Exclusive interview with Nate Diaz

By MIKE JOHNSTON

UFC star and winner of The Ultimate Fighter Season 5, Nate Diaz, stopped by Xtreme Couture Toronto to conduct a grappling seminar for eager fans and students. Nate spoke with CanadianProFighter on many subjects. Here are some highlights of what he had to say:

Nate on the Xtreme Couture Toronto facility and Canadian fans…

It’s cool man. They’ve got everything you need here, so I wish I could have a gym like this one day. Canada, every time I come here, people are the coolest, you know. Everywhere else I go there’s a lot of rude people. I think Canada’s got a lot of good support, good fight fans. Everybody’s been cool every time I’ve been here, so I like it out here.

Nate on teaching and seminars…

I’ve only done them here (in Canada) actually. I haven’t really been much other places to do them. I don’t go looking for seminars, but sometimes Cesar [Gracie] calls me and says ‘hey I got you a seminar.’ I teach class at home sometimes, so I’m like ‘alright, lets do it.’

Nate on how teaching helps him…

I do [enjoy teaching] at times and I don’t at times. But ya, like, after I fight it’s all good. I like to go out, and it helps me get better, teaching. It helps me. You forget to sit there and show moves, you forget body memory like. Like just teaching moves helps you remember. It refreshes up my memory and stuff.

Nate on when he’s fighting next…

I don’t know yet. I’m waiting on it, but hopefully by the end of the year. Probably at welterweight, unless I can get a bigger fight at 55.

Nate on his friend and frequent training partner Cole Miller…

He was going to [train with us to prepare for Ross Pearson], but it fell through. He came and trained with me a few times though for other fights. He came and trained with me before I fought Marcus Davis, so he’s cool man. I like Cole. He comes and helps me sometimes. I try to help him and he’s doing really good.

Nate on fighters squeaking out decisions, not going for the finish, and Gray Maynard…

They just want to win, they’re just doing what they gotta do to win, so you can’t hate on them right? But, at the same time it’s like, it’s fucked up when they get to walk away and act like they’re the better fighter.

I still hear Gray Maynard talking about how he’s undefeated and how great he is. He’s walking around like ‘I want to break people’s will.’ Like I heard him do an interview, I’m like where was the will at in my fight? If we would have went one more round, you were sitting there shitting your pants, you know what I’m saying. Lets not forget that I choked him on the Ultimate Fighter. I’m like if I got choked on the Ultimate Fighter, and choked somewhere along the line, I would be honest about it and be like ‘I’m undefeated, except for the time I got choked.

So that’s what I think about people who got decisions, you know what I’m saying. It’s cool, but lets be honest with it. You’re not the better fighter. They walk around with their head up like they’re badass. It’s like, if I won that way I’d be like ‘I held on for that last round and I won, so sorry I didn’t have the energy or technique to fucking whoop that ass for the last round. I just did what I could.’ I’d be a little more honest about it you know what I’m saying.

Nate on his brother Nick’s and Jake Shields’ upcoming fights and the Cesar Gracie fight team…

[Training] is going good. Like I said man, our team is… people do these fight camps and stuff, and we do fight camps too, but we train year round man and they’re never out of shape. Even on their worst days, they’re in better shape than everybody else. And they’ve been training for years and they’re technically better than so many people. So, I got nothing but good things to say about Nick and Jake and you got my coaches, plus training partners and I couldn’t be on a better team. So, they’re going to kick ass.

Nate wanted to thank some of his sponsors for making this brief Canadian tour possible…

Thanks a lot to ECKO Unlimited, they’re always helping me out a lot, supporting me, flying me places, bringing me places, they’re great. Eric from ECKO in the US, and over here in Canada, AJ and Jimmy. Affliction is a big help to me and Dethroned, On the Mat, just everybody who has helped out. The UFC too is great. Dana White and Joe Silva, so whoever supports and helps me out I’m thankful.