Cerrone vs. Diaz

This is the official discussion thread for Cerrone vs. Diaz. Let's see what you've got.

for the record. nick defeated JJ twice after that first loss. jj beat him when diaz was 19 years old. 9  years ago.

 

Nate loses to wrestlers only. I think Donalds ego will prevent him from making it a wrestling match.

I think Cerrone's slightly better in the standup, while Nate may have the edge on the ground. The only problem is that Nate doesn't have the best takedowns to put Cowboy on the ground.

This will end up being a close contest with Cowboy pulling a split decision.

@Logan: Good analysis. This is a very close fight on paper. I think Diaz might be slightly better on the ground from a technical standpoint, but I think Cerrone's wrestling is a lot better and I think he's going to be significantly stronger than Nate, ultimately making the difference.

I think Cerrone will take it. I don't doubt Diaz's abilities (though as people noted, he is not his brother), but I've watched all Cowboy's WEC and UFC fights and to me it's impressive how he's getting better and better. His fights really stand out to me and to me he's not just consistent, but also improving, while Nate is very hit-and-miss and kinda stagnant to me. So yeah, I'll be picking Cerrone, count on that. But I'm not making predictions until a day or two before the event, too much can change in two months:)

So "Come get some, Cerro-nay!"

Cerrone is on a hot streak right now, and Diaz doesnt have the stand up to pose him a threat. Cerrone is the better "wrestler" but Diaz has a decent bottom game. I dont see it going to the ground tho.

Cerrone via KO(punches) 1st round

five fights in 2011 i respect cowboy

Diaz doesn't get finiahed ever, but Cerrone wins the FoTN

It's really hard to pick this fight but I just think the speed and power of Cerrone will be to much for Diaz to overcome.

cerrone -285. the handicappers finally caught on. i made mad money on cerrone since the WEC days.

* Edited at 12.07.2011, 2:36 AM ET *

it is funny to me how a majority of people were knocking the WEC LWs when they came in but for the most part they have been dispatching the UFC LWs on a regular basis.

This fight could be a classic, the sloppy boxing of diaz vs the crisp striking of Cerrone.

Wolfman I wish they would not have figured out the Cerrone handicapping at the sportsbooks.  was always nice seeing an easy W as an underdog on the cards he fought on. 

 

This should be a hell of a fight.

I think they are both dangerous but Cerrone is just better.

The Cowboy puts little Diaz to sleep

@lopati. i have seen cerrone fight live at the pearl at the palms. the handicappers never gave him much respect in those days but the people loved him. he got the biggest applause of the night when  i saw him.

WAR COWBOY

This is no doubt, this is probably going to be one of the most highly anticipated, and quite possibly talked about match-ups at 155. Donald Cerrone and Nate Diaz have yet to be in a boring fight, and unarguably the two most exciting LWs will go head-to-head. This fight has Fight Of The Night, and quite possibly Fight Of The Year written all over it. So here it is, my 10-point breakdown of the highly anticipated LW match-up between Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone and Nate Diaz.

1. Mental Edge/Confidence/Gameplan - When it comes to overall "mental edge" I can't really give a definitive advantage here. Cerrone has been on tear, and is currently undefeated in the UFC, and he trains with Greg Jackson's MMA. Nate Diaz is coming off of one of the most impressive victories in his MMA career with his win over former PRIDE great, Takanori Gomi, he also trains with a great camp with his brother, Gilbert Melendez, and Jake Shields, and like his brother, Nate is a cerebral assassin both in and out of the cage. When it comes to "confidence", neither fighter is at a loss here either. Cerrone trains with a great camp, is improving with every fight, and is very well-rounded. You can also say the same thing about Nate Diaz. So confidence is not an issue for either fighter, and I have that area pretty well even. IMHO, where the separation takes place in this category is overall gameplan. Cerrone has improved with his fights more and more because he's coming into fights with a gameplan, and executing better than ever. Nate Diaz still has a tendency to throw caution to the wind, and see what happens, or turn every fight into a brawl. With all this running through my mind, I have to give a slight edge to Donald Cerrone in this area. Cerrone 10/10, Diaz 9/10

