However, any good faith earned may have been wiped clean in light of Estima’s own take on the situation. The decorated submission-specialist took to Twitter yesterday where he outlined a few points pertaining to Gracie’s account.

“When (the promoter) approached me to offer me the fight I was actually training at the Blackzilians at the time so obviously I was training MMA,” wrote Estima. “I never fought before so (he) said it was fine & why (not) cancel the fight before if this was really an issue??”

“Nobody has ever bended no rules for me,” he continued, turning to Diaz’s problems with his weight. “Because there was no rules set to start off with. It wasn’t going to be a UFC match but a superfight on a BJJ Expo so the whole point here was for us to show a fight. Has Nick signed a contract that stated the date time and weight that we both need to reach? I didn’t… Besides when did Nick actually weigh in? And who witnessed that if we are being so strict and professional?”

“You are saying Nick had left by 10:00 AM Saturday morning? Why you never said anything then? I even asked you I’d like to see him and his weight and you said he’s not gonna come down because he ate already and wouldn’t make the weight anymore,” stated Estima. “Nobody at any point had mentioned he could have left. Leaving me believing we would fight till the very last minute…You’re talking about lack of professionalism in the organization of the superfight and this was very professional behavior right?”

Ultimately, Estima summed things up saying he was frustrated by the way things had unfolded and adamant about Diaz being largely to blame.

Read the full statement from Estima below:

1st- When Junior approached me to offer me the fight I was actually training at the Blackzilians at the time so obviously I was training MMA. Junior told me about Nick not wanting to fight an MMA fighter. I never fought before so [Junior] said it was fine & why [didn't you] cancel the fight before if this was really an issue..??

2nd- Nobody has ever bended no rules for me. Because there was no rules set to start off with, it wasn’t going to be a UFC match but a superfight on a BJJ Expo so the whole point here was for us to show a fight.. has Nick signed a contract that stated the date time and weight that we both need to reach? I didn’t. And since this whole thing was going to be a friendly event I really don’t see any issue here even if Nick turned up 10lbs overweight. Still when asked I went and dropped the weight to meet the requirement. Actually to put things straight it was myself that called Junior around 10pm Friday to check if there is going to be a weigh in at all. He kept contacting you and got back to me saying I need to be 180 that time, of course I said I can’t for the simple reason I was away in Irvine and it was already late at night but I said sure no problem I’ll make it first thing in the morning if needed, even if it would put me in a bigger disadvantage I didn’t care I just came to fight. Junior had actually called me back no later than midnight that he spoke to you and confirmed the weigh in for 10am.

Besides when did Nick actually weigh in? And who witnessed that if we are being so strict and professional?

3rd – You are saying Nick had left by 10am Saturday morning? Why you never said anything then? I even asked you I’d like to see him and his weight and you said he’s not gonna come down because he ate already and wouldn’t make the weight anymore. And Lana, after speaking to you, called his room and said he was actually there sleeping. Nobody at any point had mentioned he could have left. Leaving me believing we would fight till the very last minute, now you’re talking about lack of professionalism in the organisation of the superfight and this was very professional behaviour right?

There is many more points here that I don’t agree with but I am just fed up of this whole situation and don’t agree for anyone to ever release the blame from Nick for whatever reason, we were there to fight and that’s what should happen no excuses, we are both professional athletes and should respect one another no matter what. And this is inexcusable.

PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

While Gracie expressed disappointment in a written statement published late last night he also made it clear he understood where his star pupil was coming from given the lack of professionalism he received from the organization hosting the bout.

According to Gracie, the issues influencing Diaz’s decision related to opponent Braulio Estima being presented as someone with no interest in a MMA career as well as the Brazilian’s weight-related demands. Originally Diaz’s camp had been told Estima was purely focused on grappling as a means of quelling their concerns about a BJJ-based win being used as a means of self-promotion in the MMA field. When they learned he had started training for an eventual MMA debut a red flag went up. Estima also failed to make an agreed-upon weight the night before the match-up, adding to Diaz’s displeasure with how things were being handled.

However, that doesn’t mean Gracie let Diaz off the hook for his role in the matter.

“Nick is not without fault by any means. His lack of communication with his team and coach was inexcusable. This will be addressed privately,” wrote Gracie.

