Why exactly wouldn't he want to fight GSP? Biggest paycheck of his life and it is not like he is afraid to lose... You are talking about the guy who was exchanging haymakers with Paul Daley.
The fact that this ppv will sell more than any of the last 5 gsp's ppvs will prove your point wrong. He is fighting Nick and that alone will help to sell, Diaz doesn't need to say a word anymore.
But my point about Nick making money for the ufc goes so much further than ppv buys.... PPV buys represent a decent (but also small compared to what u think of) share of Zuffa's earning, but it is DEFINETLY not all of it.
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Really tired of this argument. PPV buys might not be the biggest share of Zuffa's earning but they are the best (sole) indicator of a fighter's draw. What, do you think people rush the stadiums when Nick is fighting? Well here you go, the gate for Diaz-Santos was 9059. GSP draws 53k in football stadiums. Maybe people are buying tons of Nick Diaz dolls (do they even make Nick Diaz dolls)? Be serious here, PPV buys and TV ratings are the sole indicators of a fighters draw. Not the number of Sherdog posters supporting a fighter...
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Nick Diaz is not a PPV draw. Sure, he can gather 500k on free TV. Just like Fedor or Shields. But to gather PPV numbers, you got to put him against legends or big draws. By himself, he doesn't draw squat. Here are the numbers if you want to compare him to his fellow Strikeforce fighters:
Strikeforce "Fedor vs. Werdum”: 412,000
Strikeforce "Diaz vs Noons II": 350,000
Strikeforce "Henderson vs Babalu II": 341,000
Strikeforce “Fedor vs. Silva”: 741,000
Strikeforce “Diaz vs. Cyborg”: 561,000
Strikeforce “Diaz vs. Daley”: 528,000
Strikeforce “Feijao vs. Henderson”: 412,000
Why don't you go check out the numbers Diaz draws when he's headlining a PPV? Oh that's right, he never headlines PPV. His first time EVER was October 2011, roughly 7 whole years after GSP's first PPV headline. For crying out loud, Diaz and BJ fucking Penn did 280k PPV. Do you think casuals bought it for Nick or for legendary, multi-divisions UFC champion and future hall of fame BJ Penn?
Don't you find it odd that cards have to be free on TV for Diaz to draw 500k viewers (Diaz-Santos) while GSP is drawing that at 60$ a piece? Please answer honestly.