• Strikeforce: Diaz v Daley

Diaz angered by Daley's withdrawal threats

ESPN staff
April 7, 2011
Diaz v Daley: The hype

Nick Diaz admits he was angered by Paul Daley's pre-fight threats to pull out of their Strikeforce welterweight title bout.

Daley was initially disturbed by the takeover of Strikeforce by Zuffa, which effectively links him directly to UFC president Dana White. The Briton was cut by White for an illegal punch in 2009, so Daley's reaction to the takeover was to question whether he wanted to line White's pockets.

Eventually Daley agreed to go ahead with Saturday's title bout, which sees him attempting to become the first Briton in MMA history to win a major world title.

However, his threats to pull out of the event did not sit well with Diaz, a hugely popular champion, who insists it is difficult to focus in training when it is not clear if a fight will be the end reward.

"This show got pushed back," Diaz told ESPN. "I just found out that I'm fighting, and he's talking about he is not going to take the fight, this and that. That's not good for anybody. It's not motivating.

"I'm a fighter and I'm ready to fight. I'm not going to be the one to back out of this. I'm the last person who's going to be the first guy to back out of a fight."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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