In The Zone

Nate Diaz is in the zone.

Of course, a statement such as "in the zone" is meaningless unless we define what "in the zone" actually means.

The term "in the zone" comes from the psychological concept of flow.  The following comes from Wikipedia:

[F]low is completely focused motivation. It is a single-minded immersion and represents perhaps the ultimate in harnessing the emotions in the service of performing and learning. In flow, the emotions are not just contained and channeled, but positive, energized, and aligned with the task at hand.

So let's apply this to MMA.

In mixed martial arts there isn't one single aspect that you can focus on, be good at, and expect to succeed.  It's not like being a left guard in football, where you can be the best blocker you can be and succeed.  Or being a goaltender in hockey where your focus is almost solely on stopping the puck.  MMA mixes the striking of boxing and kickboxing, the grappling of wrestling and the submissions of jiu jitsu; all of these combat disciplines full on sports in their own right.  To be in the zone in MMA, not just in one fight, but over a series of fights, one must be a master of all aspects of the sport.

STRIKING

Completely focused motivation

Since losing to Rory McDonald at UFC 129 last April, Diaz has won three fights in a row; all dominant victories utilizing one of his greatest tools:  his striking.

At UFC 135 against Takanori Gomi, a fighter at one time considered the best lightweight in the world, Diaz put on perhaps his best performance up to this point and made a statement that he had improved was performing at a high level.  Diaz threw 50 more significant strikes than Gomi and landed 49% of them.  In total he landed 42 strikes in 4:27, winning in the first round.

His next fight at UFC 141 Diaz faced yet another high ranking lightweight, and another fighter known for his striking in former kickboxing champion Donald Cerrone.  In the full three round fight Diaz landed on average an incredible 79 significant strikes per round, en route to a total fight percentage of 66%.  Cerrone, a striking master himself, landed 53% of his significant strikes but was unable to do much damage and put Diaz away, as Diaz controlled almost the entire fight.  Only one judge gave a round to The Cowboy.

And finally, his last fight against Jim Miller, another highly regarded lightweight and a fighter who was in consideration for a title shot, Diaz once again dominated with strikes and controlled the fight.  He threw considerably less strikes than his last fight against Cerrone but still fired off twice as many total strikes as Miller and landed 47% of his significant strikes.

Diaz is clearly focused on using his his kicks, punches, elbows and knees to win his fights  but not only that, he is showing that he is motivated to completely outstrike his opponent in every fight.

In the striking zone?  Check.

WRESTLING/GRAPPLING

Contained and channeled

In his last three fights combined, Diaz's opponents attempted 12 takedowns.  Only two were succesful, both by Jim Miller, regarded as one of the best grapplers in the lightweight division.  In the first round Miller tried 5 times to take the fight to the ground and only managed the feat one time.  Once on the ground Miller was unable to keep Diaz there and wasn't able to do any damage.  Diaz was able to use his wrestling and grappling to keep these fights where he wanted them, and where he wanted to fight was on the feet, until it came time to finish...

Wrestling zone?  Check.

SUBMISSIONS

Aligned with the task at hand

Though he clearly prefers to keep his fights standing so he can utilize his superior striking, two of Diaz's last three wins came by submission.  

It's no secret that Nate Diaz is a Brazilian jiu jitsu master, owning a black belt under Cesar Gracie, but for someone who so completely outstrikes his opponent, it seems a little odd that 2/3rds of his last 3 victories have come by tap out. 

What it comes down to is being utterly focused on gaining the victory, no matter how it comes.  In his fight with Gomi, Diaz battered the veteran with standing strikes until late in the first round when things went to the floor and he got the tap due to armbar.  Against Jim Miller, the win came in the second round, when again, after pummeling his opponent with strikes until he fell to the ground, Diaz slapped on a submission for the uncle, this time a guillotine choke.  His submissions are so crisp and so technically sound that he can alter his attack from striking mode to submission mode as if he were flipping a switch.  His task in every fight is to simply win, and in these last three victories his singular focus has been just that; win any which way possible.

Submissions zone?  Check.

INTANGIBLES

Harnessing the emotions in the service of performing

Nate Diaz is a cocky asshole.  He taunts and trash talks his opponents during his fights.  In some this could be a sign of low confidence, a way to overcompensate to try and hide insecurities, but with Diaz it's just part of his gameplan.  You can usually spot the moment in his fights when he realizes he is going to win and he knows he's better than his opponent, and that moment is when he starts talking smack.  That is when his emotions are at their peak and it seems he's able to use all that trash talk to not only throw his opponent off his game, but to fuel his own abilities and take things to an even higher level.

Danger zone?  

Check.

Harnessing his emotions, being completely focused, contained and channeled at the task at hand -- is it safe to say that Nate Diaz is currently "in the zone"?  Not only that, I'd also say he's on the ball, on fire, and even in the groove.  Yeah, I went there.

Nate Diaz is currently as good as any fighter in the lightweight division and would no doubt be considered the best 155 pound fighter in the world if he had some gold around his waist.  The good news is his next fight is scheduled to be for the Lightweight Title, and if he remains "in the zone" he has a very good chance to emerge on top of the lightweight mixed martial arts world.


*All stats courtesy fightmetric.com