UFC on Fox 3: Is Nate Diaz Poised to Take over as the UFC's New Bad Boy?

Whether or not Nate Diaz is the UFC's new "bad boy" depends on whether you want Diaz to be the bad guy just because he's Nick's brother, or whether you choose to give him props for the results he's gotten thus far in the cage.

He can certainly be the bad boy of the sport simply because, in typical Diaz fashion, he brings in a kill-or-be-killed mentality that just happens to exist to the extent of him not being friendly to his opponents until after the fights are over.

His pre-fight demeanor has been seen as a bit brash, and some have accused him, as well as his brother, of bringing a thug mentality to the Octagon. These critics support their accusations by recalling incidents in which the brothers were either involved in a post-fight brawl or got into the face of their opponent at a weigh-in, or even moments in which they made an arrogant-looking gesture (Nate's flexing while trapping Kurt Pellegrino in a triangle choke comes to mind).

While these criticisms have their justifications, the criticisms do paint a picture of Diaz as a man with all sizzle and no steak—and why? It is because he is Nick's little brother.

In reality, though, Nate's poised to be portrayed as the bad guy, when he is really not all that bad a guy—especially if you recognize his skills and how much they have improved since his time on The Ultimate Fighter 5.

Many still say Nick is still the much better fighter because they feel he does a better job of using his jiu-jitsu and his pressuring offense on a night in which he is able to make fighters fight according to his game plan. However, Nate is not that far behind Nick when it comes to pressuring opponents with his boxing and submitting fighters by using his lanky frame to effectively implement his jiu-jitsu whenever possible.

Any time he lands on an opponent or he gets himself in a position to sink in a choke or a submission involving an extremity, it spells defeat for almost any opponent in the Octagon.

Does his attitude have anything to do with the results he gets?

Maybe, but if anything about Diaz's personality has anything to do with the results he gets whenever he does win, it's the fact that he's focused on defeating his opponent in the cage by any means necessary. Whether it's a TKO stoppage, a submission or a unanimous decision, Diaz sees how he wants to get the win and he looks for it. Does that focus and desire to get a win translate out to thug mentality?

If you can tell me how it does, you're a better person than I am, guaranteed. The simple fact of the matter is that focus and that determination will always translate to excitement, but just because he's not shaking hands or sucking up to his opponents, does that mean he's poised to be the UFC's new bad boy?

No, it does not. If anything, him not shaking hands should show something about Diaz that some just won't admit.

And what is that "something," you ask?

That "something" we should see is by not shaking his opponents' hands or trying to make nice before the fight, Diaz is letting his opponents realize that they're getting a fight from start to finish, whether they like it or not.