Hyden's Take
HYDEN BLOG: Nick Diaz, Herschel Walker, and Tim Sylvia
Feb 2, 2011 - 8:15:27 AM HYDEN BLOG: Nick Diaz, Herschel Walker, and Tim Sylvia

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By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch contributor

Nick Diaz looked good in finishing Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos on Saturday. Diaz was losing the fight striking through the first two rounds, which is surprising given his boxing ability. However, Santos came to fight and it showed. It was a very nice submission win for Diaz, and it's hard to tell where he goes from here. Diaz is a good fighter, but he insists on placing himself firmly in the villain role with his comments.

The biggest difference between Diaz and Josh Koscheck is that we know that Koscheck is just trying to play mind games with his opponents. Koscheck generally reserves his trash-talk to his upcoming opponent. Diaz prefers to trash anyone and everyone that crosses his mind. It also appears as though he legitimately believes what he says, and that it's not just talk.

I'm not going to question the mind of a fighter, and what he does in order to fight. Perhaps Diaz needs to talk the way he does in order to get himself ready to fight. Maybe he feels he needs the motivation that comes from having to back up your trash-talk. Maybe this is how he challenges himself to get better as a fighter. Only Nick Diaz knows for sure. What I do know is that there would be a lot more interesting fights for Diaz going forward had he signed a contract with the UFC rather than re-upping with Strikeforce.

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Herschel Walker is an amazing freak of nature. Here's a guy who physically makes Randy Couture look like a slob. I write that with the utmost respect for Couture, as I know what kind of incredible shape Couture is in. However, Walker is in an entirely different realm from us mere mortals. Walker is set to turn 49 years old on March 3, but you wouldn't know it by looking at him. Walker is in better shape at 48 than almost everyone else is at 28, or 22, or whatever age you want to use. As I wrote before his first fight, Herschel Walker is one of the greatest athletes of all-time.

I firmly believe that Herschel could make a return to the NFL if he wanted to, but he's got other things he wants to do. He may not ever win a title in Strikeforce, but he doesn't have to. Walker is living proof that the impossible is possible for a select few. Herschel won his 2nd MMA fight Saturday, a TKO over Scott Carson in the 1st round. Strikeforce has an amazing story on their hands with Walker. I just hope we can all truly appreciate it.

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Tim Sylvia got beat by Abe Wagner in 32 seconds on Friday night. Sylvia weighed in at 311 pounds. It's kind of sad to see it come to this for Sylvia. You could argue it was an early stoppage, but Sylvia was clearly getting beat. Even if the referee jumped in early, he just saved Sylvia from taking even more punishment than he did. I hope Sylvia doesn't need the money, he needs to just retire and try to enjoy the rest of his life. If he wants to keep fighting, that's fine for him. I sure as hell don't want to see it, though.


Comments and suggestions can be e-mailed to me at hydenfrank@gmail.com