"Real star of the family" - When Joe Rogan reflected on Nick Diaz's unrecognized brilliance and asserted his career superiority over Nate Diaz
Joe Rogan has put forth his take on Nick Diaz and Nate Diaz's respective careers and star power. The longtime UFC commentator and former Taekwondo competitor has often lauded the Diaz brothers for their unique combat prowess, particularly their cardio and durability.
During an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast in December 2023, the MMA personality suggested that while the 38-year-old Nate Diaz is great, it is the 40-year-old Nick Diaz who's the family's original "star." He added that the older Diaz's career accomplishments are even greater than his brother's.
Nick Diaz boasts a professional MMA record of 26 wins, 10 losses, and two no-contests. Meanwhile, MMA megastar Nate Diaz's record stands at 21 victories and 13 defeats.
Rogan compared their careers and stated that the older Diaz brother spent the prime of his MMA career in Strikeforce before the UFC acquired the organization. He implied that Nick possessed unparalleled cardio, excellent striking, dangerous submission skills, and relentless trash talk that aided in psychologically beating his foes:
"So, [Nick Diaz] would get hit by these guys who would swarm him, but eventually, he would start putting it on 'em. He just never got tired, dude. He just never got tired. And he didn't give a f**k. Like, his style is like, 'F**k you!' Just starts beating dudes up. Look how he rips to the body."
Check our Nick Diaz's highlights in Strikeforce below:
Furthermore, Rogan praised Nick Diaz for his impressive performances against highly skilled foes such as Frank Shamrock, Takanori Gomi, Scott Smith, and Paul Daley. He also rated him higher than Nate Diaz and said:
"I mean, Nate's great, but Nick was the real star of the family. He just never got to the UFC while he was in this state. If he was a UFC champion while he was in this form – 'cause he was in a form during Strikeforce where he was f**king up everybody, and not just knocking them out and beating them up."
Check out Rogan's comments below (3:08):
When Joe Rogan credited Nick Diaz for being a gamechanger in MMA
One of Nick Diaz's most memorable matchups is considered to be his second-round knockout victory against 'Ruthless' Robbie Lawler back in April 2004, which was the first of their two clashes. Back in 2021, Joe Rogan revisited Diaz's iconic KO and credited him for revolutionizing MMA.
Rogan highlighted that Diaz generally refrained from hitting his opponent with full-power strikes and instead utilized a high volume of moderate-power/lower-power strikes. Appreciating Diaz for popularizing the cardio-centric approach in MMA, he asserted:
"Nick Diaz changed the game in terms of his elite cardio. He did something that was a new thing. And that new thing was, he's not gonna hit you with a hundred percent power, he's gonna hit you with 50 per cent. But he's gonna hit you twice as much and you're never going to get to breathe."
Watch Joe Rogan's assessment below (3:33):