Former longtime UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre thinks ex-Strikeforce champ Nick Diaz has dug his own grave by accepting to fight Anderson Silva at 185 pounds at UFC 183 in January.
Speaking on the You're Welcome with Chael Sonnen podcast, "Rush" said that the Stockton bad boy made a huge tactical error by making his first trip to middleweight against Silva (h/t MMA Fighting).
To tell you the truth, I would maybe favor Diaz if the fight had been at a catchweight. Because if it is a five-round fight, Diaz is a durable fighter. I have seen him in a lot of trouble and he is very, very hard to finish ... Now it is different because it is in Anderson Silva's weight class. I believe Diaz made a mistake in accepting that fight at 185 instead of, I think he should have made a catchweight, would have been more fair.
Coincidentally, Diaz hasn't fought since a lopsided decision loss to St-Pierre at UFC 158 in March of last year.
Diaz indicated he would be hanging up the gloves after the bout, and for a good 16 months, he stuck to his guns.
However, at the end of July, he signed a new three-fight deal with the UFC—just days before the Silva bout was announced, per MMA Junkie.
In 36 professional fights, Diaz has only competed above the 170-pound welterweight limit twice (179- and 180-pound catchweight bouts that both took place in 2009).
After winning 11 straight fights, he lost back-to-back title fights to Carlos Condit (then-UFC interim welterweight titleholder) and St-Pierre before hanging up the gloves.
As for Silva, who has 39 MMA contests under his belt, the Brazilian legend actually competed as low as 168 pounds at one point—but that hasn't happened in close to a decade.
A career middleweight, "The Spider" has competed at light heavyweight on three occasions since July 2008 and is said to weigh as heavy as 220 to 230 pounds in between fights.
Will Silva make short work of Diaz in his first fight back since a horrific leg break inside the Octagon last year, or will the Cesar Gracie Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt prove to be a formidable foe after all?
John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.
