Nick Diaz: Johny Hendricks Hasn’t Beat Stand-Up Guys, And I’m A Better Stand-Up Fighter Than Anderson Silva

Largely absent from the MMA scene since his one-sided loss to former UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre at last March’s UFC 158, polarizing pugilist Nick Diaz ruffled more than a few feathers (as he’s been known to do) when he recently called out for a fight against the winner of the upcoming Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler fight at UFC 171.

Diaz said there might be a few fighters ranked above him, but he’s the biggest draw. According to him, fans are looking for knockouts and submissions, and he’s fully able to deliver on both fronts. Reiterating the thoughts he voiced at last Saturday’s UFC 170, Diaz told the Los Angeles Times that he’d be a good fight for either Hendricks or Lawler:

“A lot of the fan base can conceive why I’d be a good fight for either guy. Either one of these fights would be a good fight for me.

It’s more about the fans wanting this. People aren’t stupid. You can’t ignore their real, ultimate understanding. They know what’s going on. It’s mixed martial arts. The real fans of martial arts understand intuitively … there’s a connection with me.

You know when I fight; I’m going to sell out the show. Everyone wants to see someone get knocked out or tapped out.”

Diaz is correct that fans want to see action-packed finishes when they pay their hard-earned money to watch a card, and with a lackluster string of decisions plaguing recent UFC cards, there’s no doubt that he could inject some life into what has become a sort of dead period for the UFC.

With a knockout win over Lawler on his record from way back at UFC 47 in 2004, it’s definitely plausible that Diaz can provide a tough fight for the surging “Ruthless.”

Hendricks, however, is a different story. Many believe that the power-punching former NCAA national champion wrestler should already be the welterweight champion after his narrow (and controversial) split decision loss to “GSP” at UFC 167, but Diaz believes he hasn’t faced off with a striking specialist on his level:

“The guys he’s beat haven’t been stand-up guys. He’s a wrestler who punches hard.”

Hendricks may be a wrestler who punches hard, but with wins over Carlos Condit and Martin Kampmann, it’s tough to say that “Bigg Rigg” hasn’t beat a fighter who could be qualified as a “stand-up guy.”

Diaz is definitely the more technical of the two. He’s a talented boxer who has even been linked to a match against legendary pugilist Roy Jones Jr., a man who has supposedly been on tap to box former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva for quite some time.

Diaz has respect for Jones Jr., refusing to call him out until he finds out what his position in the stacked UFC welterweight division is. However, if Jones Jr. never boxes Silva, Diaz says he’ll be waiting to take him on. Diaz even said he’s a better stand-up fighter than the injured but soon-to-return “Spider”:

“Me calling out Roy Jones is disrespectful. But if they want to do that, want to do something like that, [combining] sports [in a boxing match], I’ll do it. I feel I’m a better stand-up fighter than Anderson Silva, who has talked about fighting Jones too.

“If you want a good MMA-boxer boxing match, there you have it.”

Interesting quotes from the always outspoken Diaz, who has firmly re-supplanted himself back in the MMA spotlight with new comments that some may deem outrageous. It’s hard to say he’s a better stand-up fighter than Anderson Silva when Diaz’ track record is marred by losses to top competition and his last win was in 2011 over an aging and overmatched BJ Penn.

But at the heart of the matter, you can’t argue with Diaz’ ability to talk himself into a big fight, and he may do just that in the near future.

With the UFC welterweight division stacked up with a long list of top-flight challengers clamoring for a shot at the belt, however, Diaz may have to wait a while for his chance or even win a couple of fights in the meantime.

He most likely won’t return for anything less than a title shot. If he somehow gets it, can he defeat the powerful “Bigg Rigg”? And how do you stack his striking skills against that of all-time great Silva?

Photo: Eric Bolte for USA TODAY Sports