Nick Diaz Video: “I'm the Most Overworked, Overtrained, Underpaid Fighter”

Nick Caron

Apr 7, 2011

Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz has long been outspoken about how much he and his fellow fighters get paid. But things may be getting a bit more serious as Diaz showed increased hostility, even more than usual, in a recent interview with MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani.

“I’m the most overworked, overtrained, underpaid fighter,” Diaz bluntly said.

Diaz fought a total of four times in just under a year, starting in January 2010 when he defeated Marius Žaromskis to become the inaugural Strikeforce Welterweight Champion. In his most recent victory over Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos, the champion seemed to be toying with his challenger at times before submitting him late in the second-round with an arm bar.

As one of the top welterweight mixed martial artists in the world, Diaz has spoke about the lack of pay that both he and other top MMA fighters receive.

“I do get paid well as an MMA fighter, but this isn’t boxing and I feel like we should get paid like this is boxing,” he explained. “I hear about people like Georges [St-Pierre] getting paid way more than me, and Manny Pacquiao, and professional boxers getting paid that much money.”

Strikeforce has been combing the globe, looking for potential challengers for Diaz and England’s Paul Daley is the man who will get a title shot this Saturday night.

“They asked me to come here and fight and I’m not going to be the one to not take the fight,” Diaz stated in response to why he took the fight, given that he believes he is underpaid.

Because of the amount that some of the top boxers make in their fights, Diaz has even been linked previously to fighting Fernando Vargas in a boxing match. However, he didn’t seem too enthused about the possibilities of the fight happening when talking with Helwani.

“I’m motivated if we’re talking big money like that,” he said somberly.

But the biggest bits into Diaz’s mindset seemed to come when his frustration was peaking in the interview.

“I don’t even know why I’m doing this anymore.”

“I’ve got enough from MMA. I’ve got enough money,” he expressed. “I’ve got enough experience in how to live from this. That’s all I need. I don’t need this [expletive].”

Whether or not Diaz is truly mulling a potential retirement from the sport remains to be seen, but this type of state of mind cannot be healthy for a fighter as he prepares to fight one of the hardest-hitting 170-pound fighters in the world.