“Nick and me don’t really have an interest in fighting each other, you know. We’ve been teammates for 11 years, and that’s something that’s not really on my list of things to do. Me and Nick both go up and down weight. People are always like, you guys are going to have to fight in the UFC, and it’s like no. We fought EliteXC together, Strikeforce together. Even though we’re the same weight, we’re both guys that’ll fight anyone, so either one of us will go up or down. We always find ways to avoid each other.â€
“[The Anderson Silva fight] is a fight I’ve wanted for a long time. Anderson’s a phenomenal fighter, one of the best of all time, but I just think stylistically the guys that match up best against him are wrestlers with good jiu-jitsu. Chael did great with him until he got caught in a triangle right at the end. His worst matchup’s against good wrestlers and jiu-jitsu, and it’s just he’s a great matchup. Obviously it wouldn’t be an easy fight because I think he has the best standup in the sport, but that’s a fight I would love an opportunity to do… I’d love to see Nick take that belt. And then at that point I’ll try to get through Akiyama and then probably start putting on some weight.â€
Planning for greatness is every fighter’s responsibility but in the case of Cesar Gracie teammates, Nick Diaz and Jake Shields, they take it to the next level and continue to want to push themselves against the best in the world.
“[The Anderson Silva fight] is a fight I’ve wanted for a long time. Anderson’s a phenomenal fighter, one of the best of all time, but I just think stylistically the guys that match up best against him are wrestlers with good jiu-jitsu. Chael did great with him until he got caught in a triangle right at the end. His worst matchup’s against good wrestlers and jiu-jitsu, and it’s just he’s a great matchup. Obviously it wouldn’t be an easy fight because I think he has the best standup in the sport, but that’s a fight I would love an opportunity to do… I’d love to see Nick take that belt. And then at that point I’ll try to get through Akiyama and then probably start putting on some weight.â€
Planning for greatness is every fighter’s responsibility but in the case of Cesar Gracie teammates, Nick Diaz and Jake Shields, they take it to the next level and continue to want to push themselves against the best in the world.