Veteran head coach, Cesar Gracie has speculated former undisputed UFC bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey is liable for setting his pupil, Nick Diaz “down a difficult path” — claiming the Riverside native inspired him to drink alcohol together with her.
Diaz, a former undisputed welterweight title challenger below the banner of the promotion, was slated to make his return to the Octagon this weekend in a scrutnized pairing with perennial contender, Vicente Luque on the principle card of UFC 310.
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Nonetheless, weeks out from the matchup in Las Vegas, former WEC and Strikeforce champion, Diaz was pulled from the pairing with Luque — with Themba Gorimbo changing the Stockon native on short-notice.
Ronda Rousey accused of introducing Nick Diaz to alcohol
And amid hypothesis relating to his withdrawal and present state, Nick Diaz’s former head coach, Gracie has speculated former bantamweight queen, Rousey holds some duty for the veteran’s present state of affairs — claiming she had led him down a “difficult path” by way of alcohol.
“He (Nick Diaz) was the best I’ve ever seen,” Cesar Gracie instructed Legacy TV. “But like I said, once he started to hang out with … I think Ronda Rousey got him drinking. You know what I mean? She would come up before she was famous, she’d hang out and everything. But she could drink, it wasn’t her fault, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t drink. He can’t do things like that. And that set him on a different path.”
Rapidly his associates had been Hollywood associates. His associates had been Las Vegas associates, they had been kinda bizarre. He went on a path … however I can’t go on that path. That’s not my path, I gained’t comply with him onto that path. All I can do is keep on the surface and await him to come back to my path — however I gained’t comply with his path.” (H/T MMA Mania)
“I got love for the guy — I love him,” Gracie continued. “At 16 I trained him, I was like a father to him, if you wanna say that, an older brother, father, whatever. But I have to wait for him to want to be on this other path. He’s gotta do what makes him happy. If he wants to do another fight, go ahead. If he doesn’t, don’t. I don’t think he really does. He understands what he has to give, to do, to represent himself.”
“I think he’s an amazing teacher, I would like him to maybe share and get a love for teaching, and maybe have his own academy and teach. Another thing too, I think it’s important … what Nate did is he got married to someone who kinda keeps him grounded, has a good mentality, and Nick never had that.”
Sidelined from the Octagon since making a short return at UFC 266 three years in the past, Nick Diaz would endure an eventual third spherical retirement TKO loss to former undisputed welterweight champion, Robbie Lawler within the pair’s rematch in a short-notice middleweight pairing.
