MACAU, CHINA - NOVEMBER 22: Ozzy Diaz poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night weigh-in at Andaz Macau on November 22, 2024 in Macau, China. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Ozzy Diaz grew up in the shadow of the crypto.com Arena (née Staples Center) in Los Angeles. As he played and hung out around the famed arena, he had a strong connection to it. And that connection wasn’t just as a place to hang out, but knowing that one day he’d be able to do something there. Now, with his UFC fight inside the arena just a whisper away, he reflected on it.
“It’s crazy because that kid in me is like, it’s crazy to realize that dreams do come true,” Diaz said. “I remember being a kid and I used to go run and skate around Staples Center. Then going to watch WWE, the Lakers play, and I always knew as a kid that I would do something in this arena.”
Despite having that strong pull to the arena, he never knew what he would do inside of it. The pre-teen Diaz enjoyed basketball, but didn’t exactly have hoop dreams. He had seen WWE events there, but had never considered the entertainment industry. Still, he somehow knew.
“At that time, I didn’t know exactly what I would do,” he admitted. “But I knew I was going to do something deep down in my heart. And the one year that UFC is now going to Staple Center, I get to be in it. It’s just like, man, it’s a dream come true.”
And it’s not just fighting in Los Angeles that’s exciting for him – he’s been fighting in the city for his entire professional career. However, being able to put on for the place where Kobe and Shaq ran things in his childhood is something that he hopes inspires future generations.
“The crazy thing is I’ve always fought in LA. I fought at The Forum, I fought in The Coliseum, I fought all over LA. But this one’s just different. It’s like the grandest stage, right? Like the UFC,” Diaz said. And I fought in all major organizations in LA, except UFC. So this is just like the final check just to show everyone that I grew up with and all the kids coming up that if you work, hard dreams do come true.”
You can catch Diaz’s dreams coming true at UFC 331 this Saturday. He fights Ryan Gandra as part of the preliminary portion of the card. It all gets started at 5pm EST only on Paramount+.