Nate Diaz is one of the most exciting mixed martial arts fighters in the world—a dangerous striker, with a ferocious ground game—and one of the few who understands the importance of putting on a show before the fight. After an electric post fight call out and a raucous press conference filled with more action than most fights, Nate submitted the UFC's cash cow Conor McGregor in two rounds and in the process turned himself into the UFC's most in demand fighter. The rematch (yet to be announced) is expected to be one of the biggest fights of all-time.

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

We talked with him about steroids, turning yourself into a star, the best Van Damme movies, and the rematch everyone is waiting for.

Your brother Nick got you started with jiu-jitsu when you were a kid. Had you been interested in fighting before that?

Well, growing up I was always big into Van Damme movies and ninja movies and video games that involved stuff like that, like Double Dragon. We did karate and aikido, so I was always into fighting. I grew up in a neighborhood where there were fights, and we had boxing gloves. I never planned on fighting for a career—it just kinda wound up that way.

For a guy who's a black belt under Cesar Gracie, you seem to be almost more comfortable on the feet in a striking battle than you are on the ground. Why is that?

When I started jiu-jitsu, we were already boxing. I was learning in a jiu-jitsu gym, and we would box after training. It's funny: Anybody who was better than me on the ground, I was better than them standing up. So I got real confident in my stand-up and boxing and kickboxing. I never was a ground guy or a stand-up guy; I just did it all, from the beginning.

For people who haven't been in a fight, what goes through your mind when you're in the locker room before you walk out? Fear? Excitement?

Well, you kind of get that out of the way with training. You get a lot of those nerves with people you're not used to sparring with, so if I do enough of that in training with people who aren't just my friends, it prepares you. When I go out to fight, it's like, "Alright, cool, at least I don't have to prepare for this no more. Now I can just go get it done and accept the fact that I can win or lose, just go out there and handle business the best that I can."

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

One of the great signature Nate Diaz moments from your career was when you put a triangle choke on an opponent and then took your hands off his head to flip off the camera. Was any part of you worried about him getting out and how that would look?

When I locked that down, I knew it was there. I could feel it. I train a lot, I train hard every day. I know when someone's in that deep, they're not getting out. I was pretty confident, I was like, "He's not getting out."

Yeah, you had him.

My brother told me a long time ago… I was like a blue belt and I was rolling with my friend Rudy. I had him in a bunch of chokes and he got out of them. And we were in the car on the way home, my brother was like, "I cannot believe he got out of your choke, what the fuck did you let him out for?" I was like, "He's tough, he got out." And he was like, "Once you lock down a choke, you never let somebody out, you might as well just write it off as a loss…" I kept that in mind and made sure that if I ever locked that down, [I'd] seal the deal right there.

Doing press and talking to media, do you see it as an obligation, or are there times when you enjoy it? Because lately, it looks like you're having fun with it.

I put in a lot of time dodging all these interviews for training because I was like, "There's no time to do this shit. I'm a fighter, I don't need the media." Well, nowadays I understand that's a big part… I think that's why I'm where I'm at, because when everybody else was fucking around doing interviews and doing photo shoots, I was in the gym, and I got ahead of the game. I feel like they all became black belts in media, and I became a black belt in martial arts.

I feel like [other fighters] became black belts in media, and I became a black belt in martial arts.

I think you've got your black belt in media now… You bring a certain intensity into the cage. Have you ever truly hated an opponent?

No, I never really hated anybody. I just hate losing. [Laughs] I'm there to take him out. I feel like it's being more honest than the rest of the fighters. They're playing like it's all fun and games. It's not. It's kill or be killed. That's the mindset.

Denise Truscello Getty Images

Have you ever become friends with an opponent after you fought them?

Yeah, I have. I'm really good friends with Josh Neer. I fought him and he fought my brother, and we both beat him. He was really a tough fight. And he ended up coming out and training with me, and we became friends.

What's one thing you want people who've never been in a fight to understand about fighting?

Don't do it, it hurts. [Laughs]

You've talked about being beyond the belts and wanting to focus on getting paid. Aside from money, what motivates you at this point? Would you ever be interested in titles again?

Yeah, but for now, none of the fighters with belts are doing anything for themselves, you know? Like, they don't know how to act, they haven't been in the game long enough, they don't understand what's what, they're not making a show out of themselves.

