Athletes
Ozzy Diaz | Patience Is Everything
Despite Losing On Dana White’s Contender Series Two Years Ago, Light Heavyweight Ozzy Diaz Makes His Debut At UFC Macau Against Zhang Mingyang
The path to the UFC comes in many ways. Recently, Dana White’s Contender Series has become the ultimate plug when it comes to adding new talent to the promotion. Fighters like Sean O’Malley, Jamahal Hill, and Jack Della Maddalena are just a few of the names who made their way by going through the boss’s show. Often, the program provides a matchup with two UFC caliber athletes, and that’s what happened in July 2022, when Ozzy Diaz fought Joe Pyfer.
It was a fun fight on the feet while it lasted, but Pyfer wrapped it up late in the second round with a nasty left hook during an exchange. Since then, Pyfer’s gone 4-1 inside the Octagon and is proving to be a legitimate threat to the 185-pound rankings.
After the loss, Diaz dealt with injuries that kept him out of competition until earlier this year. He moved up to light heavyweight during his return and collected back-to-back knockout victories while with the LFA promotion, leading to his signing.
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“It feels great to finally be in the UFC,” Diaz said. “Just being here all week, [it] feels like I’m meant to be here at this very moment, so, yeah, it feels great. A lot of hard work, a lot of ups and downs, but we’re here.”
Diaz’s MMA career began on the amateur scene in 2013, where he went 6-2, including a submission loss to Dominick Reyes. He turned professional roughly two years after he started and has gone 9-2 fighting on the regional scene in California and with Bellator and LFA.
Oddly enough, the California native began mixed martial arts more as a hobby, and he didn’t think fighting was in the picture.
“When I started training, I actually never really wanted to fight. I just was doing it so I could kick people’s ass when I go to bars or some s**t like that. It just kind of happened. Before I knew it, I was just in the sport and in the gym for a while.”
When he lost to Pyfer, Diaz believed it was his last chance, and while it took time to deal with, it eventually propelled him forward.
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“After the Contender Series fight, it hit pretty hard. I’m not young anymore, so I kind of felt like that was my last shot. I took a step back and then I helped my friend Bruno with his fights, and I was still in the gym just helping guys out, but I felt like I had to make changes outside of fighting. Losing to Joe Pyfer made me realize that, so looking back now, I’m very grateful for that loss.”
Dealing with the setback was a tough hurdle for Diaz, but he credits the team around him for being so strong.
“I feel like that was the biggest thing, just surrounding myself with the right team. Sometimes without realizing, the guys that you need are right next to you. We all believe in the same goal and that’s a blessing to have and I feel like a lot of fighters don’t have that. And I say that now because I’ve had experience not having that for so many years.”
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In his new weight class of 205 pounds, Diaz is healthier, in a better mood, and can focus on other important aspects of the fight much easier when he’s not putting his all into a weight cut.
“The biggest difference is I’m not really draining myself to make this weight,” he explained to UFC.com.
“At middleweight, you get to that grumpy stage, and you hit a point where you just want to make weight and that’s the only thing that matters. You don’t even care about the fight anymore. Here, I’m able to really work on my strength, technique, or little weaknesses that I have.”
Diaz’s striking is sharp, his hands are particularly fast, especially for a light heavyweight, and he’s bringing plenty of experience with him into Saturday night against Zhang Mingyang.
“People probably know me moving forward and putting pressure on people, and I still have that in my arsenal, but it’s also about thinking outside the box. Instead of forcing that moment, I put everything else together and wait for that person to give it to us, and then we move forward. Sometimes moving forward is when I’ve gotten caught the most, so, it’s more about taking my time and being patient in there.”
While talking about the matchup to UFC.com, Diaz kept emphasizing being patient. He respects the striking of Mingyang, along with his overall ability, but Diaz is confident in his strategy.
“We just know he’s a very powerful striker, but he also leaves himself very open. The challenge will be for me to actually be very patient and let the moment present itself. We believe he will expose himself without me trying to do anything.”
The 34-year-old finally gets his chance inside the Octagon, something many athletes around the world dream of. As he gets ready to make that walk, the vibes are high for the newcomer.
“I never thought I was going to come to China, and I get to come and fight and get paid for it. I can’t be mad at that.”
UFC Fight Night: Yan vs Figueiredo took place live from Galaxy Arena in Macau, China on November 23, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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