For more than three years, Nick Diaz has been on one of sports’ more remarkable runs.  The last time he lost a fight was in 2007.

In that time he destroyed a legend, pummeled rising stars and tapped out a top-ranked Japanese submission specialist.  He’s rattled off eight consecutive wins – and only one of those fights went the distance.

So heading into his Jan. 29 fight in San Jose at the HP Pavilion, live on SHOWTIME® against Evangelista Cyborg, who has fought three times in two years, Diaz is clearly the favorite.  But like all sports fans know, fights are won inside the cage or on the field, not on paper, which is why Diaz will have to be careful not to overlook the dangerous Santos, who is on a two-fight winning streak and appears to have experienced a rebirth of sorts inside the cage.

When fighters look ahead, bad things often happen.  Fedor Emelianenko was in line to fight STRIKEFORCE Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem when, suddenly, Fabricio Werdum pulled off the unthinkable by submitting the seemingly invincible all-time greatest pound for pound fighter by triangle choke in 91 seconds.

To date, Diaz has been fueled by two main factors: A hunger for success and a desire for respect.  One by one, Diaz has knocked his challengers off.

When the critics said he was good, but not great, Diaz fought harder. When cynics said he had too many distractions outside of the cage to be a champion, he hunkered down and proved them wrong.

Now, he sits atop STRIKEFORCE’s welterweight division with a new contract and the respect of the MMA world.  He’s a confident man. Is he still hungry?

His fight with Cyborg could pose a stylistic challenge. For one, Diaz has a tendency to fight at the level of his opponents. The better the fighter, the better Diaz fights.
In his first fight with master striker KJ Noons, Diaz, 23-7, barely knew who Noons was. He didn’t take him seriously.
Five minutes after the bell rang, Noons’ hand was raised in victory, and Diaz was stunned, his face covered in blood.
Like Diaz, Cyborg is a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Both fighters are dangerous on the ground and both fighters come at their opponents from awkward angles.

A tri-athlete, Diaz is clearly in phenomenal shape. From an endurance factor, he’s among the sport’s elite.

Inside the cage, Diaz has consistently demonstrated cage generalship and an ability to adjust to the situation.

Diaz has been a hunter.  Now he’s going to be the hunted. Will he be comfortable in that role?

Cyborg, in part because of the success of his wife, STRIKEFORCE Women’s Middleweight (145 pounds) Champion Cris Cyborg, has a bit of momentum going into the fight.  He scored two impressive knockouts in 2010.

The Cyborgs appeared side-by-side in ESPN The Magazine’s second special “The Body” issue.

A husband-and-wife championship team in 2011 would further fuel both of the Cyborgs’ careers.

Like Diaz has been the last several years, Cyborg is hungry.

After a grueling, unanimous, but close decision victory of KJ Noons in October, Diaz is likely going to look for a quick, memorable finish.  If Diaz has a weakness, it’s that he cuts easily.

No fighter likes to taste his own blood. Cageside doctors don’t like to see it either.

Cyborg’s best chance may be to try catch Diaz with a punch in an early exchange and surprise Diaz.

On paper, it’s Diaz’ fight to lose, but he would be wise not to overlook the Brazilian. If Diaz enters the cage with his mind on bigger money fights with the likes of Jason “Mayhem” Miller or Paul Daley, anything can happen.  Cyborg, 18-13, knows he may never get another opportunity like this.