It's not just that Nick Diaz captured Stikeforce's vacant welterweight championship, it's the manner in which he did it.
Diaz battered and wiped out Marius Zaromskis at 4:38 of the first round in Miami to capture the belt, improve to 21-7 and give his promotion a favorable jolt.
"I'm just ready to go home and eat," Diaz said. "I knew he was probably going to run and jump at me, so I prepared for that, and I prepared for everything."
Zaromskis is the champion of Japan's Dream promotion, a partner of Strikeforce. But he was far from realizing the American Dream against Diaz's overwhelming striking pace.
Diaz got in the first effective punch, stunning Zaromskis with a right hand 13 seconds in.
There were flurries for the first minute before Diaz pinned Zaromskis against the fence and delivered knee after knee to Zaromskis' right leg in what turned out to be a key moment of the fight.
Although Diaz took the action to Zaromskis, the Lithuanian landed a hard right that felled Diaz. Zaromskis pounced on him but could not finish, as Diaz turtled into the opponent and survived.
When the combatants again stood up, there was virtually no defense. Diaz teed off as Zaromskis' legs disappeared. The game Zaromskis attempted to land one fight-changing blow, but instead took punch after punch before a short right hook finished him.
Earlier in the evening, Jay Hieron won a unanimous decision against Joe Riggs. Hieron, the emeritus IFL welterweight champion, had been slated to fight Diaz for the title late in 2009 before the bout was postponed. Despite being passed over, Hieron's win has made him first in line for a shot at Diaz's title.
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