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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Nick Diaz refuses to play the UFC's game in selling UFC 158, and he's exploded on multiple occasions against the way the fight's been presented and with how the fight's been sold to the public. On Thursday, he took things a step farther, not only railing against what's been said this week, but flat out accusing UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre of being on steroids and being a complete liar into the fight. Here are a number of choice quotes from his interview with Sportsnet.ca's Tim & Sid show:
"Georges, you should be afraid of me. In all honesty, I'm afraid of him, I'm afraid of Georges. No more than any other fighters I've fought in the past. I'd like to see him fight Robbie Lawler, he'd get knocked the f*** out. Or Takanori Gomi back when I did, he'd have lost that fight too. He'd have lost all those fights to all them hitters that I was fighting, taking punches, getting my face split open…
I don't have to lie to sell a fight. I'm not the one in this position right now, frustrated position, where I don't have anything to say except for 'You really think I'm scared of you? You think I'm scared of you?' That's the thing, I don't gotta lie. You should be scared. I don't believe that he's not. I'm afraid of him. He should be; he's gotta be crazy not to be. I just don't believe it…
Do you really think that I'm not enjoying this? Press days, and what's been going on here, this exposing the truth? I don't have a problem with this. It's the fight I don't like (laughs), it's the fight that I'm worried about. It's the training that enhances my sense of security. That's why I'm angry about the media when I have to do the media, it's only because I may miss out on my training, which enhances my sense of security. I'm scared to fight. You should be scared to fight. You ain't going to win if you're not scared…
I think my logic here is pretty much undeniable, and he doesn't really have anything to contradict it with. And that's because he's lying, and that's because he's a liar. And that this is the UFC, and the poster is making me this ugly 209 villain, and I'm a bad guy and I'm a violent person… I don't want to see anybody hurt, not even Georges. I'm happy with winning the fight. I think to ask for anything more than that, to just win the fight, that's just asking too much…
They also do everything they can in their power to create these problems for me. And I'm not crazy, I'm not delusional, I'm not playing the victim card. People love to say that all I do is play the victim card when this sort of thing happens… they had me in here at 12 o'clock. Why not bring me in here on a Monday or a Sunday? I would have been ready for all these things. Nobody worked with me and told me what I was going to be doing… When I feel like something is going to be risking my health and my future - none of this is going to enhance my sense of security. I'm going to show up for the fight, there's no doubt.
I would imagine that [the UFC] do [want me to lose]. I think the U.S. wants me to lose.
I believe that he's on plenty of steroids and I don't think they test around here. I doubt I'll be tested as well. I don't care what they're saying or marketing to the media, I don't think either of us are going to be tested. And if so, he's probably got a bottle of piss in his pocket. I doubt they're standing over him making sure he's not on steroids.
Sure, why [wouldn't they be complicit]? Lance Armstrong is on steroids and it was really a ridiculous thing that he was on steroids as far as he was concerned.
Hell no, I'm not guaranteeing anything. Last time I didn't even test positive, I had nanograms. I can tell you I did a little better than last time, so if I don't pass the test, I'm sorry. I could probably use another year off vacation. It's not like I enjoy this, taking punches to the mouth. I need to feed my family that hopefully one day I can acquire if I survive this s***. I don't get to just have these things. I've made this investment.
I may not be able to keep fighting for money, and for a living, but I will always have to fight for my dignity because that's who I am. I will always tell you the truth."
Penick's Analysis: As with much of what Diaz says, there's definitely a modicum of truth involved. However, it often gets lost in his rambling, as he goes off on tangents and loses his point before getting back to it. Then he gets into flat out accusations here without anything to back them up, which will surely bring the ire of White, GSP, and the UFC. But Diaz doesn't care. He's made that clear. He doesn't want to play their game, and so he won't go along with it; but he only serves to make things even more difficult on himself, and we'll see how poorly these particular comments are received in the reactions from White and Co. later on.
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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