Red Ink: Diaz vs. Guillard

Quickly falling victim to another live Spike TV event on Nov. 14 headlined by one of the most popular mixed martial artists ever -- Randy Couture -- is a top-lining fight that suddenly seems flimsy in comparison: Nate Diaz vs. Melvin Guillard, a bout that caps UFC Fight Night 19 on Sept. 16.

After winning a season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Nate Diaz rattled off three consecutive submission victories and appeared to be a more compact version of brother Nick -- permanently furrowed brow and all. But with an escalation in competition came diminishing returns. Diaz, who worked for forty-five minutes total in his last three fights, looked at times like he was sorely lacking in strength training.

This is not a problem afflicting Guillard, who may not possess even a fraction of Diaz’ ability on the mat, but packs an enormously powerful punch and is getting better at emulating Chuck Liddell’s hydraulic core anti-wrestling skill. This will probably not be enough to fend off Diaz, and he’s got quicksand in store if he can’t. There’s little suspense, but you get what you pay for in a main event.

Nick Diaz vs. compact striker Karl James Noons -- an undesirable outcome.

Diaz: Guillard is unlikely to find Diaz’ jaw and isn’t going to last long in a scramble.