Gracie also added Diaz donated a sum equal to that of his purse from the event to St. Jude’s Hospital as he’d planned to do with his winnings.

The full body of Gracie’s statement can be found below:

My decision to write an account of what happened this weekend is not to answer to the detractors of myself or my team, as no explanation is owed them. It is instead based on my acknowledgement and respect to our fans and supporters. I never thought I would be answering for something that happened at a grappling tournament, however with the worldwide popularity of the sport and my team increasing, I understand that our supporters need answers.

Below is a compilation of events in chronological order. I included the behind the scenes problems we had to let you, our supporters, know how things deteriorated.

Facts

In the month of February I was contacted by a Brazilian named Junior asking me if I wanted to participate in an Expo\Jiu-jitsu tournament. The goal was to put one of our team’s stars in the event to attract sponsors and ensure it was successful. The event was not that far away and they desperately needed exposure. Junior stated that he was working with my uncle Rilion and my cousin Renzo on this project and they were in fact partners. Rilion and Renzo are 2 people that I greatly admire and respect and I was more than happy to partner up with them. I discussed the idea with Nick Diaz and he readily agreed to enter in the black belt gi division. He did not seek any reimbursement. Junior thought it better for Nick to do a super fight as he thought this would be more of a spectacle and bring in more attention.Nick was not as enthusiastic but agreed on the condition that whoever was picked to go against him was not a MMA fighter. He knew even a mediocre MMA fighter would try to use a match and/or victory over him to further their career in MMA. Nick believes a reputation as a fighter should only be earned in a ring or cage.

I relayed this to Junior and he agreed to arrange for a strict jiu-jitsu competitor.

In March I received the disturbing news from Rilion that Junior had broken his agreement with him. Rilion stated to me that Junior was registering all World Jiu-jitsu Expo names under his name alone and was no longer taking his phone calls. When contacted by me, Junior stated that he would no longer honor his financial obligations to Rilion because “Rilion was doing nothing and treats me like one of his clerks”.

He then went on a tirade about Rilion which I interrupted and reminded him that Rilion was my family member and I would not listen to someone speaking negatively about him.

This rift left me in a dilemma. My instinct was to sever ties immediately. Rilion was my original jiu-jitsu instructor and his reputation as an honest person was impeccable. On the other hand we had already committed Diaz and Caio Terra. Our removal would destroy an event Renzo provided all of the funding for.

I consulted with Rilion who advised me to move forward with the event. He was the one that had brought Renzo into this project and convinced Renzo to fund it. He also still believed in the idea of an American tournament that paid the best BJJ guys on the planet to showcase their skills. We agreed to move forward without him since at this stage Junior had entrenched himself and his removal was impossible. Lastly Rilion warned me that Junior was not to be trusted and would undoubtedly try to cheat me and Renzo.
In early April I got the call from Junior asking what I thought of a Braulio Estima vs Nick Diaz matchup. I had heard of Braulio and knew he was a formidable jiu-jitsu practitioner. I was under the impression that Braulio competed in the close to 200lbs weight category.

When I asked Junior he assured me that Braulio could weigh in as little as 175 lbs right before the match.

I presented his information to Nick who accepted the matchup and seemed happy to go against the top BJJ player in the world at that weight. Nick started training for the match and I brought up several BJJ black belts to compliment his training.
Looking through some of Estima’s YouTube videos, it was soon discovered that he had in fact been planning on entering upon a career in MMA. We wondered if the match with Diaz was a way to create a buzz around him and get him signed with a prominent organization.

I called Junior who assured me Estima would not be fighting in MMA and that he had spoken with him and been assured he had given up on the idea of ever fighting. Junior reiterated, “Cesar I spoke with Braulio, the guy is in his 30?s, he has a family and doesn’t want to live that type of life at this stage in his life…etc”

I repeated this info to Nick. A week or so later it was all over the Internet that Braulio had joined the “Blackzillians” and was training for a MMA fight. We had been lied to. Furthermore it was evident that Nick’s sole condition that he not go against a wanna be MMA guy was violated and this was in fact an attempt by Braulio to ignite an MMA career.Nick was to have been accurately portrayed as a fighter returning to his BJJ roots. He had even agreed to give his entire purse to charity; St Jude’s Children’s Hospital for kids with cancer. If you know the story of Ralph Gracie’s son you would understand why this charity was chosen. Nick’s name having been added to this event had saved it but now it was clear he was to be the patsy, not respected but used.

