Diaz shocked St-Pierre didn't try to keep UFC 137 fight, has choice words for champIt was one of the most shocking stories in mixed-martial-arts history.
Former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz (25-7 MMA, 6-4 UFC), handed the biggest opportunity of his career, no-showed a pair of pre-event press conferences and was pulled from a UFC 137 fight with UFC titleholder Georges St-Pierre (22-2 MMA, 16-2 UFC).
The world struggled to make sense of the situation, and honestly, so has Diaz, himself. The fiery Californian admits he dropped the ball, but he's shocked St-Pierre went along for the ride. And that supposed disdain for the press? Garbage, Diaz said. Media members should feel free to stop by his gym anytime.
"I'm not trying to make all these little excuses," Diaz today told MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com). "If I'd have known the fight was going to be off, I would have [expletive] gone to the press conference, or I would have told somebody, 'Hey, if I don't make it to this stupid [expletive], I'm not fighting.' I think that people would have gotten me there. I think people would have come and gave two [expletive] and gotten me to that press conference."
There were reasons that didn't happen, but Diaz wants to make it perfectly clear he's not trying to shift the blame. There was the lost passport that prevented him from making it Canada, and to be honest, Diaz admits he really didn't even realize why he was supposed to be getting on the plane. Had he known his shot at St-Pierre depended on his attendance, there certainly would have been a little more importance placed on compliance. However, Diaz thought it was little more than a video shoot that was more distraction than destination.
"I didn't even know there was a press conference," Diaz said. "I thought it was some PR thing. People were trying to tell me, 'You're going to do this skit' and that I was going to be a part of some PR skit where I had this part where I was walking through a hall, kind of like that scene Jake Shields did. I was like, 'What the [expletive]? Are you kidding?' So I'm thinking, 'Somebody better come over here and tell me what I'm doing and get me ready to go do it so I don't look like an [expletive].' That's how I feel when you're coming to get me ready for something I'm not ready for.
"I didn't know it was supposed to be a press conference until the same day I was supposed to be making it to the press conference. I just don't like the way people are treating it and acting like I backed out of a fight. Why would I do that?"
At that point, Diaz admits he made an even bigger mistake. Frustrated at the situation, Diaz clammed up and tried his best to work things out on his own rather than relying on his manager and trainer, Cesar Gracie, to help clear up the situation.
"I was trying to make it happen," Diaz insisted. "I wasn't talking to anybody. I wasn't talking to Cesar, and I should have been. I should have had Cesar make my flight and everything, but I was trying to handle it on my own."
Unfortunately for Diaz, UFC president Dana White was forced to make a decision. With tickets going on sale for a blockbuster pay-per-view and one half of his headlining bout missing in action, White elected to pull Carlos Condit (27-5 MMA, 4-1 UFC) from a co-feature with B.J. Penn (16-7-2 MMA, 12-6-2 UFC) in favor of a matchup with St-Pierre.
As a bit of a concession, Diaz was then rebooked to face Penn.
Both fights still look incredible on paper, and the card was a quick sellout despite the changes. But Diaz, a purist in his beliefs that MMA should be more about fighting than sport, feels the new matchups are a bit of a disservice to fans.
"Now I'm over here getting ready to fight a guy I know that I was previously friends with," Diaz said. "We're not doing so good right now, but we were friends. Condit and Georges, they know each other. They're friends. And they're trying to make these fights out of people that aren't even trying to fight. They're trying to make these wrestling matches, and I think it's kind of ridiculous. It's not a real fight."
And while Diaz admits he should have been at the press conferences – and certainly would have had he realized the consequences – he also blames St-Pierre for not protesting the switch.
"I really don't appreciate this mother [expletive] sitting there at that press conference and laughing at me," Diaz said. "That's some real bitch [expletive]. He's sitting there laughing like it's funny or something. If I saw Georges on the street and called him a bitch, I bet you he wouldn't do [expletive]. I bet you if I walked up and gave him a slap, I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't do [expletive]. But you can't do that to me. That's not how it works for me. That's something to fight about.
