First off, if you think Diaz won that fight, you might not be intelligent enough to read, and im sure these words look like ancient Hebrew to you..
Ive watched the fight two times now, the 2nd time to more to critique than enjoy. Andy handidly beat Diaz, its not even a question, but his more important victory was over his own mentality. He was hesitant in spots, particularly early on, was showing rust and a reluctance to commit or trust his instincts. However, for someone in his position, his main objective was simply to win, no matter who was in front of him. His objective was to overcome the hurdles in his mind about his place in this sport, and prove to himself his own capabilities, which he did. The problem is, he has set the bar of expectations so high that when he fails to meet or exceed it, detractors of his feel they have ammo against him.
Of course this is a fight he shouldve won, but lets put things into perspective. 13 months ago his leg was snapped and only several months ago he was struggling to kick a friggin swiss ball. He came into this fight rusty, with no momentum and a cloud of doubt and pressure looming over him. For 25 minutes he was in control, he moved well up on his toes, he looked sharp, he dodged and rolled punches, showed a tighter boxing game than in either Weidman fights, remained calm and handily took all rounds.
He looked exactly how he shouldve looked, for people who were expecting some reverse elbow KO or another front kick to the face. And within the context of a man who snapped his tibia a year ago, coming off two losses, looked extraordinary. Now, he has momentum, the doubt has been expelled, the cobwebs have been shook and i fully expect to see a much less gun shy, much more comfortable A.S in the next fight, should it happen.
This was a note for people who dont appreciate what they are seeing.
