Ben Askren thinks Nate Diaz has been conning anyone who believes the former UFC star is an elite fighter.
Although Diaz put together a UFC career most fighters could only dream of in terms of cultivating a fanbase and participating in high-profile fights, Askren argues the skill set never matched the hype. Askren knows Diaz has a passionate fanbase that will come after him for such analysis, but he said the record and results speak the ultimate truth.
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“Nate Diaz, he’s the most puzzling,” Askren said on Daniel Cormier’s YouTube channel. “I don’t even think he’s that good, but he has convinced people he’s good at fighting somehow, some way. Look at his damn record. He was average. His record is 21-13. That’s not that great. Within the UFC, he was 16-12. Please don’t post this clip because the Diaz Army will attack me. His fans are rabid.”
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UFC Hall of Famer Cormier was on the other side of the conversation to Askren initially, claiming that Diaz was one of the best during his prime in the mid-to-late 2010s.
After listening to Askren’s take on Diaz, who defeated Tony Ferguson by submission in his final UFC fight in September and has gone 1-1 in boxing since with a loss to Jake Paul and a win over Jorge Masvidal, Cormier ultimately had to relent his position.
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Cormier agrees that the star power of Diaz, now 40, might have overshadowed his actual capabilities.
“That (UFC record is) not good,” Cormier said. “There’s really no way to twist that into good.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Ben Askren: Nate Diaz ‘convinced people he’s good at fighting somehow’
