UFC on FOX 17: Daniel Cormier Believes Nate Diaz Can Beat Any LW With His “Mental Game Intact”
By FCF Staff
After outscoring Michael Johnson at UFC on FOX 17, a lot of people are rethinking what Nate Diaz is capable of doing at 155, including Daniel Cormier.
Diaz was the consensus underdog heading into last night’s bout, not only because he had lost three of his last four fights, but because Johnson is one of the promotion’s top lightweight contenders. In the end, however, Diaz’s boxing pedigree proved to be too much for Johnson, and the latter lost via unanimous decision.
Following Diaz’s impressive win, UFC light-heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier had this to say about the outspoken fighter on the post-fight, FOX Sports 1 show (quote via press release):
“This guy is a player if he’s serious. If Nate Diaz has his mental game in tact, he can beat anybody in this division.”
“Diaz was able to keep throwing punches through the whole fight at the same pace. He kept landing the jab and then working in the combinations with the left.”
Prior to Saturday’s card, Diaz was ranked #15 in the lightweight division and Johnson was #6.