Despite all of this Nick was still going to compete. He brought up Kron Gracie and prepared himself. Around this time I was informed by Junior that Braulio wanted to weigh in the day before and not right before the match as is the custom in IBJJ competitions and Abu Dhabi. At the time Nick was about 186lbs so I consented to both guys weighing in at 180lbs the night before.

Nick boarded a plane on Friday for Long Beach having cut 6 pounds for the weigh in that night. On his way there I got a call from Junior telling me Braulio would not be making weight! ”Cesar Braulio is complaining about the weight cut. Can we have him weigh in tomorrow? He can’t make the weight tonight how about 185 in the morning?”
Nick arrives in Long Beach to the news that there will be no weigh ins that night. As a professional with over 30 fights this was the final straw. The disrespect and total lack of professionalism given him convinced him he was at a circus not a professional event.
At 3:20 in the morning I received a text from Junior that Braulio would in fact make the 180lbs weight class at 10:00AM. With no other option available I said fine I’ll check with Nick in the morning. At 10:00AM Braulio did weigh in at 180lbs but by that time Nick had already left.

Opinion

As a Brazilian I love Brazil but not all things Brazilian. In the last decade I have witnessed Brazilian cronies running the IBJJF and making it impossible for Americans to get a fair shake when competing against their Brazilian countrymen. These cronies have instituted rules to where if you miss weight by even half a pound you are disqualified and not refunded your entry fee. They gladly keep your money and treat you like crap in your country because they can. One of these cronies (Junior) decided to bend all the rules for Braulio Estima and treat Nick Diaz like crap. Sorry that didn’t work out here.

As for Braulio I still respect him as a great BJJ artist. As far as calling Nick out for a MMA fight, he knows that is impossible because Nick is signed with the UFC and in MMA you have to make weight when they want you to. Not when you want to. If Braulio ever finds success in MMA then he can mention Nick’s name for a fight. Right now he should respect the man.

Nick is not without fault by any means. His lack of communication with his team and coach was inexcusable. This will be addressed privately.

Renzo and I have spoken and we are committed to continuing with this otherwise awesome event….without the services of Junior.

It should be noted that Nick paid to St Jude’s Children’s Hospitable the sum of what would have been his entire purse.

Thank you,
You have my apologies and my respect
Cesar Gracie

PHOTO CREDIT – HDNET/STRIKEFORCE

Fans have not heard much from Diaz since his loss to Carlos Condit and ensuing retirement speech inside the Octagon after the defeat. Originally, the majority felt like Diaz was just upset about how the judges’ decision went. Yet, with his failed drug test for marijuana adding to the mix, it seems more possible than ever MMA has heard the last from Diaz.

Fortunately, if taking what Gracie had to say when stopping by Sherdog Radio as gospel, all hope may not be lost in terms of seeing Diaz back inside a cage in the near future.

“He’s sick of politics, the whole marijuana thing, the judges…it’s kind of a weird thing, but let’s face it; I’m not going to let that guy quit,” Gracie said. “I just don’t see that happening. He’s too good and he’s too important in this sport, I think. If it’s up to me, there’s no way that’s going to happen.”

As far as Diaz’s present demeanor, Gracie explained, “He’s pretty relaxed actually. He’s not stressed out about anything. I was with him last night. He did a few rounds boxing. Nick’s a martial artist. He’s always in some kind of training. It drives him crazy not to be. He’s always doing jiu-jitsu. He’s always doing a little something. Mentally, he’s doing great right now.”

Diaz is 1-1 in his last two fights, having defeated B.J. Penn prior to falling to Condit. The 28-year-old’s next move independent of his fighting future should come in front of the NSAC in a month when his temporary suspension for smoking pot is formally addressed.

PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE/UFC

“Gil is fighting May 19,” the BJJ wizard wrote on Twitter, adding two names he’s crossing his fingers for though neither actually happens to be signed to the organization’s roster. “I hope (B.J.) Penn or (Anthony) Pettis.”

The date lines up with the final of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix between Josh Barnett and Daniel Cormier, rumored for San Jose, with Nate Marquardt also expected to debut at the summer event.

