“When I started fighting in the UFC I didn’t really understand. I mean I understood wrestling, but I didn’t really understand scoring, I was going in there trying to do more damage. It was kind of crazy really, and then I realized in two or three fights that these guys are going in there trying to win like a certain way, and I didn’t realize it. I didn’t have the fundamentals that I do now to try and win on scorecards.”
“I became a little more conscious of what not to do and try not to commit to too many punches and not get taken down and lose the whole round over something stupid.”
Nick Diaz to MMAWeekly.com on his change in strategy for winning fights after realizing that scoring points and fighting smart is often of greater importance than doing more damage than his opponent. Diaz was obviously referring to his three-fight losing streak in the UFC in late 2005 and 2006 where he dropped unanimous decisions to Diego Sanchez, Joe Riggs, and Sean Sherk. Since then, Diaz has won 9 of his last 10 fights and is set to face Marius Zaromskis at next month’s “Strikeforce: Miami” event for Strikeforce’s Welterweight title.