2.  Experience/Level Of Opposition - When comes to experience, I think both fighters are just about even. Cerrone has 20 fights, and Diaz has 21, and it's just as tough to call about who has faced the better stable of fighters. You can argue one way for Cerrone because he has faced Ben Henderson twice, Jamie Varner twice, Rob McCullough, and Denis Siver. Then you can also argue for Nate Diaz because has faced Hermes Franca, Clay Guida, Joe Stevenson, Melvin Guillard, Gray Maynard, Rory Markham, Marcus Davis, Dong Hyun Kim, Rory MacDonald, and Takanori Gomi. Some of you may disagree with me, but I have to say that I think that Nate Diaz has faced the better stable of fighters, so with that in mind, I give a slight advantage here to Diaz. Cerrone 8/10, Diaz 9/10

3. Heart/Determination To Win - This area is even tougher to call, because you can never count either fighter out of any fight, and I've seen both fighters overcome adversity, and win fights. I've seen them both come back from losses stronger, and more determined to win than ever. There is no question both fighters have a ton of heart, and they are in the fight from beginning to end. Because of that, I have to call this area dead even. Cerrone 10/10, Diaz 10/10

4. Stamina/Cardio - Again, this is an area that could be dead even. With this being a 3 round fight, I don't think we're going to see either fighter gas, and both fighters like to push the pace. Cerrone 10/10, Diaz 10/10

5. Endurance/Toughness - Another area where I have it dead even. You beat the hell out of both fighters, and they will keep coming after you. Both fighters have been finished by submission, but neither has ever been finished by KO or TKO. Cerrone 10/10, Diaz 10/10

6. Overall Striking - Nate Diaz has some very good technical boxing skills, but I think that Cerrone has a slight advantage in this area here, because I think that Cerrone is the more versatile and powerful striker. Either fighter could end this fight on the feet, but if I was going to bet who is more likely to win this fight by KO/TKO, my money would go on Cerrone. Cerrone 9/10, Diaz 8/10

7. Overall Wrestling/Grappling - Both fighters train with some of the best wrestlers and grapplers in all of MMA, but I've seen a lot more improvement in this area from Cerrone. Diaz's biggest weakness in his losses have been in this area right here. Fighters like Gray Maynard, Dong Hyun Kim, Clay Guida, Joe Stevenson, and Rory MacDonald have been able to take Diaz down, avoid submissions while staying in a dominate position, and getting the decision win. Cerrone has had problems in the past in this area, but like I said, I've seen some improvement in his overall wrestling game, and takedown defense. Advantage = Cerrone. Cerrone 8/10, Diaz 7/10

8. Overall Submissions/BJJ - This area completely belongs to Nate Diaz. Cerrone has some good submission victories, but Nate Diaz is trained by Cesar Gracie, and I've seen Diaz work on the ground. Transitioning from one submission to another. If I had to bet money on who I think is more likely to win this fight by submission, then my money would be on Diaz. Cerrone is no joke in this area, but I really think that Nate Diaz has the clear cut advantage here. Cerrone 8/10, Diaz 10/10

9. Size/Strength - Cerrone is 5'11" and Nate Diaz is 6'0". Diaz has fought at WW, but I honestly think that the strength advantage has to go to Cerrone, but not by much. Both fighters are pretty tall and wirery at LW. Cerrone 9/10, Diaz 8/10

10. Speed/Athleticism - This is such a tough area to call. I think that Diaz is a touch quicker, but Cerrone's mobility seems just a touch better. I'd like to give an advantage, but it's just too damn tough to cal, so I'm going to call this area even. Cerrone 8/10, Diaz 8/10

Overall Score -- Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone = 90/100   ----   Nate Diaz = 89/100 

* Edited at 12.07.2011, 3:30 AM ET *

Cerrone via stoppage. Diaz doesnt have the power to exchange with cowboy. hes gonna eat some powerful leg kicks in there w cowboy too, Thats my take

The Diaz brothers are not easily finished I don't know if Cerrone can put him away or not but I really can't wait for this fight it should be a good one

@wolfmann that does not surprise me one bit.  one thing you cant say about Cerrone is his fights are boring.  People can relate to him because no matter what he stays true to himself.  Plus I like how he wants to fight on every card if he can.  the guy doesnt turn down fights and will scrap anyone anywhere anytime. 

@Lopati please telling me you are joking??? His fights are not boring.... Thats funny... What have you been watching lately? His only boring fight was against Vagner rocha... 

* Edited at 12.07.2011, 5:48 PM ET *

@mmapicker that's not what he said at all, how about you wake up and read.