Nick Diaz no-shows for grappling superfight, Facebook post blames ?shady promoter?

Suspended UFC fighter Nick Diaz was supposed to take on BJJ star Braulio Estima in a grappling supermatch in California Saturday. Diaz was supposed to show off his grappling chops in a match against one of the world's best jiu-jitsu players. He was supposed to donate his entire purse to St. Jude's Children Hospital.

Most importantly, he was supposed to show up for his first competitive match-up since being suspended by the Nevada Athletic Commission for a positive marijuana test after losing to Carlos Condit in February. He didn't.

Diaz never showed up to the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo in Long Beach, where the bout was scheduled to take place. Estima was reasonably steamed for the no-show.

"I know he's supposed to be the big MMA bad guy and he's all tough, he's supposed to be showbiz, but what is this?" said Estima. "When you make an announcement that you're going to fight for charity and you don't show up, what the hell is going on? It's not about showbiz. It's about being a good person. I don't know what is going on."

The Facebook page that purports to represent the Diaz brothers had this post on it early Sunday morning:

Promoter fails to donate the money to charity as agreed. (shady) Promoter changes rules for weigh ins to accommodate fellow Brazilian
Match ain't happening

When Estima communicated with the WJJE organizers that he couldn't get down to the agreed-upon 180-pound weight limit, they renegotiated the weight to 185 pounds. Diaz's camp agreed to the weight change ahead of time. As for the donation, could Diaz not have deposited his purse into his account and then written a check to St. Jude's? Taking five minutes to make the donation himself surely would have been better than depriving the hospital completely.

And if he really made the decision not to show up because of the promoters, he should have communicated it to his fans well before they spent $12.95 on the live stream of the event. That decision would have truly hurt the "shady" promoters in their wallets.

Instead, Diaz again decided not to show up for a commitment. In October, he skipped out on several media opportunities before his planned title fight and was removed from the bout. Again, he bizarrely blamed everyone but himself.

At this point, Diaz not following through on his commitments is par for the course. The MMA world shouldn't expect anything else.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/nick-diaz-no-shows-grappling-superfight-blames-shady-120642645.html

John Alessio  Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves 

UFC on Fox?s Three Stars: Nate Diaz, Alan Belcher and Lavar Johnson

The UFC's first two airings on Fox didn't quite live up to fans' expectations. Junior dos Santos' 64-second knockout of Cain Velasquez was almost too quick to appreciate, and the second Fox show featured lackluster decisions. The third try delivered, as the main card filled with exciting bouts and great finishes.

Here are Cagewriter's Three Stars from the weekend. Tell us yours in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.

No. 1 star -- Nate Diaz: The younger Diaz brother stepped out of his brother Nick's shadow with a perfect performance ending in the first submission loss of Jim Miller's career, then made the classy move of supporting Miller's nephew's cause. His performance earned him a title shot and a $65,000 Submission of the Night bonus, and his nice gesture won him new fans.

No. 2 star -- Alan Belcher: Not only did Belcher TKO Rousimar Palhares, but he did it like a BAWSE. He jumped into the lion's mouth, daring Palhares to slap one of his trademark heel hooks on before transitioning out and using ground and pound to win. Unlike Diaz and Johny Hendricks, Belcher was not promised a title shot for his performance, but he showed he's ready for the elite of the middleweights.

No. 3 star -- Lavar Johnson: Putting Johnson's bout with Pat Barry first on the Fox card was smart, because it would have been shocking if these two didn't deliver with a knockout in the first round. Though Johnson pulled it off with just 22 seconds left in the round, he did put Barry out with a devastating barrage of strikes.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-fox-three-stars-nate-diaz-alan-belcher-151556931.html

Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade 

MMA Marketplace: Frank Mir?s UFC 146 walkout shirt

Though Frank Mir's opponent changed for UFC 146, his sponsor didn't. He is still sponsored by the UFC, like Jon Jones. They gave him a walkout shirt that's low-key and collegiate-looking.

Plus, it has pretty stars and I'm a sucker for pretty stars. Buy it for $29.95.

Note: Junior dos Santos' walkout shirt for this weekend was not online, but you can buy this wall hanging depicting the champ, so ... win.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/mma-marketplace-frank-mir-ufc-146-walkout-shirt-123805576.html

Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague

Hettes Out, Joey Gambino vs. Steven Siler at UFC on FX 4

An undisclosed injury to hot prospect Jim Hettes has forced “The Kid” out of a featherweight  tilt against TUF veteran Steven Siler at UFC on FX 4. Stepping in for Hettes will be UFC debutant Joey Gambino. Gambino, who trains out of Tristar MMA, is 9-0 in his MMA career. “The Raging Warrior” now looks [...]

MMAFrenzy.com

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/28670/hettes-out-joey-gambino-vs-steven-siler-at-ufc-on-fx-4/

Gilbert Aldana  José Aldo  John Alessio  Houston Alexander Ricardo AlmeidaÂ