Though he was only able to get in one bout in 2021, middleweight Ozzy Diaz is nonetheless pleased with how his year turned out.
Coming off of three straight wins, Diaz was able to get his fourth win in a row with a second round TKO of Moses Murrietta at LXF6 last October.
“I only fought once, but it was a good fight, a tough fight,” Diaz told MMAWeekly.com. “Last year was a little tough because of injuries. I wouldn’t say it was something serious, but it held me back from competing.
“I got offered the Moses fight, and I couldn’t say no to that type of competition, so I took the fight on five and a half weeks’ notice and it ended up pretty good.”
For Diaz, the bout with Murrietta helped cement his status as a fully capable mixed martial artist.
“Definitely it was a war with Moses, but I wasn’t surprised it was that type of fight because I know Moses is a super game fighter and tough,” said Diaz. “I got more into a war than I wanted to, but we adjusted, got into that second round and got the finish.
“I feel like that fight was pretty much established, kind of cemented, that I am a fighter. The approach to training and outside of camp: I always stay ready. I stay healthy, training smart, dieting, stuff like that – I feel like I’m becoming a complete fighter.”
At LFA 127 on March 25 in Commerce, California, Diaz (6-1) will look to add to his winning streak and claim a title in the process when he squares off against Bruno Assis (12-5) in the evening’s 185-pound championship main event.
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“Same thing like Moses, he’s a game fighter,” Diaz said of Assis. “I live for the challenge. Fighting someone like that just makes me excited to train. The whole thing, camp, dieting, there’s more danger in those fights.
“I feel like I get my hand raised at the end of this fight. I’m going for the kill – I always go for the kill no matter what.”
While winning an LFA title could be the thing to propel Diaz to the next stage of his career, he isn’t thinking about that. For now the only thing that crosses Diaz’s mind is his bout on March 25.
“I’ll worry about after the fight after the fight. What happens after that happens,” said Diaz. “I don’t look past my opponents. I don’t really care for the next day. My focus is on March 25 and that fight – that’s all my focus is on.”