Following the main event of UFC 143, Nick Diaz had some very interesting comments for interviewer Joe Rogan. Diaz lost a unanimous decision to Carlos Condit in an extremely close fight for the interim Welterweight Championship. Condit's attack plan throughout the fight appeared to largely consist of sticking and moving, evading Diaz, not allowing himself to be cornered and not allowing himself to be trapped by Diaz, who is an exceptional wrestler.
After the fight, Diaz and Condit briefly embraced before the decision was announced. Rogan interviewed Diaz, who intimated that he would be retiring from the UFC following this fight, saying, "I don't need this shit." Rogan asked him to clarify and was he really thinking about retiring. Diaz then commented that he didn't approve of Condit's fighting strategy, that Condit was "running away from [Diaz] the entire fight" and that if this is the way that fights are going to be and winners are going to be decided, he's "out of here."
The Diaz brothers have reputations as malcontents, so this may be written off as just another page in that long family history. Diaz has a point in certain ways, as he continually tried to get Condit to engage and attack. From a business standpoint (and certainly from Dana White's point of view), a less evasive strategy makes for more exciting fights, which leads to better business. On the other end of the argument, Condit fought exactly the fight that he wanted to and it netted him the interim title. Had he engaged Diaz, he likely would have played right into his opponent's strategy and lost the fight in short order.
There is no guideline that you are required to fight a certain way, nor should there be. I understand the frustration of Diaz and hope he will return, if for no other reason than that he is an extremely gifted and talented fighter and is far from the end of a still-promising career.
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