Nick Diaz’s former coach, Cesar Gracie, believes that his old protege will hand Anderson Silva his third straight loss at their UFC 183 clash of the titans.
“I believe it’s going to be a standup fight the entire time,” he said. “Nick is better on the ground, his jiu-jitsu is better, but I believe it’s going to be a standup fight and it won’t last five rounds. I think it will be over before five rounds, someone will get knocked out,” Gracie said.
The coach continued to say that he felt that Anderson’s recent fights against bigger opponents like Chael Sonnen will be an advantage for The Spider in a match against Diaz, but that doesn’t mean he should take his opponent for granted.
“Nick is hard to knock out, he was knocked out only once in the beginning of his career,” Gracie said. “Anderson is bigger than Nick, but he’s turning 40 now and his chin is not the same anymore. If Nick can get in there and punch him, I think he wins this fight. Nick will turn 31 in August, he’s just a kid. Anderson is fast and dangerous. I don’t know who’s going to win, but I know it’s going to be a good fight.”
