Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg Parting Shots

Even though neither of the two titles that were on the line changed hands, Strikeforce put on another entertaining show on Saturday night. Thanks to an early combination by Robbie Lawler that had Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza reeling, as well as some effective leg kicks by Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos” against Nick Diaz, both bouts had their moments where the outcome was very much in doubt. However, Jacare and Diaz rebounded as champions should.

Also, Herschel Walker.

Diaz’s persona still getting attention over his talent?

Just for fun, I hit up some MMA forums after Diaz finished Cyborg by armbar, and sure enough, just as much (or more) of the talk centered around his personality as did his performance. Then, of course, you get the expected overreaction from Diaz fans, who adjust their feelings accordingly and start ascending Diaz to the status of being a gentlemanly scholar and number one welterweight in the world, to boot. Such is how things work on the internet. That’s a story for another time, though.

Sure, Diaz wasn’t addressing Cristiane Santos after the fight when he was flipping off members of the crowd and mouthing “fuck you, bitch”. Does that really matter that much, though? Sure, mocking a woman who is already upset over her husband having lost a fight is some serious douchebaggery, but isn’t it still troubling that after putting on a gutsy performance and defending his title, the first thing Diaz did was go into gangster mode and start flipping people off?

I’m not a Diaz “hater”, though these days if you criticize anything, you’re automatically a “hater”, which is why it’s a stupid term in the first place. I like watching Diaz fight and I doubt that he’s quite as aggressive in his private life as he is in his public one. Also, I’m not psychiatrist (or even a psychologist, at that). However, you don’t have to be anything but a person with a firm grasp of logic to know that if somebody is consistently on your television screen flipping people off, getting into altercations and feuding with others, the problem is more likely to lie with them than with the several dozen individuals that they haven’t been able to get along with.

If I can, I’d like to request that the Diaz apologists stick with this for just a couple more paragraphs, though I know that’s a lot to ask. Seriously, though- is it honest to continue making excuses for guys like Diaz, or even like Josh Koscheck, claiming that their personas are falsely given to them by the media, creative editing on reality shows, or just plain a result of their being misunderstood? It’s not like we imagined Diaz getting into a fight with Joe Riggs in the hospital after their UFC bout, or being involved altercations with KJ Noons or Jason “Mayhem” Miller. Those things happened. Again, you can say that they weren’t his fault, but plenty of other fighters make it their whole careers without brawling former opponents in a hospital or starting a near-riot during a post-fight interview. Are they all just lucky? Is Diaz just unlucky? Does trouble seek him out, or is he looking for it?

It doesn’t really matter. The fact that he is constantly involved in some nonsense is all that matters. Diaz is visibly annoyed with being asked about his demeanor during interviews, and is equally frustrated with being underrated by the media and fans. That’s understandable, but doesn’t he realize that if he can stop playing the gangster role for a few minutes and be a professional like other fighters manage to, he can help his cause in both of those cases?

Diaz needs to stop undermining his own performances with his actions. If he wants to be a hard-ass all the time, that’s his decision, but he can’t play innocent and pretend that he doesn’t understand why everyone wants to focus on his personality instead of his talent if he’s going to go that route.

Jacare shows improvement against Lawler

I’ll admit it, I never thought Jacare would be able to have such repeated success in the takedown department against Lawler. One of the more difficult things about predicting MMA fights is that it’s hard to imagine the improvement (or lack thereof, in some fighter’s cases) that takes place between fights for certain competitors. Jacare has clearly honed his takedowns, which were already solid, even further.

Even his standup wasn’t too shabby, though Lawler overwhelmed him at one point. That’s going to happen, though: Lawler will get you backing up even if he doesn’t land cleanly due to the power he wields. One great thing about jiu-jitsu standouts, though, is their ability to stay calm when put in a bad situation or when facing adversity. Jacare did just that and turned the fight in his favor from that point in the first round onward.

Jacare’s road from here figures to actually be less difficult than the one that Strikeforce has in trying to find him quality opponents. He’s already beaten Mayhem (though he says he’ll face him again, if he has to) and there really isn’t anyone else besides the winner of the just-announced Tim Kennedy-Luke Rockhold bout…and Kennedy wouldn’t be an ideal opponent, since Jacare has recently beaten him, too.

How should we feel about Herschel Walker?

I realize that I come across as a Herschel Walker “hater” (there’s that word again), but I really have nothing against the guy. He’s actually very likable. At 48 years old, he works harder than most professional athletes half his age. He truly loves the sport and competes because he wants to, not because he has to. By all accounts at American Kickboxing Academy, he works hard and is a good teammate. His disclosed pay was just $5,000 from Saturday’s show and $600 for his first fight (that doesn’t include any bonuses that Strikeforce may or may not have paid him).

I don’t have a problem with Walker. I don’t even mind watching him fight, really. I do think that there are other fighters that could be more deserving of that roster spot (and the resulting television time), but that isn’t a knock on Walker. He’s just doing something that he wants to do. It’s not his fault that Strikeforce televises his fights anymore than it was Kimbo Slice’s fault that EliteXC built their promotion around him. What’s he gonna do? Tell Strikeforce, “Hey, I don’t want to be on TV until I’m fighting relevant competition”?

He recently said to Sherdog.com that he aims to use the publicity that he’s generating in the mainstream media to help grow the sport, and that’s commendable. Really, I guess there’s nothing not to like. However, it’s hard to call it a feel-good story when perfectly talented young UFC cast-offs are fighting in obscure shows because Strikeforce claims not to have the roster space to sign them.

I get it. It makes sense for Strikeforce to use his name value, just as it makes sense to Walker to do something he enjoys doing. Still, it’s impossible to simply ignore that he’s a rookie fighter getting a coveted spot on a televised card while full-time fighters who are struggling to get by are praying to get some sort of break, right?

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Tags: Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos, Herschel Walker, Nick Diaz, Robbie Lawler, Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, Strikeforce, Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg