UFC 158 Conference Call: Is the “Stockton Badboy” good for the sport?

Nick Diaz is an enigmatic recluse. There is no two ways about it. He’s a naturally gifted fighter who could defeat most opponents with little training and dedication. However he does train very hard, and it shows considering he has great boxing skills, one of the sports best offensive guards and a mean overall Jiu-Jitsu game, not to mention cardio that has been considered bordering upon legendary due to all of the triathlons and Ironman competitions he’s endured over the years.

Diaz however is a complicated man, and unfortunately I can’t say that anyone really understands him, with that said he made that task even more difficult during yesterday’s UFC 158 Conference call  where he showcased some more social absurdities, anomalies and some downright confusing responses.

Things get heated at 33:28

To be honest with you, I’ve never been able to understand what Nick Diaz is trying to say half of the time when he’s speaking, which makes sense seeing as how Georges St. Pierre felt the same way and responded bluntly to a long rant by Diaz with:

“I don’t understand half of what he said.”

He continued sharing his thoughts on the matter, ripping into Diaz by stating that English is only his second language, yet he can speak it better than Diaz, who only knows how to speak English. Ouch.

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Let’s be straight forward here. Diaz isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer. But what he lacks in sense, he makes up for in entertainment value. If you were to ask the question is Nick Diaz good for MMA? Then you’d have to clarify and be more specific because Diaz isn’t simple enough of an individual to just answer with a simple yes or a no.

If the question is, is Diaz good for the entertainment and fighting aspects of MMA? Then the answer would have to be yes, he talks a lot of smack, he’s brash, foul mouthed, he’s naturally gifted in the octagon and he comes to fight with the goal of trying to finish his opponents.

However if you asked the question, is Diaz a good role model or a good example of a respectful opponent and how a champion should conduct themselves? Then the answer is an epic NO.

Most fans and fighters have little to no respect for Nick Diaz as an individual, and for a few very good reasons.  As St. Pierre stated, the guy simply doesn’t make any sense, he obviously isn’t well educated, he may even have some sort of social phobia or disorder, which may or may not be entirely his fault, but at the end of the day, the bird flipping, profanity using, constantly complaining, depressed, angry, tough guy Nick Diaz isn’t a good role model for any kids watching the sport and doesn’t do himself any favors or make himself any friends by acting the way he does.

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From personal experience, I enjoy watching Nick Diaz fight, but I disagree with his assessment of modern MMA being boring, his rants about Georges being lucky he’s making all this money, and because of idiotic comments like that, I have always felt like the guy is nothing but a whiner.

That fact is un-debatable, I don’t care how much you like him, he has been complaining about his entire life, his career, every fighter on the planet and every single fight he’s ever been in since the beginning of time. Even when he wins, he still complains, saying things like, I came in here and no one gave me my respect so what now?, or I’m beating all these guys and I’m not getting paid like Georges or whatever.

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The guy is a walking pile of angry, depressing, bitterness. If he truly wanted to be successful or wanted anyone to like him, he’d have to drop the gangster tough guy act, which is annoying to begin with, and simply be himself.

Or maybe he is just being himself, and years of living in a bad home or area has left him the cold, bitter man that he is. And it could very well be that he does it on purpose. Maybe Nick Diaz needs to put that chip on his own shoulder to find the motivation he needs to fight and attain success in this sport.

This is one guy I’ll never understand and frankly, I have no desire to understand him. But for what is probably the most interesting conference call ever, and the most heated I’ve ever seen Georges St.Pierre get with any of his opponents in his entire career, I’m interested to see what happens March 16th.

Let us know what you thought of the call and what you think of Nick Diaz in general in the comments below.