Marc Diakiese is being called the ‘future of British MMA’.
Fans believe he could be the next great hope from these Sceptered Isles inside the Octagon, especially with current middleweight champion Michael Bisping pushing 40.
The unbeaten Doncaster fighter was knocking people out for fun as BAMMA lightweight champion before his shot at the big leagues came.
The charismatic Yorkshireman took the chance with both hands and put on a great show with a second round stoppage of Lukasz Sajewski at UFC 204 in Manchester.
But there was just one problem – fans new to the unbeaten 23-year-old in the stands at the Manchester Arena were struggling to say his name.
Is it ‘Die-a-kessy’ or Deea-key-ese’? Nobody was quite sure and fans in the stands were pronouncing it every which way.
But if the UFC newboy is really going to go on to superstardom in the organisation, we’re all going to have to get to grips with his name pretty quickly.
Luckily Ariel Helwani cleared things up the moment he welcomed him onto the MMA Hour on Monday night.
The man himself confirmed that you actually pronounce his surname ‘dja-casey’ – so you won’t look daft down the pub when you’re chatting about the weekend’s fight action.
During the interview Helwani recounted a story about how the Brit has been turned heads all over these shores.
”When I was in London for the Bisping vs Anderson Silva fight, I was in the lobby of the hotel and a guy came up to me, he was part of Bisping’s crew, he came up to me and said ‘Marc Diakiese.
”Remember this name. Go look him up. He’s going to be in the UFC in a very short amount of time. He’s the future. He’s an up and coming star. He’s killing it in BAMMA etc etc.”
His performance against Sajewski proved that at least some of the hype was justified. First there was this huge slam (apparently he’s always suplexing opponents)
Wow!! Slam City for @Marc_Diakiese at #UFC204!! https://t.co/O4JxNbg9IY
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) October 9, 2016
And then in the second round there was this merciless barrage which led to the stoppage and gave him his first UFC victory, nudging him up to 10-0 just three years after going pro.
On his debut! In his hometown! @Marc_Diakiese gets the victory at #UFC204! https://t.co/YJB5Pw7dns
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) October 9, 2016
But one thing that many fans and commentators alike commented on was just how chilled out he looked throughout his debut fight in front of 16,000 fans.
Beaming from ear to ear he had told media on the night that he had no jitters during the fight and later explained to Helwani why not.
“I felt like I had more pressure in BAMMA than I did in the UFC because I worked so hard to get there. So when I did I was just enjoying myself. So when I was in BAMMA I had to win the fight to get in, but now I’m in I just wanted to enjoy it and that’s what I did.
“Now I’m just having fun. It’s where I wanted to be. I didn’t worry about anything, just enjoy it.
“In the back room I see a lot of people and they look nervous and seem to be panicking like they’re going to be killed or something. At the end of the day, you’re fighting. Just enjoy it.
“I’m confident in my game. I’ve trained hard. As long as I know I’ve trained correctly and I’ve not done anything stupid like going out drinking, then it’s time to enjoy it.
“I’m there to fight so why would I be worried about anything else?”
You really can’t help but like the guy.
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