"It makes me mad that Georges is going to sit there and call himself a fighter, but he's not going to stand up and say something about this. He's going to let it ride. I think I would say something. I would at least have said, 'I disagree. I don't agree with canceling my fight because of some dumbass [expletive].' Instead, he sat there and said, 'He doesn't have the commitment to be a champion.' What is that? I obviously have the commitment to throw my life away. I've thrown my life away and sacrificed everything so that I can fight. I did that. I threw my life away so I could work hard and train and fight. That's commitment."
Learning to "play the game"
During Diaz's successful run in Strikeforce, White was often asked if the Strikeforce welterweight champion ever would be invited back into the octagon. White insisted all along that Diaz had to learn to "play the game." When Diaz didn't show for the two press conferences, the UFC boss made it clear the fighter hadn't complied.
But that's not entirely accurate, Diaz said. He may simply have not understood all the rules of "the game."
"I'll tell you straight up, I sat down in that office and made that deal with them, and I talked to them about this press," Diaz said. "What I said when I was in there was that I would be happy to do press. I like the press. I like all that stuff. But I would like people to come to me. They were like, 'OK. We'll send them out to you.' They told me they were going to do all that PR stuff – that video and weird [expletive] they were going to have me do right next to the guy I'm fighting, which I think is ridiculous – in California, and I was going to do that.
"I was willing to stand there like an [expletive] right next to the guy I'm fighting and do some video [expletive]. I even explained that to them. I just said, 'Let me know what I'm doing and where it's going to be. Let me know exactly what I've got to do, and I'll do it.'"
In fact, Diaz said he's literally shocked that people think he's not media friendly. Sure, he's not out there chasing interview opportunities, but it's only because he believes that would cut into the most important thing of all: training. But for anyone willing to make the trip to Stockton, Calif., Diaz said he's more than willing to open the doors to his gym.
"I've said this before: People don't film me," Diaz said. "People don't put me in magazines. I've never been invited on 'Inside MMA' or 'MMA Live.' I don't want to be on the front cover of a magazine? How does that sound? I'm not crazy. Who wouldn't want to be on the front cover of a magazine?
"I just don't think it's that big of a deal. We make it like this huge deal, and I'm like, 'If it's such a big deal, then where the hell are all the people and the cameras?' It's not like there's people banging on my door trying to get an interview or something – snap pictures of me. Nobody gives a [expletive]. I can train all day long anywhere and everywhere, and nobody wants to film me. No one wants to come see any of that. I enjoy watching training. I enjoy watching good people sparring in the gym. I've never shut my door to anybody that wanted to come in and watch my training or film or anything like that."
"I'm not afraid to fight anybody"
It's been an admittedly trying time for Diaz, who insists he meant no harm through his absence. This is the fight game, and Diaz was focused on fighting. Now he's had a title shot taken away, and he's left with a matchup he never wanted.
Of course, that doesn't mean he's not ready to make it a memorable, Diaz-esque scrap.
"It's not like it's an easy fight for me," Diaz said. "I'm not like these bitches. I'm not going to hold B.J. Penn down the whole time like these guys have done. They held B.J. down because they're bigger than him and stronger than him. I'm not going to do that. I'm not a little bitch to try and hold somebody down. I'm going to go out there and fight this tricky mother [expletive], and it could mean a lot of problems for me. It would have been a lot of problems for them, too, if they had fought him like I fight. They would have lost that fight.
"It's a different matchup, me fighting B.J. I'm not afraid to fight B.J. I'm not afraid to fight anybody. I've proven that. I've won three belts in this [expletive] with people trying to take my head off."
Despite the troubles Diaz caused with his absence, the fact that he was rebooked for the card would seem to suggest he could earn another shot at the belt with a positive performance. Diaz doesn't want to speculate on what the future holds – he understands his career is at an important crossroads – but he's not afraid to make a prediction in St-Pierre vs. Condit.
"If I would have won the fight with Georges, and they wanted me to fight again, I could have seen myself fighting Condit," Diaz said. "I was already looking past the fight with Georges fighting thinking, 'They're probably going to want me to fight Condit.'
"I've been looking at Condit for a long time. He's probably going to whoop Georges' ass. I'm going to want to test myself there."
And if you think that's a disrespectful challenge to Condit, think again. Diaz actually believes if there's one bright spot in an otherwise horrible situation, it's that Condit – a fighter he respects both in the cage and out – was able to gain from his unfortunate loss.
"I am happy for Carlos," Diaz said. "He has a kid and a family. I have don't have any of that. I gave all that up to fight and be the best. I hope this opportunity helps Carlos and his family."
Of course, should St-Pierre prove victorious at UFC 137, Diaz wouldn't mind rescheduling that fight, either. And the press, well that's no problem, either. Diaz had planned on being respectful toward the current champ, but he's lost a lot of respect for St-Pierre during this shakeup.
"I wasn't going to say anything in the buildup to fighting Georges," Diaz said. "I was going to be really respectful. Georges is a great fighter. But he's a little bitch when it comes to fighting me right now. Why is he just going along with everything? To say I don't have the commitment? I don't understand. He's the one that doesn't have the commitment.
"I know sometimes I sound like a nut when I'm talking, but there's a lot of [expletive] to this situation. It's ridiculous that I have to be the only one explaining what goes on behind the scenes. One of the things that has always helped me out in my career is that I've never dealt with this. Other people dealt with this. Now everybody is putting the blame on me. I think that needs to come off, and I think that Georges St-Pierre is a little bitch for not saying anything about it. He's like, 'Yeah, switch it to Condit. That's easier. I'd love to fight my buddy. I'd love to fight my pal.'"
"I was too busy training to whip George St-Pierre's ass"
In the end, a win over Penn at UFC 137 may put Diaz right back in line for a shot at St-Pierre. The French-Canadian champ has run through the top contenders in the 170-pound division, and challengers appear scarce.
Diaz promises there will be no repeat no-shows if he gets a second chance to fight for the UFC title. Tell him where to be and when to be there, and he's in. And more importantly, if you'd like to come to the 209 and get the real story, Diaz is issuing an open invitation.
"I'm disappointed," Diaz said. "I thought people really wanted to see me fight Georges. But nobody gives a [expletive], and nobody out here cares whether I was fighting. Nobody cares that I just took first place at a pretty hard Xterra [off-road triathlon] out there that was just for fun but actually made for a good time. Nobody gives a [expletive] what I'm doing for training out here.
"I sleep four hours a night – maybe five or six hours tops. I wake up, and then I'm out on a run or out on a mission to get to the Bay Area so I can train with some bad mother [expletive], and I do that everyday. And nobody gives a [expletive]. Nobody has ever wanted to come on a ride along to see what it is to live a day in the life of Nick Diaz. That would be some [expletive]. People would trip."
Diaz's career path is currently unclear. Will a win over Penn prove enough for White to roll the dice on a fighter who is often viewed as a loose cannon? Only time will tell. But the question of commitment, the notion that he was somehow scared to fight or concerned at what would happen when the cage door locked behind him and St-Pierre stood opposite the cage, well, Diaz simply laughs at that.
Call it a misunderstanding. Call it an unfortunate mistake. Call it anything you want. Diaz just make sure you get the facts straight.
"I didn't know there was a press conference," Diaz said. "I thought I was going to do some sort of PR video shoot. I didn't know exactly what I was doing, and they say I wasn't able to deal with it all. I guess I wasn't. I was too busy training to whip George St-Pierre's ass, which I thought was more important."
Diaz is complimentary of St-Pierre's skills, but true to his own beliefs, he feels the champ is more sportsman than fighter. Challenges have been laid; plans had been arranged. As far as Diaz is concerned, St-Pierre took the easy way out.
"The bottom line is Georges is being a little bitch," Diaz said. "He didn't step up and say anything when the UFC pulled me out of this fight. I understand sometimes you have to do what you're told, but why wouldn't you tell the media you still want to fight me? If I was Georges, I would want to fight the best. I would have asked for the Anderson Silva fight. I would have asked to fight the Strikeforce champ. But he sits there like a robot and doesn't say anything at all, just like he's not going to say anything about me calling him a bitch now. If I saw B.J. Penn walking down the street and called him a bitch, we would be fighting right there on the spot.
"The truth is Georges doesn't want to fight me in the street or in a cage. He knows who I am, and he knows where I came from. I don't have the commitment? I'm younger than him, I have more wins in my career than he does, and I've worked harder to get where I am. He knows the truth, and he didn't say anything and won't say anything because he doesn't want to get his ass whipped by me the same way he got his ass whipped by Jake – the night we went to the press conference and Georges went to the hospital."
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