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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Nate Diaz will challenge Benson Henderson for the UFC Lightweight Championship later this year, his first shot at the belt in the five years he's been in the UFC. While fighting for the title is certainly a huge opportunity for him, the belt is secondary for Diaz.
Diaz wants to prove himself as the best in the world, and to do that he's got to defeat the man currently holding the belt. So while he's excited for his opportunity, it's more important to defeat Henderson than win the belt.
"I train with guys just like that, strong guys, athletic guys, that are good. It's definitely gonna be a good, hard fight," Diaz said in an interview with AXS TV (formerly HDNet) program Inside MMA (transcribed by BleacherReport.com). "Now it's time to fight for a title and I'm gonna do what I could to win that belt for my team. F*** the belt. I'm trying to beat the number one guy in the world and that's him right now."
Penick's Analysis: This is the exact mentality that has made the Diaz brothers fan favorites for so many. While he wants the belt around his waist, his main focus is beating Ben Henderson, and taking that title is secondary to proving that he's a superior fighter. Of course, he may still say that his friend and teammate Gilbert Melendez is the best in the world even at that time, as that's a claim he's made before, but so long as he's fighting Ben Henderson and Melendez is fighting Pat Healy, Diaz could hold that spot over him.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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