So who will win this battle from the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida on January 30? Let's find out.
What Nick Diaz (20-7) brings to the table: We're talking about a guy with a jaw made of granite and cardio that allows him to fight forever. What's more, he's one of the best submission fighters in the game, particularly from his guard, and utilizes his long arms with his stand up to continually pummel opponents until they have no choice but to give up.
Diaz has also seemingly become a stronger fighter since moving up in weight from the lightweight division. Though his takedowns aren't necessarily a strength, he's not easy to take down by any means (and who wants to anyway, with that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu of his?).
What Marius Zaromskis (13-3) brings to the table: Zaromskis has won his last five encounters, with four of those wins coming by way of (T)KO. The bottom line is that excellent fighters like Hayato Sakurai (TKO via head kick and then punches) and Jason High (KO via head kick) have recently found out that Zaromskis has a lot of Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic in him. In other words, when he kicks you, you go to sleep. In fact, of Zaromskis's 13 victories, 10 have come by way of (T)KO. So he's a striker through and through. He has also shown a level of takedown defense in recent fights.
That said, his submission game is somewhat of a mystery.
Nick Diaz vs. Marius Zaromskis Prediction: Zaromskis has amazing power and great kicks. That said, Diaz is known for being able to take a shot. Further, his long arms will allow him to stay farther out of Zaromskis's range than most, and those punches of Diaz's tend to take a toll. Guess is that this fight will start off pretty close, with Zaromskis looking strong in the early going. But by the second round, Diaz's punches will begin to hurt and this will eventually allow him to bring the fight to the ground where he may finish things off.
Interesting fight that I'm looking forward to.
Nick Diaz wins via second round submission
