned finish of the night.
Good Sportsmanship Award - Gegard Mousasi and Keith Jardine were very respectful to each other during their fight.
Disappointment of the Night – The unanimous draw between Mousasi and Jardine. It was clear who was winning that fight and for it to end that way wasn't right.
Photo: Esther Lin for STRIKEFORCE
Comments
i want to see Diaz vs Daley 2, cause i think it the ref could have waited 5 seconds cause Daley didn't look out to me, and even if you think he was, it would still be a great fight and it could end with Daley winning, also i think Daley would have won the round.
daley was still out even though the fight was stop, hes still wobbly and cant stand up or even get in the stool. not an early stoppage for me
Daley gets finished in the first round and you want to see a re-match? You either missed the fight or your a HUGE Daley fan.
@MereDictum
well it was a great fight, plus it wasn't exactly a one sided fight, so yeah i want to see them fight again.
If that was a slip, I agree.
he might have hurt his knee, cause of how he fell. I think we could have waited until the end of the round and seen how he was.
I think daley was exhausted. i think he did control his breathing and in the last exchange he just had no air in his body. There was no contact to make him go spinning to the floor.
He didnt control his breathing i ment
Gilbert Melendez's boxing just looked absolutely beautiful. His footwork and head movement looks so slick....Gegard Mousasi really needs to work on his wrestling, if Jardine was able to take him down, imagine what someone like Mat Hamill or even Ryan Bader would do to him.......Diaz, DIaz, Diaz.....the guy never lets me down....always puts on exciting fights, picks what ever the opponents are good at and beats them at their own game. Crazy night of fights. awesome!!!
Melendez needs to take on some of the UFCs top 5 LWs. Not sure he'd live with Gray or Edgar though, but he is slick.
Gil would have problems with Maynard, Edgar, KenFlo, Pettis, Henderson, and a bunch of other people haha. He is starting to win me over though and I'm really eager to see him fight these guys now.
The Diaz/Daley fight didnt seem that close to me. Daley seemed rocked with in the first 2 mins of the fight and had a difficult time recovering. Regardless tho he did catch Diaz and rock him, but in pure technical striking Diaz seemed to be out boxing Paul Daley.
he knocked diaz down twice
Didn't think Daley was totally gone when ref called it, but big JC is the best in the business so gotta respect his call no matter how much I think it was early and should have let it continue.
I think Herb is a better ref.
daley couldnt get up after the bell, he wasnt unconsious but he couldnt have continued
While a rematch is totally unnecessary, id watch these two swing for the fences for years to come. fantastic fight
I think it's very necessary as it was so close, not all rematches are becuse of draws or bad decisions some are because they are great to watch.
i agree Gegard was good but performance of the night for me was Gilbert Melendez. His boxing, his footwork, his wrestling, everything looked outstanding and for a guy who was out for a year to come back in that fashion deserves mad respect. That was his best performance ever by far. I would like to see him vs alvarez or B. Henderson before he goes against Frankie, if that ever happens
I think that the reason all the strikeforce events are so successful and most of the fights are exciting is because of the lack of wrestlers. (with a few exceptions like king mo and woodley). there are no lay and pray fights that are so boring. Look at nick diaz fights since leaving the ufc, all exciting toe to toe wars, but probably because he hasn't faced a wrestler since then.
I agree totally. It has definitely built that brand up. Me and my friend always joke that the events will only last an hr because of all the 1st round finishes. Last nights event was very entertaining.
very good point, that does bring up the question of how Diaz would do in the UFC WW division with so many wrestlers, IMO i think most of them (GSP, Fitch and Koscheck) would use the lay and pray against him
diaz actually made a good and coherent point for once in a different interview about how good the pride rules were and led to exciting fights and discouraged the lay and prey style. I think the ufc need to look at this cos some of the fights are just too boring.
Daley's face plant was epic! I've replayed it about 20 times and still can't stop laughing hahaha
I'll like to KO you and see your face plant to the canvas so you know what it feels like before you laugh at fighters.
Diaz is the best WW in the world in my opinion
First of all, this is MMA and anything can happen, so any of Diaz opponents COULD potentially beat him.
But is there anyone who I would pick to beat Diaz? That's a completely different question.
Logic says that since wrestling is by far the weakest part of his game, a great wrestler could probably beat him. However, his submission skills are so good that taking him down is a huge risk for anyone.
Tyron Woodley certainly has the wrestling skills to put Diaz on his back repeatedly. However, his striking skills are not at Diaz' level yet, and it is very doubtful that he has the submission defense to deal with Diaz' BJJ.
So maybe, just maybe Woodley could grind out a decision win, or get a ground and pound TKO stoppage against Diaz, but I see a much higher likelihood of Diaz getting a submission or TKO himself.
In all probability, barring a nasty cut or DQ of some kind, there is nobody who would beat Diaz in Strikeforce. There are three guys in the world who I would pick to beat him right now: GSP, Fitch, and his training partner Shields.
well Daley came very close and could beat him if they had another fight, also mayhem could beat him.
Mayhem's said he'll never fight at Welterweight again, so moot point there. I'd like to see a catchweight or middleweight fight between them though.
Simply an amazing night of fights!