DIAZ DESTROYS MMA LEGEND SHAMROCK

Nick Diaz made a compelling case for inclusion in any discussion about the best ‘pound for pound’ fighters in mixed martial arts on Saturday night as he utterly annihilated the legendary Frank Shamrock in the main event of Strikeforce’s debut on the Showtime cable network.  Before a packed house at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California that included vocal contingents in support of both fighters, Diaz dominated Shamrock in every phase of the game en route to a brutal 2^nd round TKO stoppage victory. 

A good deal was made of the personal issues between the two men in advance of the fight—Shamrock repeatedly called Diaz a ‘punk’ who needed to be taught a lesson, while Diaz was anxious to avenge his BJJ mentor Caesar Gracie who was routed by Shamrock in their 2006 fight.   Much of the histrionics was promotional in nature—Shamrock understands pro wrestling ‘face’ and ‘heel’ psychology better than most pro wrestlers and happily played the ‘babyface’ in this matchup with the petulant Diaz.  Shamrock also tried to get inside his opponent’s head, perhaps hoping that this would make the tightly wound Diaz become reckless and overly aggressive.

Diaz heard a cascade of boos as he entered the arena, though like former boxing ‘pound for pound’ king Floyd Mayweather, Jr. he actually seems to revel in the crowd’s animosity.  Frank Shamrock heard his share of cheers—not missing a trick, even going as far to enter the arena wearing a San Jose Sharks hockey jersey—but he too received a negative reaction from a portion of the crowd.  Neither fighter was interested in referee ‘Big John’ McCarthy’s invitation to touch gloves before the opening bell, which was hardly a surprise given the rancorous prefight relationship between the two.

From the opening horn it quickly became apparent that Diaz’s height and reach would be problematic for Shamrock.  Diaz had come up in weight for this fight, which was contested at a 179 pound ‘catchweight’, but the added pounds fit easily onto his lanky frame.  Diaz easily took Shamrock to the mat, displaying his world class BJJ skills as he transitioned quickly into side control looking to set up an arm bar.  Shamrock scrambled to his feet, only to be clobbered with a right hand before being taken down again.  This time Diaz would quickly mount his opponent and administer a ‘ground and pound’ beating as the round ended.

In the second round, Diaz showcased his boxing skills using his long reach and fast hands to repeatedly score with combinations to the head and body.  He hurt Shamrock early in the round with a body shot, and later sent him to the canvas with a powerful right hook.  Diaz continued the striking assault on the ground, clobbering Shamrock with a ‘ground and pound’ barrage before referee McCarthy stepped in and waved off the fight.

Immediately after the stoppage Diaz shocked everyone by helping Shamrock to his feet, then putting his arm around his vanquished foe and raising *his* arm.  It was a display of class, respect and sportsmanship in marked contrast to the pre-fight animosity, and one that continued in Diaz’s post fight interview.  He talked about Shamrock being an early role model as a fighter, and actually introducing him to Cesar Gracie when he was 16 years old.  He embraced Shamrock again warmly before unselfishly stepping aside to let the beaten legend have some interview time.