Lightweights Nate Diaz and Takanori Gomi meet at UFC 135 in Denver. Diaz (13-7, 8-5 UFC) is back at 155lbs after losing two straight at welterweight. Gomi (32-7, 1 NC, 1-2 UFC) has struggled since the collapse of Pride back in 2007 and his UFC run has seen no turnaround.
Gomi was a champion in Pride and the storied Shooto organization back in the glory days of Japanese MMA, but he has only shown flashes of the old Fireball Kid in recent years. Still his ability to throw one-punch KO bombs from out of nowhere makes him an ever-present danger.
Diaz uses his lanky frame and long reach to build an unconventional boxing attack that relies on a huge volume of arm punches. He also has excellent Jiu-Jitsu but poor wrestling. Diaz should be able to capitalize on Gomi's weak grappling but you have to wonder if he won't choose to slug it out instead.
| Aspect | Diaz | Points | Gomi | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Range Fighting | ||||
| Boxing | Volume Puncher | 1 | Fireball Kid | Tie |
| Kickboxing | Good | 2 | Flying Knees | Gomi |
| Wrestling | Wrestling? | 1 | Good Sprawl | Tie |
| Clinch Fighting | ||||
| Dirty Boxing | Mean | 1 | Vicious | Gomi |
| Thai Clinch | Ouch | 1 | Good | Diaz |
| Throws/Trips | Some Judo | 1 | Good | Tie |
| Ground Fighting | ||||
| Positional Control | Good Not Great | 1 | Ok | Diaz |
| Scrambling | Slick | 1 | Gets Back Up | Diaz |
| Ground and Pound | Hurts | 1 | Smashing | Tie |
| Submissions | Tap Homey | 1 | Submissions? | Diaz |
| Intangibles | Stockton | 1 | Gomi's Last Stand? | Gomi |
| Overall | Nick's Lil Bro | 4/4 | Fireball Kid | Tie |