Pros Pick: Shamrock vs. Diaz

Frank Shamrock and Nick Diaz will meet in the Strikeforce “Shamrock vs. Diaz” main event this Saturday in a fight that could stamp and exclamation point on the return of mixed martial arts to the Showtime network.

On one side stands the self-proclaimed legend of the sport, Shamrock, a man who almost single-handedly redefined how professional fighters prepare for upcoming battles. A submission wiz and underrated striker, Shamrock was at one point the prototypical mixed martial artist and has been involved in some of the sport’s most memorable wars. On the other side stands the brash Diaz, a veteran who has deceptive punching power and some slick jiu-jitsu. His hatred toward opponents harkens back to the days of the legendary Roberto Duran, and, like his opponent, Diaz has dazzled fight fans with electrifying performances, both in victory and defeat.

The MMA world seems torn as to who will walk out of the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., as the victor. Sherdog.com contacted dozens of professional fighters and trainers to gauge their opinions on the fight.

Cung Le: Frank Shamrock wins by TKO [by] punches. The fight [will be] stopped due to cuts.

Gabe Ruediger: That’s actually an interesting matchup. I’m not sure how Nick will deal with Frank’s size advantage. Cardio is never a problem for either fighter, and both are competent strikers. Nick is a better submission guy, but Frank is really hard to submit. If it was five rounds, I would go with Nick, but I think Frank will win a decision. Great fight, though, and either guy could finish it before the allotted match time.

Guy Mezger: Frank wins by overwhelming dominance in the pre-fight smack talking. It is like beating up on a little kid. This will carry over into the actual fight. Frank should win in a convincing manner.

Alan Belcher: Frank will give him problems with his size and power. Frank will win a decision.

Micah Miller: Diaz. His superior jiu-jitsu will be the difference.

Renato Verissimo: Frank Shamrock.

Erik Paulson: Frank Shamrock, either by KO or leg submission.

Jeff Monson: Nick Diaz by decision.

Pete Sell: I’m going with Diaz by submission. He’ll do it by gogoplata (laughs). Seriously, Diaz by whatever submission he gets. His ground game is better than Frank’s. It’ll happen in the second round.

Frank Shamrock: Shamrock by KO in two rounds and looking good at 179. That’s all I got.

Nathan Diaz: Diaz. [Expletive] Shamrock.

Marvin Eastman: Frank Shamrock [by] decision.

Dewey Cooper: Nick Diaz versus Frank Shamrock will be an exciting fight, for sure. I think the experience of Frank Shamrock will be the advantage in this bout. Nick Diaz always comes to fight, though. He talks loads of trash, but he backs it all up. I feel Nick’s disrespect will push Frank to give a better effort than what he did in the Cung Le fight. Shamrock wins by second-round stoppage.

Mike Whitehead: This is a tough one, but I’m going to have to go with Diaz by decision.

Leigh Remedios: Frank by close decision. I think he’ll work kicks with angles to frustrate him, and his mind games will probably work well on Nick, who is quite hot-headed. Both are too tough to be stopped in a three-rounder -- Nick because of his chin and Frank because of his ego.

Robin Black: Well, Nick Diaz is certainly angrier, but Shamrock can counter that with his ultra smugness. I think Diaz can outbox Shamrock, and I think his high-level modern jiu-jitsu game is better than Frank’s catch wrestling. Diaz’s youth and aggressiveness is also gonna be tough to deal with. He sees Frank as a guy trying to take his money. He ain’t havin’ that. I see Diaz winning an action-packed unanimous decision.

Brad Blackburn: This is not a fight that I would want to put my money on. I think they’re both well-rounded fighters with good stand-up and ground skills. I think Diaz is hungrier and Shamrock is bigger. So I’m actually really excited to watch this fight.

Ray Steinbeiss: I see them standing up and Diaz setting a fast pace but Shamrock being able to land big right hands that cut Diaz and hurt him. Diaz, as always, will fight to the end showing a lot of heart. The fight won’t go to the ground very much, but when it does, Shamrock will be able to get back to his feet, where he will outbox Diaz to a decision win. Look for Frank to also land very hard middle kicks and for Diaz to try and work the clinch. I am picking Frank Shamrock by decision over a very game Nick Diaz.

Stephane Vigneault: I am a big fan of both fighters, but I think Shamrock, because of his size, is gonna win a decision.