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Nate Diaz discusses his future and his fight after UFC on Fox 5

MMAjunkie.com

http://mmajunkie.com/files/thumb/41783/0

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Nate Diaz said he took a punch early in his fight with lightweight champ Benson Henderson that altered his vision throughout their five-round fight.

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"I was waiting for it to recover," he told MMAjunkie.com (MMAjunkie.com). "When it did, I was going to come back strong, but it never did. So, Benson landed the good shot early, and I waited."

With Henderson retaining the title via unanimous decision, Diaz said his longtime teammate, current Strikeforce lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez, should get the next title shot.

Henderson (18-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) and Diaz (16-8 MMA, 7-6 UFC) met in the main event of UFC on FOX 5, which took place at Seattle's KeyArena. The event's main-card aired live on FOX.

Diaz praised sometime training partner Ronda Rousey's recent coronation as UFC women's bantamweight champ and said there was no reason Melendez (21-2 MMA, 11-1 SF), who reportedly is negotiating with the UFC on a new contract, shouldn't be given the opportunity.

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"He's got the most perfect record, beat all the best guys, and I think that he's the next guy in line," he said. "It's not my call, but if not, he's coming for him. Watch out."

Henderson said he only wanted to face the best opposition possible and didn't have a preference as to his next opponent.

Diaz previously said Melendez might drop to featherweight if he was successful against Henderson and stay at lightweight if he fell short.

Henderson shut down Diaz's boxing while smothering him against the fence and on the mat. The fight's final scores were 50-43, 50-45 and 50-45 in favor of the champ.

Diaz arrived late to the post-event news conference sporting a massively swollen right eye. Although a cageside doctor was seen examining him between rounds 4 and 5, he said the fight was never in danger of being stopped.

His injury, however, made the fight into an ordeal. He said pressing the action against Henderson netted worse results.

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"I was screwed," he said.

Diaz, who submitted Jim Miller at May's UFC on FOX 3 to earn a title shot, said he would seek to fight as soon as his eye healed up and thanked fans for their support.

Sounds like a case of Brazilianitis.

After UFC on FOX 5 title defense win, Henderson mostly mum on toothpick issue

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In an odd twist to the UFC on FOX 5 fallout, Benson Henderson (18-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) said he could "not confirm or deny" that he fought Nate Diaz (16-8 MMA, 7-6 UFC) with a toothpick in his mouth.

"I normally do, yeah," he said at the post-event press conference at Seattle's KeyArena. "I have it in practices, when I spar and when I fight. It's a bad habit, but whatever.

"I've gotten away with it so far."

Henderson's taste for the teeth-cleaner is unlikely to draw professional sanctions. He dominated Diaz for five rounds before winning a unanimous decision to retain his belt.

It's universal practice, however, that fighters are only allowed mouthguards during the course of a bout. Piercings to the mouth or tongue must be removed before a fighter steps in the cage.

Henderson fighting with a toothpick in his mouth would represent a serious oversight by the Washington State Department of Licensing, which oversaw the event. Henderson vs. Diaz aired live on FOX.

But it was hard to tell whether Henderson was even serious.

"For starters, I can't even tell if he's serious or joking," UFC official Dave Sholler said at the post-event news conference. "But I'm sure the commission wouldn't want a piece of wood in his mouth during the fight.

"But he's 'Smooth' for a reason."

Screen shots and video captured from UFC on FOX 5's main event, which aired on FOX, show an object that looks like nothing other than a toothpick lodged in his mouth. Several MMA observers called attention to it on Twitter, with some saying the lightweight champ fought the entire bout with the item.

A Twitter account with the name "Bendo's Toothpick" popped online shortly after the fight.

Henderson's mother, Song Henderson, told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com): "I don't know why, but he loves those."

Yet the champ looked annoyed when a reporter asked Sholler if anything would be done to prevent the champ from doing something that could have not only hurt him, but his opponent.

"I was joking – I didn't have a toothpick in my mouth during the fight," Henderson spat. "I was being facetious."

Diaz, for one, couldn't summon much outrage.

"I don't know if he did, but that's weird," said the fighter.

MMAjunkie.com

Cesar Gracie looks back at Nate Diaz's loss, ahead to potential Nick Diaz-Georges St-Pierre fight

http://www.mmafighting.com/2012/12/9...potential-nick

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what a chump. Good to see a diaz get what it deserved.

I thought that Benson would use his size along with his wrestling and leg kicks to win this fight and he did. Henderson did really good boxing too. I bet Melendez is next. I think Benson will beat down Gill pretty easily though.

You know that Henderson is probably hoping that Pettis beats Cowboy so he can get his rematch against Pettis