170 lbs: Nick Diaz vs. Marius Zaromskis
Odds: (-220 Diaz /+180 Zaromskis )
The main event of the evening is a blockbuster Welterweight shown pitting UFC veteran and one-time Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz against Cage Rage veteran and DREAM Welterweight champion Marius “The Whitemare” Zaromskis for the vacant Strikeforce Welterweight title. Diaz has looked excellent recently, outstriking his opponents and looking dominant, but Zaromskis is on a tear, knocking opponents out in ridiculous highlight reel fashion, so this should be a barn burner.
Marius Zaromskis, the Lithuanian high kick machine, is one of the most explosive, dynamic, and exciting strikers in the world. His punches are devastating, but so are his knees and especially his head kicks, which he has used to finish his last three opponents. On the ground, Zaromskis is in no way a match for Diaz, so he is going to have to rely on his vicious standup if he wants to capture his second Welterweight belt.
Nick Diaz, a long-time veteran of UFC, DREAM, EliteXC and other companies, is one of the most effective submission artists in the Welterweight division. Even though he is so effective at grappling, though, Diaz has always shown a propensity for keeping fights standing and using his unorthodox, peppering boxing style to catch opponents off-guard. In his last few fights, it has worked wonders for him, but against Zaromskis he might have to go back to his old standby, the submission game, because Zaromskis is not the kind of guy you want to take any chances against on the feet.
Stylistically, it is hard not to give the edge to Diaz in this fight. For one thing, every time Diaz is supposed to get handled on his feet, he ends up outboxing his opponent. More importantly, though, if he finds himself in trouble on the feet, he can resort to the ground game, a luxury that Zaromskis does not have. Zaromskis has a puncher’s chance and then some, but Diaz is definitely the better-rounded fighter and has more experience against far better competition at a variety of weights. I think Diaz will get his shots in on the feet, softening Zaromskis up a little before taking him down and securing the rear naked choke. Zaromskis is going to be a huge success in this sport, but Diaz is just a little bit too large a step up.
Fight Prediction: Nick Diaz via second round rear naked choke to claim the belt.
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