Nate Diaz: “I’m not gonna make it like this is some fancy sporting event; it’s a fight and we’re at war.”

It’s not uncommon to see two fighters hug in a show of respect after – or even occasionally during – a hotly contested clash inside the cage. However, the odds of UFC lightweight Nate Diaz having a “bro” moment at any stage of a bout are akin to those of Lindsay Lohan winning an Academy Award.

Diaz has a reputation for being one of MMA’s toughest competitors, taking after brother Nick Diaz and never showing an ounce of compassion for his foes. He’s often got the look of pure anger splashed across his face, challenges them to engage throughout each tilt, and has been known to throw a middle finger or two up in the air at times.

The 27-year old Diaz recently explained why while discussing his UFC on FOX 5 headliner against lightweight champion Benson Henderson…

“I know that once it’s time to fight, it’s time to fight, and it’s been that time since the contract was signed. It is a fight, and to me it’s not some sporting event, and to anybody it shouldn’t be like that. They can try to make it as much of a sporting event as they want and portray it as that, but it’s a fight, and whether they’re saying it or not, they’re in there to damage me, finish me, knock me out, and they would definitely rather win by knockout or submission than by decision. So I’m not gonna make it like this is some fancy sporting event; it’s a fight and we’re at war, so I’m trying to take him out just like he’s trying to take me out.”

On what winning the title would mean to him:

“I don’t think that the person holding the belt is always the best in the world. There’s a few guys in the category for the best in the world, and it could be any one of us. I think timing has a lot to do with who’s holding the belt, and who’s having the better night. But the most important part about having the belt would be that I could promote a lot of people that I train with, and more people will listen if I had the belt. So it’s a big deal to have the belt, but I think that having the belt doesn’t necessarily make you the best fighter in the world.”

SOURCE: UFC
PHOTO CREDIT: UFC