Nick Diaz: Jiu-Jitsu 101 Master

I usually do not get too excited with Strikeforce but often am impressed with the variety of fighters on their cards. Last weekend was no exception as Strikeforce's latest installment of MMA action gave me shocks and cheers.

The main event bout between Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz vs. Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos was a display of what mixed martial arts is all about. There was boxing, kickboxing, take downs and submissions. The fans went wild to see two warriors test their will and fortitude inside the cage.

Nick Diaz displayed his usual cockiness, constant jabs and crosses from every angle imaginable. He does hit to knock out his opponent, rather "peppers" them with rapid punches that confuses their momentum and game plan.

Round one was purely a kickboxing-type match where Cyborg punished the inside right leg of Diaz. Leg kick after leg kick, Cyborg was relentless and he knew once that leg was damaged, Diaz would have a hard time going for a take down should they end up in the clinch.

The beauty is Diaz didn't seem to let the leg kicks bother him at all. And if it did, Diaz did not show it. A few shin blocks from Diaz but it appeared to be Cyborg controlling most of the first half of round one with leg kicks.

What appeared to be a possible turning point for Cyborg's vicious leg kicks, Diaz does what he does best-trash talk and unleash his boxing skills that resulted in defense mode for Cyborg. Diaz caught Cyborg with multiple jabs and crosses that bloodied Cyborg, causing him to peddle backwards into the cage.

Diaz landed 36 of 64 punches according to Strikeforce commentator Mauro Ranallo in the first round. Body shots linger after every round and I'm guessing that Cyborg was feeling his organs rock n' roll after the body shots from Diaz.

The fast combinations to the head and body of Cyborg appeared to have broken some of the confidence Cyborg had in their stare down.

However, going into round two, Cyborg was still ready to battle. He caught Diaz a few times with more hard leg kicks. At one point, it looked like Diaz was about to fall over.

But Cyborg was not even close to match the accuracy and speed of Diaz's punching skills. Diaz took the leg shots and continued to move forward, taunting and punching Cyborg in the face throughout round two.

With seconds left on the clock, Cyborg takes down Diaz, possibly hoping to stall and survive into round three.

As soon as he is taken down, Diaz secures the guard and moves his hips to attack Cyborg's right arm. Both fighters are jiu-jitsu black belts. But Diaz is a Cesar Gracie black belt and more likely than not, if Nick Diaz has secured a limb, he will get the submission.

And that is exactly what transpired at the end of round two. Diaz throws his legs up for the arm-bar and Cyborg defends his right arm. Diaz utilized the basic technique of jiu-jitsu and pulls Cyborg's leg over, causing him to land in the perfect arm-bar position.

A few punches to the gut of Cyborg and voila! Arm-bar locked in and Cyborg taps. It looked to me as if Cyborg's arm was hyper-extended.

This fight showcased the diversity of today's new breed of fighters. They are tough as nails, can take a beating and still win with using the basics of their art. In Nick Diaz's case, it was basic Gracie jiu-jitsu.

The questions now is when will Strikeforce get new commentators?