UFC News: Nick Diaz believes he would have been the difference for Nate vs. Conor II at UFC 202
Nick Diaz in a rare recent interview with Opie Radio, shared his views on the recently passed UFC 202 headline fight between his brother Nate and Irish sensation Conor Mcgregor.
Nick believes had he been in his brother’s corner he would’ve worked out a strategy with his brother, while assessing the fight cage side, claiming his pointers and presence at the massive event would have made all the difference.
The Nevada Athletic Commission suspended Diaz from cage side, the locker room, and the first six rows of the Octagon during the event. The suspension also meant that Nick could not communicate with his brother’s team during the event.
Nick’s forced absence was a result of his failure to pay the NAC a minimum of $25,000 fine out of the $75000 penalty, for his controversial 18-month suspension after testing positive for marijuana.
"Just one inch, that's the difference between how that fight could've gone," Nick said on Opie Radio.
"As far as I'm concerned, I definitely would've been that inch. ... They just wanted to keep me out of there. They know that it would've definitely helped him out a lot. I was seeing things in that fight that I would've called and told him. I was seeing things that he wasn't seeing because I do these things and know how they work out for me. It's kind of like a formula, you know what I mean? And I'm like, hey look, this is what you do. Come the third and fourth round, I think if I would've been there, we would've been able to put it together and got that guy out of there."
Diaz praised Gilbert Melendez and Jake Shields, acknowledging their roles in Nate's corner but claimed since they had a wrestling background, he would've ideally suited to corner Nate against Conor's style.
Diaz believes this is what he would’ve told Nate if he were ringside at UFC 202 on Opie Radio:
"I would've told him not to throw punches at that dude at all because he's going to sit there and watch you and try to counter everything. So all you do is fake at him and flick at him and f*ck with him, and that's how you do that. But he went out there and just, he just didn't have it together in the first round, and I think I could've clicked him into the right mindset.
The final rubber in the Nate – Conor saga looks likely, with John Kavanaugh claiming only Nate Diaz could prove a worthy opponent for the Irishman. While Nick watched from afar in a luxury box at UFC 202, he could corner Nate if the trilogy fight does take place.
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