Here's the comment section:
Humans like to talk about things:
83 responses to “Nate Diaz Is A Terrible Striker”
Leave a Reply to Ryan Ervin Cancel reply
Helpful Links:
© Copyright Fight Smart 2020 - All Rights Reserved
Humans like to talk about things:
© Copyright Fight Smart 2020 - All Rights Reserved
Why are you referring to Clay Guida as “Benson Henderson”?
Hairstyle and ignorance, obviously.
Do a fight with a nightstick!
I honestly completely agree with this breakdown. He is just too sloppy, his greatest asset is his toughness and cardio. But he only fights at 60% for the entire fight while most other fighters like Masvidal are throwing every strike with the intention to put someone down.
Hi Trav, love your lessons! they really help me get to a next level.
Totally agree with you about Nate’s technique. But he makes those long ugly hooks and one-two’s still land somehow….and that’s evidence his situation anticipation and movement anticipation and timing are off the chards. When his fist is taking as long as it does to your moving face and still manages to hit you it actually is as if he posesses a skill you don’t know about. Really frustrating to fight him I imagine . It seems he’s a bum with ugly and poor technique but somehow you’re getting hit over and over and over again while your own punches doesn’t seem to bother him at all. He actually gets better and more dangerous the more you hit him. After failing to finish him a couple of times you start to doubt yourself….what the f#* is happening??
One of his best skills is a mental one: He deceives you, making you believe you can finish him, making you think he is a really simple dude making obscene gestures in between his punches and when he makes you fail in getting what seemed a simple win he takes your pride and self confidence away making you doubt every move you make. You start to think, breath heavy and your coordination is failing on you…..and then…. he makes you pay!
I think when you try to alther his punching technique it is going to fuck-up his timing and it would take to long and to much effort to change it. If I were his coach I’d let his technique be as it is. When he’d be at the start of his career it would be a whole different story obviously…But you are right is technique is damn ugly 😉
I think you’re giving him a little too much credit… but arm length, punch volume (based on his cardio), and his chin make him a tough guy to deal with. That doesn’t mean that his form is good, and he’s certainly not out there like the sherlock holmes of the fight game that you’re describing here.
I really believe you are missing what Nate is doing. He doesn’t out-cardio his opponents because he’s a triathlete.. that’s bs.. he outlasts everyone because he’s expending very little energy with the majority of his strikes. Throwing hard technical punches is TIRING. So is slipping and countering. He’s forcing his opponents to defend a large volume of punches and wearing them out. Meanwhile, Nate is not expending much energy. Watch the mcgregor 2 fight. Conor is very technical and was gassed and literally running away from Nate in round TWO. It’s a strategy. When you throw hard technical shots and slips, you are engaging every major muscle group in your body which is very taxing. I agree it’s bs when people say Nate’s boxing is great, but what he does works for him.
Having the length required to annoy people into a state of fatigue doesn’t make him a talented striker. How about throwing effective 1-2’s? Or effective hooks?
Anybody who get’s in the cage with fighters like Connor, Michael Johnson, Benson Henderson, Rory McDonald, RDA, Pettis and Masvidal deserves a lot of credit in my humble opinion….especially when you are bringing inferior weapons than the opponent. He brings something different to the table and that’s why he is popular with the big crowd. Too much credit? On his bank account probably Yes.
No, to just about everything you stated. Nate is not a genius, his mental offense is weak, his timing is horrible. His horrendous style of striking offers one slight advantage and that’s reach. His foot work and combined movement is so good that his signature move is to block attacks with his face. His ground game is decent but no where near top tier. As a fighter considering 90% of the variables Nate is trash. However he has a secret weapon, well more like a gift and it can’t be learned. He can take the most hits, the deepest cuts, kicks, elbows, knees, you name it. It’s a incredible ability. To withstand the onslaught of what he endures takes high levels of physical and mental fortitude. Nate is a tank, however, that’s all he is. His shots land because no one can put him down, so they get tired. It’s not a strategy or a mind game. He’s a one trick pony, and that’s his trick. His durability and fortitude gets him wins. He relies on his innate toughness to tire out his opponents and then get a lucky shot or use mediocre bjj to sub. This is why he does “well” in fights with 5 rds. It’s getting to the point where the ufc is even figuring it out. You can see his fight for the BMF Belt, they stopped the fight. Why? Because of a cut? No… Its because Nate got the shit beat out of him for 3 rounds, while his opponent was unscathed. They did him a favor, especially considering the severity of his already existing head injuries. Nate is by far the toughest fighter I’ve ever seen, sure, but he is also one of the worst skilled when considering professional fighters.
This is an incredibly accurate response.
It’s amazing just how far someone can get with so few tools. Check out his fight with Josh Thompson. It was a quite few years ago and I don’t have Fight Pass, but I distinctly remember Josh’s angles, footwork and movement completely outclassing Nate. If I recall correctly his brother tried to throw in the towel at the same time the referee was stopping Nate from being completely bludgeoned and embarrassed. After this fight I figured everyone would see the obvious blueprint for beating him, but for some reason that hasn’t been the case. Great stuff Trav, thanks for the fun breakdown!
Like to share my thoughts..as a successful street fighter, well over 200…never lost. 99% of them were provoked by bullies, gangs, bouncers, since I was 12.. Only 5-5’8″ 155-185 over the years. I also fought in prisons, then turned my life over and started BJJ, won 14 Tournaments, Monster Cup won 3 divisions. Ive also bounced at several Mexican clubs, so I do have experience. Nothing to brag, jus want to humble insight. I for one do not punch like D’ but I do get his strategy. His wild weak punches are not with power, because he’s conserving energy. Yes I get it he could tighten up his tequ..if you look at his body its real loose all over, meaning he fights like jello, he drops his hands a lot to save energy and bait his opponent to get shots in. It works for him. BUT I will also say anyone who is tense is wasting a lot of energy. A little bit of both can be a good thing. For D’z he also maybe trying to gain points. Im not a point person, I fight for real and enjoy it. I think of fighting like a baseball. I wait for the pitched ball and swing the bat in the direction of the opposite direction. Focus my power at the last moment, elbow behind hands. Making sure not to over swing so I can keep my balance. Movement, balance, calmness, focus, accuracy, and timing are key.
Hey Trav I have utilized and added to my arsenal of MMA a great number of your tips and advice. But I must slightly chime in on this subject. Though I greatly with the majority of the technical imperfections you pointed out about Nate. Though with his unsound techniques and unorthodox fighting style many elite fighters such as Conor McGregor, who you highlighted his technique of the shoulder bump that he used against the “average Cerrone”, had an extremely hard time competing against. Which brings to question, what does that say about the other fights that lost to Diaz?
I love that you did this lol. I feel like in about 4 more years mma will have moved to the point where a fighter like diaz would never cut it. And screw all the guys that personally attack you for pointing out obvious flaws in film.
Thanks Trav, that was sooo worth watching. I learned what not to do, over and over and over… and over lol.
Oh, I might add the “bitch slap” to my skill set 🙂
Cheers, Mick