Big John McCarthy believes Kamaru Usman would rely heavily on his wrestling because he would get lit up by Nick Diaz.
Last week the leader of the Nick Diaz Army said he is planning on fighting again in 2022. That is awesome but then he said he wants to fight for the welterweight title against Usman.
Yeeeeeeeah, I’m not so sure about that one. Diaz hasn’t won a fight since 2011 and is currently on a three-fight losing streak with a no-contest thrown in there.
‘Until he started getting lit up’
Bellator’s McCarthy said on his “Weighing In” podcast that Diaz will always give it everything he has and that Usman would rely on his wrestling or else he’d get lit up by the 38-year-old.
“If there’s one thing that you know about Nick, he’s gonna come and give you everything that he’s got. Would I mind seeing him against Kamaru? No, I wouldn’t, other than this: Kamaru would stand with him until he started getting lit up, and then he’s gonna go and use his wrestling, which he should. I’m not saying he shouldn’t, but what is Nick always complaining about? People wrestling,” McCarthy said. And then it’s on the ground, and it’s gonna end up- he can try and use his submission game and stuff, but I don’t think that Kamaru would end up standing up with Nick that long, that much out of the first round. Things would start to become difficult.”
McCarthy followed up by saying Diaz would overwhelm Usman with volume and then the champion would get tired of that and eventually use his prolific wrestling.
“[Nick is] a handful as far as the way he creates situations that he just touch, touch, touch, and he’ll throw power in there, and he’ll take shots to give shots, and he just keeps this buzzsaw action going that makes you start to become more defensive than offensive,” McCarthy said. “And you end up saying screw this and when you’ve got that wrestling background, you’re Kamaru Usman, you go, ‘I’m taking him down,’ and that’s what I see here.”
The former referee is completely right about Diaz’s boxing and volume but you know who also has great boxing? Jorge Masvidal. And Usman put his lights out at UFC 261.
Diaz was last in action during Internation Fight Week 2021 at UFC 266. He was stopped by Robbie Lawler in their rematch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwNhowQXbmw