Hey man am I fighting or you?

[Brian Shannon]

Well Strikeforce signs Fedor last week making headlines in the MMA world. Today they make it again only this time it's because Nick Diaz has been scratched from his title bout this Saturday. Apparently Nick, who has been busted by the athletic commission in the past for failing a drug test (Marijuana), didn't show for a drug test. He was then given a deadline of today for a second chance drug test which he again didn't show for. As a result the California State Athletic Commission will not be able to license him for this weekend's bout with Jay Hieron.

Seems this card has been snake bit from the beginning. Jay had stepped in for Joe Riggs who is reportedly in the hospital with an undisclosed aliment. Phil Barinoi had wanted to take the fight but Stirkforce signed Jay instead. They were going to keep it a title fight had Nick been able to fight. Now TUF 7 contestant Jesse Taylor will step in on 5 days notice and take on Hieron. Interestingly Taylor fought 2 times in July and will be fighting for the 3rd time in past 5 weeks.

As for Nate I wonder, what does the future hold? Presumably still smoking the wacky backy, I wonder if he will ever live up to what we saw when he first stepped into the UFC Octagon? He and his brother are both very talented and masters on the ground yet both have gotten to a point were they have seemed to show the will or desire to take it to the next level. I read this evening where one guy claims that Nick smokes medical Marijuana because of ADD or something I wasn't really reading that close. Even if that is true so what? The commission say stay clean to fight in this state or you don't. He chose not to fight.

Strikeforce is off to a good start in their quest to challenge the UFC. Here is what I see happening by the end of the year. The UFC will throw all they can at Stirkeforce now before they get close to being serious competition. If I were a part of the UFC staff, every time SF announced an event I would come out the next day and announce a free Fight Night on Spike or something. Then give the fans a big name guy like they did with Anderson Silva vs James Irvin last year. Either that or just start giving Nick free weed! The Diaz brothers could end up being a modern day Cheech and Chong.