How good are the Diaz brothers?

[HHJ]

They will be missed when they are gone.

 

[GoshiShun17]

You referenced a couple of highly controversial decs vs before he was even 22 years old. Then GSP. Thats all.

Myths and simpleton takes are parroted ad nauseum around here

Nick had several shortcomings, involving kicks or TDs of his own. To go in there and just try to outwrestle him was far from an easy task for anybody not named GSP, unless what the typical shertard like that you replied initially would tell you

I'm not knocking Nick, but the UFC 170 division had a few guys during GSP'S reign that were more than happy to take you down and keep you in one position.

I don't know if Nick would have won against those guys or not.

 

[pankrat]

I'm not knocking Nick, but the UFC 170 division had a few guys during GSP'S reign that were more than happy to take you down and keep you in one position.

I don't know if Nick would have won against those guys or not.

We dont know. Why sherbros take it for granted though?
It would not be an easy task thats for sure. Sherk who knows something about wrestling failed btw.

He was not easy to do anything against in clinch or ground positions while being himself dangerous in there.

Movility and kicking could be an "easier" way to beat him. Even in slugfests could get beat as Joe Riggs did

 

[Cindynice420]

There were awesome

 

[BigOlJeet]

Journeymen with cult followings neither could stop a takedown against any credible wrestler. ​

Sounds like some loud mouthed Irish can as well.

 

[empsim]

Skill wise kinda average (in UFC terms of course) but cardio and toughness helped a lot.

 

[Black Blood]

Real good (Nick in particular) if you tried to fight their fight. Otherwise you didn't need to be too tricky to beat them.

 

[Robbocop]

Nick Diaz is a legend in MMA history, Nate Diaz is really good, and his win over Conor McGregor is quite an iconic moment, but he is not quite as legendary as his big bro Nick.

 

[BFoe]

Skill wise kinda average (in UFC terms of course) but cardio and toughness helped a lot.

No way. There’s nothing average about their BJJ for sure, it is extremely high level. Nick was especially sneaky with it, and adapted it to MMA well: see the sneaky little trap he set for Cyborg Santos by laying his arm behind Cyborg’s glove during the finishing sequence of their fight. Cyborg doesn’t even realize Nick has trapped his arm until it’s too late.

Both brothers have excellent hands of course, but Nick’s boxing was an absolute treat to watch back in the day. Both were elite, but Nick in particular was excellent. Former WEC and Strikeforce WW champ.

 

[BFoe]

Total destruction.

 

[jitzmonkey]

Always thought that the Diaz brothers were great at fighting their own game.
No one in their natural weight classes were going to out brawl, cardio, or jiujitsu them.

Their complete refusal to adjust to their opponents’ game plan or strengths along with their refusal to train/fight as though they were competing in a sport (as opposed to fighting in the street) is what kept them both from being UFC champions.

 

[613]

In their primes they were good, just outside of the top fighters in their weight. They pretty much lost every time they fought top ranked fighters

 

[TheAmericanGazelle]

Since they never lost a "real" fight, they were obviously pretty great.

In a real gangsta-ass fight they would never lose. They just ran out of time on that point-scoring pussy shit, even when Nate got TKOed.

No seriously, they were generally gatekeeper status, but very entertaining, who briefly flirted with low-level elite status.

 

[IloveTHIS]

Nick had great potential. He did not live up to it and BECOME a great tho because he and his brother are hard headed and not that smart. On his best night he could hang with anyone tho, other than GSP.

Nate is a journeyman that fights stupidly and all it takes to beat him is a leg kick based game plan mixed in with a few takedowns lol.

0n the plus side, both will be more fondly remembered by the fans than fighters far far greater than them.

 

[mkt]

Between gatekeeper and elite level at their best. I think either could've won a UFC title in the right circumstances. I mean look at Serra, Bisping, Eddie Alvarez, Jan B. and LHW, etc. But neither could keep the belt for long due to some of their weaknesses mentioned here. For example, Nate would've had a chance at beating Pettis (which he later did) and maybe Conor (which he did once at WW). Khabib would've been a nightmare, though and he didn't match up well against Bendo. They both trained with BJ Penn when he was in his LW prime and admitted BJ was better at the time.

Nick might have won the belt if he could've faced Lawler when he was a champ. Would've been interesting as Nick beat him early but Lawler was clearly better when both were post-prime. GSP and Usman would always be bad matchups for him, though.

Oh, and Nick was bigger and better than Nate, but Nate probably has more big-name wins since he spent more time in the UFC and didn't leave the sport in his prime.

 

[Franklin U.]

Let's stop putting " elite" in the same sentence with either Diaz. That's just silly . In hindsight, Nick held a pretty good reverence but was never " elite ".
Nate in the needle moving arena is elite but as a fighter/mmartist, he's a gatekeeper....ufc level gatekeeper but gatekeeper.

Nate is now a grown welter but I'd imagine that Nick would still - literally- big brother him.

 

[pankrat]

Let's stop putting " elite" in the same sentence with either Diaz. That's just silly . In hindsight, Nick held a pretty good reverence but was never " elite ".
Nate in the needle moving arena is elite but as a fighter/mmartist, he's a gatekeeper....ufc level gatekeeper but gatekeeper.

Nate is now a grown welter but I'd imagine that Nick would still - literally- big brother him.

Diaz were certainly elite, specially Nick, and it's not forumrats who say so but their peers, pundits and fellow elite fighters.

If he wasnt elite we would see "elite" fighters beat him handly and not just squeezing a controverial decision as Condit.
Condit himself would be the first to acknowledge Nick Diaz as elite.
Or wasnt Condit (who btw was the underdog coming into the fight) elite neither?

Who are the WWs from GSP generation who deserve to be called "elite" in your book? Given that putting such tag to Nick is "silly" accoding to you, I eager to see who are all those WWs in between GSP and Nick Diaz that deserve to be called elite.

Between gatekeeper and elite level at their best. I think either could've won a UFC title in the right circumstances but neither could keep the belt for long .

Well, it seems that for some people, if you are not long time champion material you are relegated to gatekeeper status....

 

[kalabula]

Journeymen with cult followings neither could stop a takedown against any credible wrestler. ​

I’m a fan of them. This is a fact.

 

[wlu.29]

How good were the Diaz brothers? Are they considered elite fighters in your eyes? Who would win in a fight between them?

B+ fighters

 

[piropiro]

Not elite, not great (except perhaps Nick in his prime years) … quite good mainly due to grit, durability, cardio, deceptive striking and BJJ threat. Average athleticism - except for excellent cardio - and average fight IQ.

Achieved huge fame and economic success mostly due to gritty fights and “gagsta” personas … of which I never understood the appeal, but clearly I’m not the target demographic.