Coach accuses Ronda Rousey of setting Nick Diaz down 'Difficult path': 'I think she got him drinking'
12/04/2024 05:53 PM
Veteran head coach, Cesar Gracie has speculated former undisputed UFC bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey is responsible for setting his student, Nick Diaz “down a difficult path” — claiming the Riverside native encouraged him to drink alcohol with her.
Diaz, a former undisputed welterweight title challenger under 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 main card of UFC 310.
However, weeks out from the matchup in Las Vegas, former WEC and Strikeforce champion, Diaz was pulled from the pairing with Luque — with Themba Gorimbo replacing the Stockon native on short-notice.
Ronda Rousey accused of introducing Nick Diaz to alcohol
And amid speculation regarding his withdrawal and current state, Nick Diaz’s former head coach, Gracie has speculated former bantamweight queen, Rousey holds some responsibility for the veteran’s current state of affairs — claiming she had led him down a “difficult path” through alcohol.
"He (Nick Diaz) was the best I've ever seen," Cesar Gracie told 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.”
All of a sudden his friends were Hollywood friends. His friends were Las Vegas friends, they were kinda weird. He went on a path … but I can't go on that path. That's not my path, I won't follow him onto that path. All I can do is stay on the outside and wait for him to come to my path — but I won't follow 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 brief return at UFC 266 three years ago, Nick Diaz would suffer an eventual third round retirement TKO loss to former undisputed welterweight champion, Robbie Lawler in the pair’s rematch in a short-notice middleweight pairing.
