Nate Diaz makes his much anticipated UFC return in the co-main event of UFC 262. Diaz seems motivated than ever before as he is the one who asked UFC for one of the toughest fighters in the welterweight division, Leon Edwards.
This fight was announced out of nowhere and shocked the MMA world. There were no speculations or reports about Diaz coming back to the octagon to take on Edwards who is on a 8 fight win streak. But, Diaz had one condition to take this fight.
Nate Diaz, who is notorious for his cardio, durability, and pressure, asked UFC to make this fight a five-round fight. And that’s how it became the first nontitle co-main event fight to have five rounds. UFC welterweight, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson breaks down this welterweight matchup and sends advice to Leon Edwards.
Leon Edwards wants to be the first fighter to finish Nate Diaz at welterweight
Wonderboy believes that Diaz can get the job done against Edwards in a 5 round fight. However, he also believes that if Edwards can avoid the grappling exchanges with Diaz then he should have more success in his upcoming fight. Thomspon explained:
“I guess he feels like he can only beat in five rounds. Leon has been experimenting with his takedown lately a lot more than usual. So Nate Diaz plays very well off of his back. Will Leon Edwards take it to the ground or will he keep it standing. I think if he’s smart he’ll keep the fight standing. Because you can end up wrestling yourself into submission especially against someone as crafty as Nate. He’ll straight up gogoplata.”
How can Nate Diaz beat Leon Edwards?
Nate Diaz is one of the toughest fighters in the business right now. His durability, cardio, and ability to take damage are insane. And that gives him a solid chance in a 5 round fight.
However, Edwards is a much better striker than Diaz. Diaz does a lot of damage to his opponent in clinch exchanges. But, that won’t be the case against Edwards as he can throw some nasty elbows from the clinch. Edwards is not the best wrestler in the division but he is certainly skillful on the ground as well. But, Diaz will have a huge upper hand over Leon on the ground.
It’s even safe to say that the chances of Diaz winning by unanimous decision is less than the chances of him winning via submission.
Gilbert Burns calls Edwards a bad matchup for Diaz
Nate Diaz has played a huge gamble by taking on Leon Edwards after a long hiatus from the sport. Now whether this gamble pays off is something that every MMA fan wants to know.
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