UFC 137 Fight Card: 4 Reasons Nick Diaz Is Secretly a Genius

Whether you hate to love or love to hate him, Nick Diaz is one of the most interesting fighters in all of MMA.

The former Strikeforce champ is known for acting like a thug during interviews.

He’s also loved for putting on exciting fights and keeping fans entertained.

On Saturday, Oct. 29 at UFC 137, Diaz will face B.J. Penn in a bout that could determine the next no. 1 contender for the welterweight title.

Diaz may be one of the craziest fighters in the UFC.

Here are some reasons why he may also be a genius.

He Gets in His Opponents Heads

Trash talk and taunting an opponent go hand and hand with MMA.

Just about every fighter has encountered it in one form or another.

Diaz can take it to another level at times.

From throwing his shoes at Diego Sanchez, to flipping off Frank Shamrock, to trash talking opponents during a fight, Diaz does whatever he can to throw his opponents off.

Although they may not admit to it, you've got to believe Diaz throws his opponents off before they step foot in the cage. 

He knows how to keep attention on himself

Diaz often acts like he does not care for the media or much of anybody else for that matter.

His antics like fighting in a hospital after a fight, starting another fight after his teammate had just won and missing two press conferences that kept him from a title fight keep people talking about him.

Whether it's immaturity or Diaz actually not caring, he has the attention that many MMA fighters only dream of.

Although it may be attention for all the wrong reasons, Diaz has always been a topic of conversation. 

He's Honest in His Own Right

One of the things that makes Nick Diaz different than a lot of other athletes is the fact that he refuses to change for anybody other than himself.

One minute he seems like a thug, the next he’s taking pics with fans and scared he’s going to get medically suspended for being knocked down in a fight.

Diaz is a serious athlete, but also likes to smoke pot.

Diaz may be many things, but unlike other athletes, he tries to keep it real no matter what the situation is.

The only problem is the rest of the world may not get what his version of real is. 

He could be erasing the fine line between genius and insanity

If there is somebody who has seen many sides of MMA it’s Diaz.

He’s been suspended for smoking pot, left the UFC once, left Strikeforce as their welterweight champ and missed two press conferences that cost him a title shot against Georges St-Pierre.

Yet Diaz finds himself in the main event of UFC 137 once again against B.J. Penn.

Despite what anybody says, Diaz is a unique fighter.

 His outside antics may be questionable, but inside he knows how to put on a show.