Tristar head coach Firas Zahabi believes Nate Diaz is the scariest street fighter in MMA and would beat 99 percent of fighters if there was no time limit.
In his return to the Octagon earlier this month, Diaz faced Leon Edwards in the co-main event at UFC 263, where he lost by unanimous decision. The Brit dominated the fight up until the final minute of the fifth round, when he was stunned with a vicious straight left hand. The Stockton native followed up with a barrage of punches, but ‘Rocky’ survived to hear the final bell.
Nate Diaz’s Durability
Speaking on his YouTube channel (as transcribed by MMA Junkie) however, Zahabi said that Edwards wouldn’t have survived if it was a street fight.
“If you put [Diaz] in a fight where there is no time limit, I think he beats 99 percent of fighters,” Zahabi said. “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.”
Diaz’s durability has passed the test of time. Despite sharing the Octagon with some of the hardest hitters on the UFC roster throughout his career, he has only been stopped twice in his career. Which included the doctor’s stoppage against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 244.
Do you agree with Firas Zahabi’s assessment of Nate Diaz?
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