The MMA community often asks which fighters would be the most valuable to assist in a street fight. For Georges St Pierre’s head trainer Firas Zahabi, he believes that the answer is Nate Diaz.
UFC 263
Ask the majority of Nate Diaz fans, and they’ll tell you that Nate never lost a fight to an opponent. He runs out of time before he can get a finish. Often getting cut early on in rows, the “Diaz Army” always finds a way to put Nate in a positive light.
For instance, when Diaz fought Leon Edwards at UFC 263. Edwards fought Diaz in a rare five-round non-title and non-main event fight. During the war, Edwards consistently outpointed Nate as he cruised to a decision victory. However, in the last minute of the previous round, Diaz rocked Edwards with a punch, forcing Leon to clinch up to prevent being finished quickly.
Zahabi Explains Choosing Nate Diaz
That scenario is precisely why coach Zahabi would want Diaz in a street fight. He spoke about Diaz during a Q&A session on Youtube.
Firas Zahabi thinks that without time limits Nate Diaz would finish 99% of fighters 👀
Do you think he is right? pic.twitter.com/mf2zmHfp46
— RT Sport (@RTSportNews) June 25, 2021
“If you put (Nate Diaz) in a fight where there is no time limit, I think he beats 99 percent of fighters,” said Zahabi. “You can’t sub him. You can’t finish him. The guy doesn’t stop walking forward. He puts volume on you. He is the scariest, in my opinion, street fighter in MMA.
“I think if you had to fight him in the street, man, you are in a fight for your life. Ain’t going to be no judges standing you up between rounds. There’s no judge to come and give you the win. No, no. This guy ain’t going away. I think if he had a no time limit fight with Leon Edwards, he beats Leon Edwards – and I have a tremendous admiration for Leon Edwards.”
Do fans agree that Nate Diaz would be the #1 choice in a street fight? Or would going for sheer size and power like Francis Ngannou be the better choice?