MMA Classic Fights: Diaz vs Daley

MMA Classic Fights: Nick Diaz  vs Paul Daley

By Aidan O’Connor

This week we look back on a great welterweight brawl between 2 absolute warriors. Nick Diaz, the StrikeForce welterweight champion, notorious for being a grappling and submission specialist but possesses the power to devastate. The Brit Paul Daley, a knockout expert with explosive bombs in both his hands and his feet. If there was one thing for sure in this fight, it was that it was not going to go the distance.

As to be expected, when the two men stood face to face in an intense stare down as the referee John McCarthy said his piece, the trash talking already began from Nick Diaz, with a slight smirk being received from Daley. If there’s one thing for sure, these two were the kings of getting in their opponent’s heads and trash talking.

Round one begins, Nick Diaz taking to the centre of the octagon, spreading his arms out and shouting “What!”. The trash talking then turns into fighting as he pressures Daley into the side of the cage, still talking smack as he’s walking him down.

Daley, however did not seem phased by this as he began to unload, catching him with a strike at the top of the head which seemed to knock Diaz to the ground, Daley pouncing on top of him as if he saw his opportunity arise. Now grounding and pounding as Diaz is almost trying to wriggle his way out-of-the-way of the shots. Daley stands up and ‘Soccer Kicks’ Diaz as McCarthy is telling Nick to fight back.

As Diaz got back to his feet he looked out of the fight, ‘Semtex’ applying the pressure and reigning down a flurry of punches. Expending energy at this point was a risky tactic for Daley as he backed away from Diaz, allowing him to regroup himself and begin to put the pressure on once again.

As Diaz began walking towards Daley, exchanging punches he pinned him against the cage, holding his head in a thai clinch whilst throwing some dirty boxing strikes to the head and to the body whilst also trying to catch him with knees to the face. Daley looked like he had been tagged, he was wobbling and tried for the takedown which was telegraphed, Diaz capitalizing by getting hold of a guillotine choke.

This is not where Daley wanted to be and quickly reversed the attempt. Although Diaz was on the bottom in Full Guard, he was completely in control. Daley scrambled out of the guard and the two squared off, each throwing hooks whilst Diaz focused on the body whilst trying to open up top to allow room to land a clean punch.

The two then began to stand and bang, the two of them tagging the other with full power, rocking each other. Daley backing up to the fence trying to unload the power from behind catches Diaz and drops him near the end of the first once again causing the referee to tell him to fight back as the ground and pound began once again.

This fight was anybody’s. Diaz trying to pull guard whilst Daley backs away from danger, which would prove to be the worst decision he could’ve made as Diaz began to open up with strikes, left hook, right hook, uppercut. “Daley is hurt, how is he holding on!?” The two separate and Daley was quite literally out on his feet, falling flat onto the ground. Nick Diaz wasted no time and began to drop bombs into the face of Daley causing the referee to stop the fight with just 3 seconds remaining in the round.

This fight was a back and forth war from start to finish, Diaz rocking Daley numerous times and Daley dropping Diaz twice. One thing is for certain, both of these guys could hold their head high as they left it all on the line. Although it was only a one round fight, this fight should be watched by all who truly appreciate a great battle.