ANAHEIM – On Wednesday, he lit up a blunt during his open workout. On Saturday night, Nate Diaz lit up the Honda Center in Anaheim with a dominant victory over Anthony Pettis via unanimous decision.
And just like that, the UFC just got a lot more fun again.
Many wondered going into this fight how Diaz would look after sitting out nearly three years since his last fight.
Many over the past few years questioned his ability to be a draw, claiming his fights with Conor McGregor are what made him a star.
On Saturday, he put the finishing touches on a week that he owned from start to finish in classic Diaz fashion. His out-of-this-world ground game never skipped a beat, as he tried in the first and third rounds to choke Pettis out.
He walked around the Octagon with that familiar Diaz swagger, picking Pettis apart with impressive and damaging strikes while the crowd ferociously chanted his name.
And after he had his hand was raised, Diaz provided a simple message to the rest of the UFC world:
“It’s Nick Diaz army, mother*******,” a tribute to his legendary brother, which also made it known that the Diaz name is back in the UFC, ready to take on all-comers.
God was it good to hear that curse again from a bloodied, yet victorious Diaz. The crowd ate it up, too, as the this thing could have been held in Stockton considering how many Diaz fans made their presence known in Anaheim.
Diaz then called out Jorge Masvidal, saying he was a gangster, but not “a West Coast gangster.”
Masvidal nodded from the stands, and the crowd went nuts just thinking about a fight between two old-school fighters who might be the realest guys in the fight game.
Nate Diaz is back, and it’s like he never left.
Now the fun really begins, as the UFC is just so much better with an angry Diaz looking for fights.
Enjoy the ride, motherf******.
