UFC 230: Nate Diaz vs. Dustin Poirier

Diaz is officially making his comeback.

November 3, 2018, at MSG

SLIKA

It’s been nearly two years since Diaz last stepped into the cage—back on August 20, 2016—when he lost a decision to Conor McGregor. That fight was actually a massive milestone, wasn't it? It set a record for the highest PPV numbers in UFC history. After walking away with several million dollars from that night, Diaz decided to step away from MMA for a while—to just live life on his own terms.

First off, I personally believe all this talk from Nate about not wanting to fight is mostly fake. It’s just a tactic to stay in the headlines and keep outlets like TMZ interested; he’ll definitely step into the cage.

Secondly, this is arguably the best matchup Diaz has had against an elite fighter in this division. As much as Dustin has improved and sharpened his striking, he’s been through some brutal wars lately, and the Diaz style doesn't suit him at all. I suspect Dustin might mentally crumble against Nate once he realizes he can't find the finish, leading to a massive upset. My money is on a Diaz win via TKO or submission.

I honestly don't know what to expect from a 33-year-old who hasn't stepped into the cage in two years and spends his days hitting the weed hard.
His brain was in pretty good shape two years ago, but now 😁

Diaz fans are built different... a little socially awkward and definitely offbeat... but man, that legendary cardio is insane. They’re absolute killers in the cage.

I can’t recall exactly who the interview was with, but after that Diaz vs. Gomi fight—which is easily one of my top 5 fights ever—he had so much THC in his system that they were positive he was smoking in the locker room right after the fight.

edit:

Check out the fight here: View on dailymotion

And here’s the quote (starts at 1:05):

Your headline is off base; I really don't see this happening as the main event. Plus, there's a lot of buzz going around about Jon Jones making his return.

boldfox26 said:The Diaz fans are a unique breed... a bit on the spectrum.

This 😁

The heavyweight title fight between Derrick Lewis and Daniel Cormier is flying completely under the radar on this sub. 🤷

Yeah, look, they probably only slapped this matchup together at the last minute just to secure a main event slot. It’s pretty obvious Cormier is looking down his nose at a guy as slow as Lewis. But honestly? I don't care if Lewis walks into that cage looking like a heavy bag—a fight is a fight.

Think this thread needs a title change 😬

Hoping Francis Ngannou pulls this off. The guy’s a total wildcard, knows exactly where he fits in the grand scheme of things, and keeps it real in every interview. Daniel Cormier is expecting an easy night, which is exactly why I want him to lose. If he goes down, the UFC’s little plans involving Daniel Cormier and Brock Lesnar fall apart, and we actually get some real chaos regarding future matchups 😁

I'm just scrolling through Fightmail right now and seeing that Francis Ngannou is sitting at +500 odds. Honestly, I'm torn. Part of me wants to drop $33 on him just to show some love and back my guy. 😁

I’d love to see Francis Ngannou pull this off... just to throw a wrench in the UFC's little plans 😁
Even Jon Jones was at the press conference for UFC 232 saying he expects an easy night against Daniel Cormier tonight... we'll see how that plays out...
There's something about Ngannou, though. He's so unflappable. Doesn't seem to care where he fights or if he gets the belt... he just wants that paycheck 😁

If I actually managed to win that, it would be a total embarrassment for the UFC haha 😁

I’m pretty convinced Francis Ngannou is walking away with this one. Look, Daniel Cormier is an incredible fighter, but he’s seriously underestimating his opponent here; all it takes is one clean shot from Francis to end the night. I'm also curious to see what happens if they hit the ground, because Francis is such a physical specimen that Daniel might find it pretty tough to pull off anything meaningful in the grappling department.

I get it, everyone knows Daniel Cormier is the favorite, but let's be real—he isn't coming into this fight at 100% capacity. Then again, Francis Ngannou is never really at 100% either.😬

Out of everyone currently in the UFC fighting alongside Francis Ngannou, he’s the one person I’d most love to grab a drink with and just have a quiet chat.

Francis Ngannou definitely looks like he took a hell of a beating. Right after his fight with Alistair Overeem, he was out here claiming he only trains for maybe thirty minutes a day and really needs to fix his cardio. Fast forward a couple of weeks, and now he’s saying he actually overdid it with the training. Guess he'll be bumping that up to an hour a day now. 🤣

If he manages to land a clean shot on Daniel Cormier, we might see a knockout pretty fast. But if he can't dodge those heavy hands, DC isn't just going to win—he's going to school him.

Paul Anderson7 said:I’m pretty sure Francis Ngannou takes this one. Look, Daniel Cormier is an absolute legend in the cage, but he’s totally sleeping on this guy—and honestly, it only takes one clean shot from Francis to end the night. I’m also really curious to see what happens if they hit the floor; Francis is such a physical beast that Daniel might find it pretty tough to actually set up anything meaningful in the grappling department.

Look, I get it—everyone sees Daniel Cormier as the favorite here. But let's be real, he isn't walking into this fight at 100% capacity. And then there's Francis Ngannou... let's just say the guy is never quite at 100% either. 😬

Out of everyone currently fighting in the UFC, if I could grab a drink and just sit down for a long, deep conversation, Francis Ngannou would be my first choice. No question.

If you want to make some real money, put it all on Francis Ngannou. You’ll definitely enjoy the payoff.

I wouldn't be crying if I actually had the chance to drop about $100 on this.

Luckily, I’ve never been much of a gambler or anything. 😁

So, Daniel Cormier pretty much ran through Francis Ngannou; I honestly expected him to put up a bit more fight once things hit the mat. He managed to scramble back to his feet a couple of times, but that was about as much as we were going to see from him.

Jacare - Weidman put on a hell of a show. 👍

I’ve got a feeling Francis Ngannou is just showing up to collect a paycheck and get out of there without taking too much damage.

I don't know—this whole matchup feels forced, especially since the guy fought only 30 days ago.

That’s why the Jacare - Weidman fight was actually worth watching.
Lately, the heavyweight division has been a total bore—there's just way more intensity in these lighter weight classes.

Israel Adesanya🙏
I think we’re looking at a legitimate contender for the top of the middleweight division.
His style is impressive. He’s basically the new Jon Jones.

As for Francis Ngannou, I’ve already said he’s just a more polished version of Bob Sapp with a better beard.
He can catch anyone with a lucky punch, but let's be real: he lacks the technical consistency needed to stay at the very top.

souza 👍
Great fight.

I’m skipping DC vs Francis Ngannou. Might catch Adesanya later if I'm feeling it.

Nicholas Nguyen said:Look, I already said it—Francis Ngannou is basically just a polished version of Bob Sapp with a better beard.
Sure, he can catch anyone with a lucky punch, but let's be real: he doesn't have the technical consistency needed to actually stay at the top.

Wait, you're seriously comparing that total clown Bob Sapp to Francis Ngannou? This guy has more heart in his pinky finger than that steroid addict. He's flattened Brown, Volkov, Gonzaga, Nelson, Tiburcio, and Abdurakhimov.

HW division is desperate... always has been, always will be. But Francis Ngannou is easily top 5.