I never really hated anybody. I just hate losing.

On that note, you recently criticized some fighters, notably Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone, for saying they'd fight for free, because that lowers their value.

I just think fighters need to start making stars out of themselves, you know? Like what Conor [McGregor] is doing. Like, there's somebody speaking up and doing what he says. I've been doing that for years, and I've been having no back up with it—they're just trying to shut me down. But I finally see somebody doing it, and I'm like, "Alright, there's a guy that we can do something with. We can make a show."

No one's doing anything; they're just keeping their mouths shut and they're like robots. Everybody's the same person. Go out there and make a star out of yourself! People need to start speaking up and saying some shit, and if they want to fight, they should be yelling out names like, "What's up? Let's get a fight!" That's what people want to see.

I laid out the blueprint of what should be happening right now. You tell everybody, "What?! That's the motherfucker I want to fight, right there!" Nah, you don't ask for a fight on social media, you get on television and scream it out, like, "Yo, what's up motherfucker, let's get a fight popping." And you make a scene, and now we got a show on our hands.

"I'll fight whoever my manager says, whoever UFC says." It's all that stuff.

Yeah, no one gives a shit about that… And we have the platform to do it, but nobody's doing it. Look, what do you think I'm flipping people off for? Nobody's doing the stuff I'm doing.

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

What you said after the Michael Johnson fight really got a lot of attention.

Everybody should be doing that—they should start stepping their game up. You're not gonna trick me into fighting for some stupid belt. It's not a money fight. There's no money in that… What do you want to see? You sit back, you think about what's the most entertaining shit you would want, and then you make that happen to yourself, and then we'll get some more entertaining fights going on. That's what I'm looking for: an entertaining fight that people want to see.

That's why I'm not interested in the belt. If the guy with the belt was somebody entertaining—someone who's speaking up, someone who people knew—then I'd want the belt. I think as far as I'm concerned right now, I got the belt. I'm the champ. Because there ain't no money in this other shit. That's what we're in this for, to fight the baddest motherfuckers for the most amount of money!

Like how I called out Conor. It's like, OK, everybody wants to see him, everybody wants to see me—I'm gonna make them want to see me and him, you know what I'm saying? The blueprint is laid out, people need to start catching on.

Before the Conor fight, you said, "Everyone is on steroids." Do you really believe that? And if so, is it hard to prepare for someone knowing they have that advantage?

I've been preparing for that my whole career. I've already learned that everybody is on steroids. I'm cool with it, I don't care… You could be as strong as you want, and I say it's all good. You do your steroids and I'll smoke my medical marijuana and then we can get our fight on. I'm not really worried about it… Not that I'm gonna do that. But if you're gonna do steroids, we can do that, it's whatever.

This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

You recently trained with Jean-Claude Van Damme. In my opinion, Bloodsport is the best Van Damme fighting movie. What's the second best, Lionheart or Kickboxer?

Dude, it's hard to say what's best, because it's whatever you're watching at the time. I like Lionheart, I like Bloodsport, Kickboxer. Double Impact is one of my favorites because he's got the brother—you know when that came out, it was like, oh shit.

Yeah. "Double the Van Dammage."

Yeah, I got a brother and it's perfect so… Street Fighter! Remember when Street Fighter came out?

Oh yeah, I haven't seen that one in a while.

That was a little later, but that was badass, too.

Eric Jamison

You've said that your brother Nick is the best fighter in the world right now. Who's the all-time, pound-for-pound best fighter?

I'll be honest with you: still Nick. [Laughs] I mean besides that, Rickson Gracie, Royce Gracie, Renzo Gracie. Those were my favorites, man.

OK, really dumb question. There's a regular guy in a bar and he's about to get into a fight. He can't avoid it. What should his first move be? A takedown? Spinning shit? You have any tips?

Yup. Hit 'em first. [Laughs]

An artist celebrated your last win by painting a mural of you in your hometown. If they ever did another one, what would you want it to look like?

I want it to be with my whole crew, all my boys, saying, "Represent" above all of us, so we can all represent for each other.

Do you think the rematch with Conor McGregor will happen?

Yeah, I think it'll happen. Sooner or later… It's gonna happen.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io