Don't be scared of the judges, homie.
That is, unless your last name happens to be Diaz, which is the message Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight Nate Diaz subtly conveyed during a recent television interview.
Mixed martial arts (MMA) fans will recall that Diaz's older brother, Nick Diaz, suffered a somewhat controversial decision loss to Carlos Condit at UFC 143 in "Sin City" on Feb. 4, 2012. Shortly thereafter, Nick cried foul, threatened to retire, then was popped for having marijuana metabolites in his bloodstream and forced to sit out for a year.
Nick's younger brother, Nate, who will take on UFC Lightweight champion Ben Henderson at UFC on FOX 5 in Seattle, Wash., on Dec. 8, 2012, was asked (during a segment on AXS TV's "Inside MMA") if his brother's recent run-in with MMA judging plays on his mind as he approaches his upcoming title bout.
While Nate was unwilling to come right out and say that he thinks the judges are out to get him or his brother, he did go to great lengths to elaborate on just how important he feels it will be to try and stop "Bendo" before the judges are able to play any part in the results of the fight:
"I don't think that anybody on my team -- I don't wanna say that -- I just don't think that I have any chance of winning any type of decision. So, I gotta go out there and do what I gotta do to finish my opponent, be the better fighter and win the fight. Either way. If it goes to a decision, I'm gonna try to be the one outscoring, outpointing and outdoing him."
Diaz's trainer and manager, Cesar Gracie, also appeared on the show, and he was asked to also give his opinion on how he feels the judges have treated his fighters, namely Nick and Nate Diaz.
Not one to mince words, Gracie pulled no punches in stating that when the Diazes enter into the cage, he feels that they are not only facing their opponents, but their also having to take on the judges, as well:
"It's almost like, in Nick's case, he figures he's fighting his opponent, and he's fighting the judges. So, he's gotta finish people. These guys fight like that anyways, and they're gonna fight their hearts out for the team, for themselves, and for the fans. So, that's not gonna change, and at the end of the day, that's what we all respect so much about these guys. So, yeah, unfortunately, we gotta get those finishes or win something so lopsided that we get a decision. We saw that with B.J. Penn. I've never seen a close decision where the nod was given to the Diazes. If it's close, they're gonna lose. I don't know why. I think, maybe, the judges don't care for them that much. They're brash. I really don't know. But, for whatever it is, at the end of the day, the fans know who it is who wins the fights, and the fans are the ones who love to see these guys fight."
The "chip on the shoulder" mindset has generally served the Diazes well, specifically for Nate, who has won a whopping 10 fight bonus checks (for either "Fight of the Night" or "Submission of the Night") during the course of his relatively young eight-year MMA career.
The only thing better than 10 bonuses, is 11.
For more information on Ben Henderson vs. Nate Diaz, as well as the rest of the UFC on FOX 5 fight card and event-related news, click here.