3 possible outcomes of a potential clash between Kamaru Usman and Nate Diaz
Nate Diaz and Kamaru Usman sent shockwaves through MMA circles after a verbal war between the two led to speculation of a potential fight.
The Stockton native, who recently made headlines after his exciting comeback at UFC 263, fired shots at the UFC champion on Twitter.
Nate Diaz's tweet soon reached Kamaru Usman, who shot back at the 209 representative, challenging him to a fight. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' threatened 'Nate Dogg' for '187', a code used by police in the United States for murder.
That's all MMA fans needed to visualize a potential duel between the UFC welterweight champion and one of the baddest fight icons ever. It's not very likely that Kamaru Usman and Nate Diaz will face off any time soon. However, let's take a look at all three possible outcomes if they do take on each other.
#1 Kamaru Usman beats Nate Diaz via TKO
Kamaru Usman joined the UFC in 2015 and has been undefeated since then. He became the welterweight champion in 2019 after defeating Tyron Woodley at UFC 235. However, the most critical development for the former NCAA folk-style wrestler champion is that he has evolved into more of a striker.
'The Nigerian Nightmare' has defended his title four times in two years, winning via KO/TKO in three of those fights. He has TKO'd Gilbert Burns, broken Colby Covington's jaw and sent Jorge Masvidal to sleep.
Kamaru Usman defeating Nate Diaz in a potential fight via TKO is a possibility that is as real as it is exciting. It's interesting to note that Diaz has never been finished in his 17-year-long MMA career.
Nate Diaz has been TKO'd twice in 33 fights. In 2013, he was TKO'd after Josh Thomson landed a huge head kick and followed that up with ground and pound. The second instance was in 2019 when Diaz was cut over and under his eye by Jorge Masvidal, forcing the cage-side doctor to stop the fight.
While Nate Diaz is known to have one of the toughest chins in all of MMA, so is Jorge Masvidal. Kamaru Usman KO'd Masvidal at UFC 261. So if Diaz and Usman do end up inside the octagon, it is quite possible the 'Stockton Slugger' could get TKO'd for the third time in his career.
Also Read: 5 reasons why booking a Nate Diaz vs Tony Ferguson fight makes sense.
#2 Nate Diaz goes a whole nine yards, loses via decision
When it comes to endurance, Nate Diaz is right up there along with MMA legends like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson. A lifetime of triathlons has done the Diaz brothers good. The Stockton native fights at a crazy pace for five rounds and could be ready for five against Usman.
During his most recent outing against Leon Edwards at UFC 263, Nate Diaz was thrashed for most of the five rounds. Nevertheless, the underdog almost caused an upset by rocking the No.3 UFC welterweight in the dying seconds of round three. UFC president Dana White said about Diaz at the post-fight conference:
"He (Nate Diaz) is a fan favorite; people love him, win, lose or draw. He’s going to be asking us for a six-round fight next time."
Be it UFC 196, 202, 244 or 263, Nate Diaz has always proven to be unstoppable. Against Kamaru Usman, there is a good possibility that he could go on for a full 25 minutes. However, Diaz doesn't seem well-equipped to get the best of the highly-skilled UFC welterweight champion. So Usman is likely to emerge victorious via a decision.
#1 Nate Diaz takes down Kamaru Usman, wins via submission
Kamaru Usman has proven to be the most skilled wrestler in the UFC, especially defensively. His takedown defense accuracy of 100% is unparalleled in the MMA organization. There have been many great grapplers and even welterweight GOATs like Georges St-Pierre and Matt Hughes. However, none have come close to Kamaru Usman in terms of takedown defense.
On the other hand, Nate Diaz is a second-degree black belt in gracie jiu-jitsu and is considered one of the best in the business. His leg-sweep takedown against Gray Maynard from the clinch and takedown defense in mounting transition against Conor McGregor are still fresh in fans' memory.
While Nate Diaz submitting Kamaru Usman in a potential clash is unlikely, it remains a possibility, though. That's because Diaz loves to cause upsets and create history. So could he convert a takedown against 'The Nigerian Nightmare' for the first time in UFC history and submit him? It is not outside the realms of probability.
What we don't consider possible for Nate Diaz against Kamaru Usman is a TKO/KO, though. The last time Diaz knocked someone out, it was in 2013. Eight years have gone by, and the Stockton legend is 3-4 with just one submission win since then. While he rocked Leon Edwards at UFC 263, the reigning welterweight champion is going to be much sharper than the Englishman.
Also Read: Watch: Conor McGregor shares video trolling Kamaru Usman for copying his famous lines.