UFC President Dana White has been stated repeatedly the 20-2 Melendez was not likely to join the UFC anytime soon.  As such, Melendez may be hoping for a big name like Penn or even Pettis to help raise his stock in the division. Penn, a former double-divisional champion, has stuck to his retirement since losing to Nick Diaz last October while Pettis has become the odd man out at 155 in the UFC with champion Benson Henderon taking on Frankie Edgar in a rematch and Nate Diaz-Jim Miller fighting for top contendership in May.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

UFC President Dana White recently reported an immediate rematch between Diaz and current UFC interim welterweight champion Condit would be scheduled to take place before Georges St. Pierre returned from injury. Just as quickly as the rematch was reported, rumors started that someone from either Diaz or Condit had decided against the bout.

According to a report by MMAJunkie it may have been Gracie himself who nixed things though he did not offer much more than to say the match would not go down, leaving those around the MMA world to sit and wonder.

Gracie’s comments are just the latest in a string of twists and turns surrounding the scrap. Condit is still expected to be in Las Vegas on Friday to meet with White. Until then fans will continue to have to wait and see what happens next if anything at all.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Trainer Cesar Gracie recently came forward to express his belief that fans hadn’t seen the last of Nick Diaz inside the Octagon or any cage for that matter. While Gracie thought it would take Diaz a year or so before getting the itch to fight again, it appears it will actually only be a matter of months after UFC President Dana White went on Twitter to confirm Condit had agreed to fight Diaz again and clear up any confusion surrounding the outcome of their first bout.

White did not go into specifics but did say that Condit wanted the match-up to occur. Today’s news came as a complete 180 from comments made this week by Condit’s manager who said his client would wait for Georges St. Pierre rather than face Diaz again in an immediate rematch.

This past weekend, Diaz was handed a decision loss at the hands of Carlos Condit in the main event of UFC 143. The bout was for the interim UFC welterweight title and Diaz, along with numerous fans, fellow fighters, and media members, felt like he deserved to have his hand raised when things were done.

During the post-fight interview, the Stockton native announced he was done with MMA and was moving on, citing the judges’ approach to scoring as the reason for his departure from the sport. The news shocked just about everyone watching in attendance and live on pay-per-view, including Joe Rogan who was conducting the post-fight interview. When Rogan continued to push for more from Diaz, the controversial welterweight explained he felt all Condit did was run from him.

PHOTO CREDIT – HDNET/UFC

Gracie, Diaz’s head trainer and manager, recently called Condit’s counter-pointing strategy into question after “The Natural Born Killer” avoiding engaging in the “dogfight” he’d implied he was up for during the weeks leading up to Saturday night’s scrap.

“Carlos was running at one point, and Nick slapped him in the face said, ‘Quit running.’ We were there for a dogfight. Carlos said he’d provide for the fans a dogfight, a great fight where they were going to go at it. That was not a dogfight. It takes two to make a dogfight. One guy running away is not a dogfight,” said Gracie on Monday in an interview with The MMA Show.

However, Gracie doesn’t fully fault Condit for taking the smarter, less aesthetically pleasing route instead of catering to the expectations of others, and actually blames the coaching staff at Greg Jackson’s gym for the gameplan.

“It’s one thing to avoid standing in the pocket, it’s one thing to know how to dodge punches and kicks, and be somewhat elusive and have great defense. It’s another thing to turn your back and run from a fighter. That’s completely different,” said Gracie of Jackson’s approach to fighting. “You shouldn’t be telling your fighter to fight like that. I think it’s a disgrace and a shame. I’ve said this before: I don’t like that camp. I’m not going to take that back.”

The future of both Diaz and Condit appear a bit hazy at the moment, as Diaz said he was retiring after the loss and Condit is likely waiting 9-10 months for Georges St. Pierre to heal up from a knee injury rather than take another fight as his management implied he would prior to his closely-contested win over Diaz.

PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE/UFC

Last week it was reported by Condit’s management team that if he was to beat Diaz for the interim title he would likely stay active, defending the belt once before potentially facing GSP. However, Condit’s manager, Malki Kawa, changed his tune on those claims earlier today.

“At this point, (a rematch) is not something we’re looking to do,” said Kawa, in an interview with MMAFighting. “We’re looking for Georges. People forget, Carlos waited a long time to this get fight. I think clearly and decisively, he won the fight. All of the opinions that matter scored Carlos as winner.”

