You must know about The Fighting Nerds, which is a group of MMA stars from Brazil taking over the UFC world with their distinctive fighting style. The team’s remarkable look with the glasses has become an emblem of their identity and has received esteem from other fighters. However, there was another group that walked so that The Fighting Nerds could run. This group is none other than The Skrap Pack, mostly known for their success in Strikeforce and UFC. It included incredible fighters like Jake Shields, Gilbert Melendez, and the Diaz brothers, who were all students of Cesar Gracie. Yes, Gracie trained these youngsters back then in the 2000s. But wait, there’s more to the story.
Gilbert Melendez, who came up with the name The Skrap Pack, recently reunited with Jake Shields and reminisced about the days gone by when they used to fight and train with each other. He recalled their strong camaraderie but also remembered how the younger Nate Diaz was deathly afraid of his older brother Nick Diaz.
Jake Shields said, “The new people don’t realize, you know? I’ve talked about this in a few other podcasts on how hardcore the sport used to be. Guys would come out for challenge fights. The Gracie challenge used to be like me or Nick or sometimes even like 16-year-old Nate because they didn’t want to embarrass someone and Nate was way more scared of like me and Nick than he was of getting beat up in the thing.”
Nate Diaz has always said that he became a fighter because of Nick, as he followed his elder brother as an example. He also looks up to his brother and has always said that the 41-year-old is the best fighter in the world. He also said once as per MMA Fighting, that he considers his brother the GOAT. Additionally, Shields made it clear how intimidated Nate was by Nick, but there was immense admiration, too. He said, “So Nate would just like ‘Yeah, I’m fighting this guy.’ Probably scared s——-, but won’t show any fear cause he’s his brother. He’s way more scared of Nick than anything else. Nick says to do something, Nate would do it.”
LAS VEGAS, NV – SEPTEMBER 9: Nick Diaz appears on stage at the UFC 279 ceremonial weigh-ins on September 9, 2022, at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, NV. Photo by Amy Kaplan/Icon Sportswire MMA: SEP 09 UFC 279 Icon220909521279
This team of fighters was more than friends, they were almost like brothers after more than a decade of fighting and training together. They help each other through their highs and lows, and it was palpable when Nick Diaz was reportedly relapsing. The Stockton native has been going strong in MMA for over 20 years and has locked horns with some of the biggest UFC stars, including Anderson Silva and Georges St Pierre. So, naturally, seeing him go through a slump is not what the fans and the veterans want to see.
He was even scheduled to make his MMA return after a three-year hiatus at UFC 310. After a few days, there was concerning footage surfaced on social media that made everyone tense about his mental and physical health. However, his team from The Skrap Pack had his back. “He’s doing a lot better,” Shields said on the OverDogs Podcast.
However, there have been recent updates where Colby Covington decided to crash the Diaz brothers’ peaceful days.
Colby Covington gives out a challenge for his next bout
Colby Covington decided to take a chance against fighting one of the Diaz brothers. “Yeah, probably one of the Diaz brothers. You know, they’re big names, they’re legends of the game. So, they draw attention, you know. They sell pay-per-views and they get people excited for fights,” he said in a recent interview with Submission Radio.
We have heard Covington get into verbal warfare before but this time is it a legit challenge? Diaz has remained tight-lipped about his comeback, but his close friends suggested that his return to the fight world is definitely going to happen. Meanwhile, Kevin Holland joined the bandwagon and called out Covington on his ‘hypocrisy.’ Holland wrote on X, “No I’m probably the best he will get, plus I can’t wrestle @ColbyCovMMA.”
Covington has fought just 4 times thus far in the last 4 years, and his recent bout ended in a disappointing doctor’s stoppage loss to Joaquin Buckley at UFC Tampa. After that, he called out many fighters, but he had not received a fight yet. So is calling out the Diaz brothers his way of staying in the limelight? Do you think Nick Diaz will come back to the fighting realm soon? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
The post “He’s Way More Scared of Nick” – Nick Diaz’s Close Friend Makes a Confession on the UFC Legend’s Relationship With Nate Diaz appeared first on EssentiallySports.
