Losing your virginity and watching MMA for the first time are not wholly dissimilar. There’s the feeling of hushed excitement, as though you’ve stumbled upon something that you shouldn’t be allowed to know about, let alone take part in. “Is this even legal?” you ask yourself, only to find out later, that, unbelievably, it is.
And so it was. My first introduction to the world of mixed martial arts was the lightweight contest between then 22-year-old Nathan Donald Diaz and perennial grappling champion Kurt “Batman” Pellegrino. At the time, I had no idea how many aspects of that night would soon belong only to the past.
Diaz vs Pellegrino
There’s Joe Rogan with hair, something that even back then probably shouldn’t have been allowed any air time. Also present were a litany of sponsors covering both fighters shorts. Be it Zappos or Chase Chevrolet, both Diaz and Pellegrino were surely pocketing a nice chunk of change for their billboard-esque trunks. Lastly, and most tragically, we see Stitch Duran in the cage as well, planting a big kiss on the side of Nate’s head after he won.
All that is gone now.
The sponsors went the way of Rogan’s hairline, receding into obscurity until they were forced out entirely, as was Stitch Duran. Even the fighters themselves have since become somewhat disposable. Pellegrino hasn’t fought in the UFC since 2010, and Nate hasn’t won a fight since 2013.
At the time, though, I didn’t know all of those things were temporary.
All I knew was what I was seeing: a skinny kid getting beat up by a dude named “Batman”, until the skinny kid wrapped his legs around the caped crusader’s head and forced him to quit.
“How the hell did that happen”, I thought to myself? The intricacies of the triangle choke were lost on me at this time.
All I could do was ask myself, “Why would you tap to a dude’s legs wrapped around your head?” ignorant to the fact that Pellegrino was probably close to passing out from the pressure Diaz’ triangle was applying.
Hindsight now being 20/20, this was a major fight for both men. It was the third performance of the night bonus for Diaz in a string of seven, the longest streak of his career. It was also Pellegrino’s last loss before going on a four-fight winning streak, the second longest of his career.
Stylistically, it was a beautiful fight to watch. Pellegrino nearly stopped Diaz in the opening frame after achieving the “Salaverry” position from mount and landing nearly a dozen unanswered strikes from the top. Then, not even five minutes later, Nate lands his (according to Wikipedia) “flying triangle”.
In reality, it was more a case of Kurt trying to pick Nate up than Diaz actually flying through the air to apply one of the most iconic submissions in MMA, but hey, it sounds cooler that way.
And to an MMA neophyte such as myself, it was mesmerizing. Add in Nate’s flexing of the double bird and you have a highlight-reel worthy finish. If a mixed martial arts history course is ever taught on an accredited university campus, this would be required viewing; in the very least it would make the syllabus under “suggested works.”
You Never Forget Your First
But, maybe the fight wasn’t that important in the history of the sport. Both men had better performances at other points in their respective careers, and it didn’t even score “fight of the night” accolades; that was reserved for an equally fun clash between Kenny Florian (then a primary training partner of Pellegrino’s) and Joe Lauzon.
However, it was important to me. It was my first time. And we all remember our first time, for better or worse, because we learn from it. We learn what we have a taste for, even if we didn’t realize it before, and some of us are left with an insatiable desire for more.
Over the years, though, I’ve come to appreciate the maxim of “quality over quantity”. In today’s oversaturated MMA market, good fights are, to turn another phrase, a dime a dozen.
Who knows if Diaz vs. Pellegrino would even get that many eyeballs on it today? It would probably be the “featured prelim” on Fox Sports One and not get all that much attention after the main card began.
But, for the few people sitting at home who are just giving MMA a chance, it would hook them. It hooked me at least, and I’ve never looked back.
Today this is one of the many classic fights you can find on the UFC’s Fight Pass subscription service. A place where you too can relive your first fight.