Diaz’s trainer/manager, Cesar Gracie, was a guest today on the MMA Hour, said in response to Kawa’s statements, “Of course they’re not interested in a rematch. They lost the first one.”

There was talk of an immediate rematch between Condit and Diaz taking place based on the bout being scored very closely, though that could have been difficult to work out as Diaz announced his retirement from MMA immediately after the fight.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

According to Diaz’s manager and head trainer, Cesar Gracie, the answer is “no”

Gracie, who was careful to speak in hypothetical terms rather than disrespect Condit by assuming Diaz would exit with a victory,

“If we’re fortunate and we win this fight, I would advise Nick to not take another fight before the GSP fight, unless it was maybe at a different weight class, because we wanna wait for (St. Pierre),” Gracie explained in an interview on The MMA Hour.

Diaz has fought at heavier and lighter weights than his current home as a 170 pounder. While far from anything resembling a certainty, if Diaz were to take a swim in a different divisional pool it would likely be as a middleweight given his size.

PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

The contract for EliteXC’s fighters basically states that if EliteXC is unable to fulfill its payment obligations that the fighters can seek to terminate their contract with the company. Upon notifying the company of a possible breach, EliteXC has thirty days to respond. Cesar Gracie is the latest to do so, sending a notice to EliteXC officials last Friday that the company had breached their contract with his fighters.

This news comes via a report by MMA Weekly.

Gracie, however, is already making plans for Nick Diaz’s next fight, which could come as early as New Year’s Eve for the DREAM promotion in Japan. Gracie claims that if Diaz fights in Japan that he doesn’t have to adhere to the thirty day waiting period that EliteXC has to respond to the notice of breach of contract.

“We’re not doing anything wrong if he fights in Japan. As far as him fighting in the U.S., then the 30 day thing (applies),” Gracie told MMA Weekly.

Gracie said that representatives from both DREAM and Sengoku have approached him about using Diaz on their New Year’s shows. DREAM and K-1 are scheduled for a combined event on December 31 while Sengoku’s New Year’s show will take place on January 4. Gracie said that Diaz will be fighting on one of the two shows.

It was a unique experience for me because the Riviera “events center” is essentially a ballroom. I’ve seen MMA in half cages in small rooms in the inner city and at community centers, but there’s nothing like seeing a circle cage in the middle of a ball room.

The results are as follows:

- Buddy Roberts def. Dennis Bacon at 1:06 in round 1 via rear naked choke in a heavyweight fight. Roberts trains at the Lion’s Den with Ken Shamrock. Roberts’ showing was very underwhelming. Roberts got his back early and flattened him out and that was it.

- Ryan Bader defeated Brad Peterson via unanimous decision. Both guys showed each other a lot of respect and there wasn’t a lot of aggression shown during the fight. Bader wins the award for best walk-in music of the night (a cool remix of “March of the Empire).

- Jeff Cox defeated Joe Cronin via TKO at 0:55 of round 3. The official result was announced as a TKO but it sure looked like a KO to me. The fight was slow much of the day but Cox finished big with a sick looking knockout. Cronin had a lot of supporters there and a lot of them tried to rush into the cage to check on him because they were so concerned. I mean, it was a brutal knockout.

- Dennis Davis defeated Reynaldo Duarte via unanimous decision. This was an interesting matchup because Davis trains out of Xtreme Couture and Duarte trains out of ATT. Davis apologized to the fans after the fight for not being more aggressive but said he wanted to be cautious of Duarte’s submission skills. Duarte entered the ring in a Gi and a black belt but the crowd didn’t really get to see his jiu-jitsu in action on this night.

- Eleina Reid defeated Tammie Schneider via TKO at 2:05 of round 2. Reid is a former pro boxer that’s training out of Xtreme Couture. Apparently there weren’t many opportunities for her left in boxing but things have picked up for her since crossing over to MMA. This was her debut and she received a strong reaction from the crowd. Reid hit Schneider with a big knee against the cage and it was all downhill from there. Both ladies weighed-in at 115 lbs. for this fight. It was the first female flyweight fight I had ever seen. Schneider did not look anywhere near ready for prime-time but I was still impressed with Reid. If any of the major promotions start a female flyweight division, Reid will be a player.

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