As every fiber of my being wants to yell a Nick Diaz for blowing the biggest opportunity of his life, I can’t help but think WTF?!
In a bizzare turn of events, Diaz who was scheduled for a title fight against Welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre has been scratched from the UFC 137 card. After inexplicably missing press conferences in Toronto and Las Vegas, UFC President Dana White was forced to find a replacement for Diaz’s absence.
Diaz has clearly lost his mind. Anyone bold enough to pull a fast one on Dana White is obviously not playing with a full deck of cards. White had told Diaz when he approached him about the fight that the amount of money he would make on this one fight would top all other winnings he has ever earned combined! COMBINED! Not to mention, the notoriety he would gain, and most importantly, his shot at the being the new Welterweight Champ.
So, I repeat, WTF?!
Diaz is known to have anxiety issues when it comes to the media, but I don’t think any ‘ol excuse can justify his unprofessional, erratic behavior. I think it’s safe to assume that this is more than a social anxiety problem. In the past, it may have been easy to absolve his absences on press days and chalk it up to his “rebellious” side, or “Diaz being Diaz” but this is straight up ludicrous. (Sidenote: the fact that “Diaz being Diaz” is even considered as a pardon for his “ass hole like” beaviour is unacceptable. You’re a grown man!) You can be the baddest (yes, baddest) bad man in the world, not give a what about anything, but you don’t handle the situation like that. Never like that.
Maybe I’m getting soft, but I actually feel sorry for the guy. Anyone who can throw away their lifes work; blood, sweat, tears, you name it, for no apparent reason, needs help.
In a league like the UFC where fighters are a dime a dozen with everyone clawing at their shot at stardom, I don’t think Diaz should be tossed to the curb, rather, he needs help now more than ever. Could this be early signs of CTE rearing its ugly head? Maybe. Or maybe Nate really is a prick. I hope it’s neither. Selfishly, I just want to enjoy and appreciate Nate doing what he does so well, and that’s being a great fighter.
Here’s to hoping he get’s it together.
