few months after Jake Shields suffered his first loss in six years, the Cesar Gracie camp is preparing for a second crack at UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.
Former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz will be standing opposite the French-Canadian phenom this time around, and Gracie is every bit of as confident in the controversial Stockton native as he was in Shields.
"It should be a really good fight," Gracie said in an interview with Full Contact Fighter. "Nick is really going to press the action. He's going to force GSP to fight. I was just really happy that Nick is going to get the opportunity to show just how good he is now."
Diaz has seen significant strides in his overall game since his last UFC appearance in November 2006. While his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has always been considered the most dangerous aspect of his game, Diaz's improved boxing could rival his grappling base.
Training with WBA and WBC World Boxing Champion Luisito Espinosa and Olympic Boxing Gold Medalist Andre Ward, Diaz has quickly become one of the best boxers in the entire 170-pound division.
Will it all make any difference against St-Pierre, arguably the best wrestler in MMA?
"Georges is a great athlete and pretty smart fighter," said Gracie. "His athleticism often lets him dictate where the fight is going to go, and if he's comfortable where he can take the finish, without taking too many risks, he will."
St-Pierre, who hasn't finished a fight in over two years, has often been criticized for utilizing "safe" tactics to coast to decisions.
From a purely coaching perspective, St-Pierre's way of fighting doesn't faze Gracie. He is only worried about guys on his own team.
When he looks at things from a fan's perspective, Gracie has a much different opinion of the champ.
via source
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