Nick Diaz pawed his way to his eleventh straight win in a complete dissection of MMA legend BJ Penn at UFC 137.
There was a plethora of doubt surrounding Diaz coming into the bout. Despite his impressive win streak, only one of Diaz's opponents were actually ranked as a top-10 welterweight.
The Stockton native certainly quieted some of his doubters on Saturday night, wearing down and busting up one of the greatest fighters of all time.
With Diaz's slow and peppering style, it's easy to overlook the overall effectiveness of his striking. Diaz is an incredibly well-conditioned fighter, and he forces opponents to fight at a constant and steady pace.
As for whether or not his striking is underrated, it would take an untrained eye to underrate Diaz's striking.
He has shown great efficiency in finding range, picking his shots and avoiding counters. For years, Penn has been respected as one of the best strikers in the world. Throughout his entire career, no one has ever handled Penn on the feet like Diaz did.
You have to give credit where it's due.
Diaz isn't just one of the best strikers in the world. He may be the best striker in the entire welterweight division.
Longtime fans have to respect the improvements Diaz has made with his striking. This is definitely a different Diaz than the one that fought Sean Sherk, Diego Sanchez and Joe Riggs back in his early UFC days.
He can attribute his striking improvements to pro-boxing stars Andre Ward and Luisito Espinosa, who have both trained alongside Diaz in helping him prepare for MMA bouts.
"Don't be scared homie."
After seeing the striking display Diaz put on Penn, fighters may think twice before standing and exchanging with the former Strikeforce champion.
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