Nick Diaz: MMA’s Most Frustrating Fighter
Nick Diaz should forever be part of MMA history. Regardless of how his career transpired after February, 2007 he should have been remembered as part of one of the greatest fights ever. His battle against Takanori Gomi should have created a legacy like the first Forrest Griffin/Stephan Bonnar bout, only it was better. It should have been the biggest victory of Diazs career and the centerpiece of his highlight reel.
Unfortunately, Diazs moment of glory lasted only about six weeks. Diaz had tested positive for marijuana, and his THC level was off the charts. Nick Diazs THC level was an astounding 175 and that led NSAC Chairman Dr. Tony Alamo to speculate that in this situation marijuana was a performance enhancing drug. Diaz was fined, suspended and the result of his almost certain fight of the year winner with Gomi changed to a no decision.
Diaz had singlehandedly removed the luster from a classic bout. Following an action packed and very close first round Gomi took control in the second. Gomi had opened a cut on Diazs face and it was bleeding a gusher. On several occasions Gomi implored the referee to stop the fight, or at least check on the cut due to the excessive blood flow. With the ref showing no signs of stopping the fight and Diaz hanging tough, Gomi took the fight to the ground and in a matter of seconds found himself forced to tap out to a gogoplata. Looking at the fight now, the action is the same but theres something absent from it on a spiritual level. Had Diaz not tested positive and the result stood it would have become a classic fight. As it turned out, it became more of a case study demonstrating just how much pain a stoned mixed martial artist can withstand.
While Diaz might not be a bad person, hes definitely someone who attracts trouble. Instead of learning a lesson from the experience of his positive drug test, he became a more outspoken advocate of marijuana use. While the relative risk pot smoking is debatable and beyond the purview of this article one thing is certain”fighters are prohibited from its use. Sadly, it appears that Diaz places a greater value on his recreational drug use than his legacy as a professional prizefighter.
Ironically, Japans notoriously lax oversight of mixed martial arts makes it a perfect fit for Diaz. He doesnt have to worry about drug tests or athletic commissions who arent sympathetic to his claiming a need for medical marijuana. His workrate, conditioning and versatility as a fighter will be appreciated by the Japanese fans, and offers countless matchup opportunities for the Japanese promotions. Most significantly, perhaps, his participation with Japanese promotions DREAM or Sengoku provides Diaz the opportunity to put his missteps behind him and reassert himself as one of the sports most exciting fighters and not one of its biggest troublemakers.
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