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#4 Nick and Nate Diaz always ensure an intriguing build to their fights
Despite the trash-talking reputation of fighters like Conor McGregor and Colby Covington, the truth is that outside of the octagon, most of the UFC’s top stars are actually mild-mannered athletes.
The likes of Justin Gaethje, Stipe Miocic and Jan Blachowicz might be stone-cold killers inside the octagon, but when they’re not fighting, they seem like nice guys. And while that’s all well and good, it can also mean that the build to their fights isn’t always intriguing.
The same cannot be said for Nick and Nate Diaz. While they often come across as perfectly decent when they’re away from the UFC, as soon as they have a fight signed, they go into war mode and can turn any fight into a personal rivalry.
Even the UFC’s most renowned ‘nice guys’ – fighters like Donald Cerrone and Georges St. Pierre – were drawn into bitter personal feuds when they were matched with one of the Diaz brothers, with Nick and Nate Diaz seemingly determined to mean-mug their opponent regardless of the circumstances.
This kind of attitude is surprisingly rare in the UFC these days. But what it does mean is that any fight involving either Nick or Nate Diaz instantly garners much more intrigue going in.
Whether their approach is designed to throw their opponents off their gameplan – or whether it’s something inbuilt to them – is unknown. But either way, it’s an approach that guarantees an interesting build to any fight.
#3 Nick and Nate Diaz know their worth and aren’t afraid to defy Dana White
The subject of UFC fighter pay is always a tetchy one, and any mention of the UFC’s stars being underpaid is almost guaranteed to irk UFC President Dana White into a nasty rebuke.
The argument can be seen from either side. But the truth is that if the UFC’s fighters want better pay, they’ve got to prove their worth and then be willing to do whatever it takes to force the UFC’s hand. And there’s no denying that Nick and Nate Diaz have learned how to do that perfectly.
Even before they became big superstars, the Diaz brothers seemingly decided exactly what they were worth, and they clearly weren’t willing to compromise on that.
It’s why Nick Diaz departed the UFC in 2006 – and fleetingly started his own MMA promotion – and it’s why both Diaz brothers have sat out and refused to take fights over lengthy periods of time.
Other fighters would probably have been cut loose by the UFC for this kind of behaviour. But the Diaz brothers clearly understand that the UFC might need them more than they need the promotion – and they’re willing to risk everything to get what they want.
So how does this make the UFC better for their presence? From the promotion’s point of view, it doesn’t – the UFC doesn’t want its fighters forcing their hand. But from a fighter’s point of view, it’s brilliant.
In fact, it could be argued that the likes of Jorge Masvidal and Dustin Poirier – who have both forced the UFC’s hand when it comes to pay in recent years – were inspired by Nick and Nate Diaz. And that’s not a bad thing at all.
