"Don't take anything from Nick Diaz in the stand-up game" - John McCarthy praises Diaz, explains why the veteran may find it tough against Kamaru Usman
John McCarthy has lauded Nick Diaz and asserted that the MMA legend could still pose problems for any fighter. However, McCarthy recently suggested that Diaz is unlikely to defeat reigning UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
McCarthy recently claimed that Diaz would light up Usman on the feet in a potential fight. He opined that 'The Nigerian Nightmare' would then turn to his wrestling to beat the Stockton native if they were to lock horns.
Many in the MMA community subsequently disagreed with McCarthy. In the latest edition of the Weighing In podcast, the former MMA referee addressed the same and clarified that his words were taken out of context.
“I don’t think that Nick should be put in against Kamaru. I don’t think that’s the fight. And very simply put, I even said back then, Kamaru wins that fight. What I should’ve said is if Kamaru will start standing up with him, and if he starts to get lit up, he’s going to go right to his wrestling."
McCarthy added:
"The ‘if’ should’ve been put in there. I wasn’t saying that he was gonna get lit up. I was saying, you know, don’t take anything from Nick Diaz in the stand-up game. He will cause anyone problems.”
Watch the latest edition of the Weighing In podcast below (Diaz-Usman talk - 1:07:45):
Reigning UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling was the most notable figure to publicly disagree with John McCarthy's initial comments about Nick Diaz potentially picking apart Kamaru Usman on the feet.
In the caption of a recent post on Instagram, Sterling said:
"Tweeting to an article about McCarthy saying that Kamaru Usman would get lit up by Nick Diaz and resort to wrestling. I didn't read the whole thing but that's enough for me to go 'bro, in what freaking universe are you living in?' We are talking about two different eras right here. No way this can happen. John McCarthy must be stopped."
Nick Diaz wants to fight Kamaru Usman for UFC gold
Nick Diaz’s last fight was a third-round TKO loss in his rematch against Robbie Lawler, a middleweight bout that transpired last September. Meanwhile, Kamaru Usman is coming off a unanimous decision win over Colby Covington in their UFC welterweight title rematch last November.
'The Nigerian Nightmare' is expected to return from an injury later this year and defend his title in a rematch against Leon Edwards. However, Diaz recently called for the welterweight king to fight him instead. Speaking to TMZ Sports, the former Strikeforce champion revealed that he wants to fight Usman before the end of the year.
“It's a bigger fight [me and Usman] you know? You just skip all the all the mess, you know? I want to fight for the title, I want to do all that stuff, I am 38 years old. I think I'll beat him."
Watch Diaz's interview with TMZ Sports below: