STOCKTON, Calif. -- If there is a way to summarize the lasting effect Nate Diazs hometown has had on him, its that it taught him this: Always be all the way in when it comes to a fight.That might sound like an obvious lesson, one that doesnt necessarily require growing up in Stockton to figure out. But at this point in his life, Diaz is fairly convinced few truly live with this mentality.His older brother, UFC welterweight Nick Diaz, calls it a curse. Nate refers to it as a kill or be killed state of mind. The Diaz brothers are fighting. Add bells and whistles around it for financial gain, thats great. But this is still a fight.Ive been a lot more real than other fighters, Nate Diaz said. Im putting my middle finger up, saying, F--- you, and theyre sitting there like were not even fighting. No, we are fighting. And this will remind you of that real quick. These other guys are trying to make this a sport, but Im just keeping it real with what the hell is going on.I dont ask my mom to watch fights -- or my girlfriend, my friends, nobody. If anybody wants to watch, they can watch, but dont get offended when I get ugly. This is not an attractive sport. Its not like, Oh, my grandson does MMA. Dont tell people that. You might disappoint a lot of people youre trying to impress.Im all the way in this fight game. Im not one foot in, one foot out. Im not here to impress people. Im here to get mine, get ahead and do what Ive got to do.On Saturday, Diaz (19-10) will fight Conor McGregor at UFC 202 inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Its a rematch of a last-minute welterweight bout at UFC 196 in March. McGregor (19-3), the sports biggest star, lost his original opponent, Rafael dos Anjos, to injury weeks before the pay-per-view event. Diaz stepped in on 11 days notice and submitted McGregor in the second round.If you want to make Diaz quiet, ask him about fighting McGregor for a second time. Over the course of a three-hour conversation, Diaz essentially said the same thing every time about his upcoming opponent.Conor is a guy who is training to take me out, Diaz said.?Drop the McGregor topic, however, and Diaz will talk. Hell get so lost in telling stories hell ask more than once if hes rambling. Even if he is, you tell him to keep going. The stories are fascinating.Because no matter what happens at UFC 202, Diaz is worth listening to at the moment. He conquered the fight game in 2016. Anyone can argue that he couldnt have done so without McGregor, but thats missing the point.In a span of eight months, Diaz went from foot soldier to paid mercenary, and in the fight game, thats a win. Getting paid is the win.Diaz didnt always know that, but he certainly does now. And he was able to do something about it.If anybody sees what Ive done and doesnt think its brilliant ... then they just dont like the way I look or the way I fight or talk, Diaz said. But thats what f---ing sells.Every fighter has a hometown. Not many of them represent theirs as much as the Diaz brothers have pushed Stockton.When Nate Diaz whacked McGregor with an open palm during their first fight, the internet knew to refer to it as the infamous Stockton Slap. Stocktons 209 area code is as well-known as the Diaz name. UFC commentator Jon Anik has the numbers tattooed on his arm,?the result of an ill-advised bet against Diaz in his last fight.Historically, the city of Stockton has dealt with a relatively high violent crime rate. It is one of the largest U.S. cities to ever declare bankruptcy.Diaz grew up in a small, one-story house in Lodi, just north of Stockton. He lived with his mother, older brother and sister. His father was not around much during his childhood.He hesitates making any references to a rough neighborhood, because he feels like its very cliché -- a cage fighter, coming from a rough area. But he cant deny the indirect effect that Stocktons violence had on his life.Its not necessarily we were sitting in the middle of [violence], we were just very aware of everything, Diaz said. If someone was getting into it, there was a fight. You would see fights all the time. Ill go other places, and nobody fights.When Nick was first fighting in the UFC and going, What, m-----f-----?! and people were like, Wow, this guy is crazy, that was just a natural thing to us. All that was normal. You say that in places outside of Stockton, and guys are like, Woah, whats the problem here? Were like, Arent we fighting right now?When Nate was about 13, Nick began training how to fight. He started lifting weights at Animal House Gym and met Steve Heath, a professional fighter who fought?Chuck Liddell in 2000. While Nick trained at Animal House, Nate worked as a cook at a restaurant next door. Eventually, he joined his brother in training.Nate was naturally good at boxing, but he really fell in love with jiu-jitsu. After he stopped going to high school, Diaz says he was a little anti-social. He was selling marijuana, and his social circle was basically reduced to his smoking buddies.But at jiu-jitsu, Diaz would tap some chiropractor, and suddenly the two had something in common. A successful businessman wanted to know how Diaz choked him out. It built confidence.When I found jiu-jitsu, I knew at that time that a blue belt could take out anybody in the world, Diaz said. I was saying, Dude, Ill choke out anybody.Nick had mats, a weight bench and a TV he would watch old fights on in his bedroom. People would come over to challenge Nick to a fight, and he would say, If you tap out my brother, Ill roll with you. Nick would come in my room and wake me up. Im this skinny 15-year-old kid, and hed say, Roll with this guy, quick.I would go in his room and choke these guys out. And if anybody could choke me out, the first thing Id say was, All right, now lets box.Diaz started a professional fight career without even really noticing. Jiu-jitsu tournaments and triathlons transitioned into cage fights. His former coach, Cesar Gracie, told him what to do and when to do it. Whatever money Diaz got as a result was what it was. He simply accepted it and didnt ask questions.During one contract negotiation, Diaz remembers sitting in the lobby, sipping water while something as significant as a multiyear deal was being discussed.It took me a second to come out of soldier mode, Diaz said. Whats smart, whats better for me, whats really going on here? I kind of woke up and was like, Hold up. What have I been doing? It just continued from wherever it had first started: me being down to fight anybody, being told to fight whoever, no questions asked.I had never asked a question before. It was, Fight that guy? OK. That guy? OK. It was a psycho-militant lifestyle.It eventually led to an ugly realization for Diaz. In 2014, just one year after signing a long-term deal with the UFC, Diaz asked for a complete release from the promotion. UFC president Dana White responded by telling him to get back to work. The UFC even dropped Diaz from its official fighter rankings, citing a refusal to accept bouts.Diaz eventually did accept a bout against Rafael dos Anjos in December of that year. In an uninspired performance, Diaz missed weight and then lost badly to dos Anjos in a three-round fight. The UFC does not disclose information on fighter pay -- so, the exact earning for athletes are largely unknown -- but Diazs reported fight purse to the athletic commission for that fight was $16,000.At the post-fight press conference, White said Diaz needed to get his head together or retire.It would be one full year until Diaz fought again.At first I just flipped out, Diaz said. I started looking at numbers and I was like, Woah, you guys are making this much? That guys making this money? The company is bringing in this much? Its time to get paid! I spoke right up.Over time, I realized, Wow, I need to get some leverage.On Dec. 19, 2015, Nate Diaz stood in the Octagon next to commentator Joe Rogan with network television cameras rolling live. Diaz had just defeated Michael Johnson in a highly entertaining lightweight fight.Rogan asked Diaz a question, something about how the fight went. Whatever, the question didnt matter. Diaz wasnt even listening. He looked up at his own image playing on the arena monitors, scowled and unleashed an expletive-laced speech that Rogan would eventually be forced to cut off.Conor McGregor, youre taking everything I worked for, m-----f-----, Diaz said. Im gonna fight your f---ing ass. You know whats the real fight. Whats the real money fight? Its me.McGregor initially opted for a fight against dos Anjos instead, but fate intervened, and McGregor and Diaz were paired up 11 days before UFC 196. Diaz was happy to accept the fight and the biggest payday of his career.Fast forward to March 5. Diaz and Rogan stood side-by-side in the Octagon again, moments after Diaz submitted McGregor via rear-naked choke in the second round. Again, it felt like Rogans question to him could have been anything. It didnt matter. Diaz was going to say what he had to say.Im not surprised, m-----f-----s, Diaz said.The words Im not surprised, accompanying a towering depiction of Diaz flexing, now live in the form of a mural on the side of a building in downtown Stockton. He doesnt really say it, but its a spot he clearly takes pride in.In May, White and former UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta flew to Stockton to negotiate terms for a massive rematch against McGregor. The meeting did not go particularly well.The UFC felt a deal should have already been in place, because the sides had previously agreed to have the rematch headline UFC 200 in July. But after the UFC pulled the fight in the midst of a public spat with McGregor, Diaz circled back to the negotiating table with a higher number in mind.An agreement wasnt reached during that Stockton meeting, but they all still drove to Diazs mural for a photo-op before parting ways. So, you had Fertitta and White standing there, smiling, directly under an image of a moment that gave Diaz an enormous amount of leverage in his contract negotiations with them. For the record, it was Diazs idea to visit the mural.Two weeks later, Diaz signed a new contract for the rematch. Terms were not disclosed, however its safe to assume the deal is worth seven figures.This is long overdue, you know what Im saying? said Diaz, referring to his improved financial situation. And it goes by the moment. Who knows whats going to happen after this fight? What happens if I get murked? What happens if I lose this fight? They better give me a m-----f---ing rematch like they gave him. But I doubt if they will.This is the blueprint. Fighters need to start imagining themselves as the product, because were the product of this business. I aint free. I dont know why everybody is acting like they are.A less publicized aspect of this weekends rematch is that Diaz and McGregor share a healthy respect for one another. Mutual respect headlines dont really sell a fight, but it does exist between these two.As much as Diaz is known for talking trash, he claims he does very little of it. Its just that as a fight gets closer, part of his mental preparation is to see it for what it is.These other guys say, I love to fight. Im excited to fight, Diaz said. Thats some bulls---. No one is excited or loves to fight.Of course, the feeling of winning a fight, succeeding at your objective and your goals, its exciting when its done and over with. But who the hell wants to jump up, hop inside a cage in front of the whole world and maybe get knocked out? Thats not exciting. Thats not fun, and I dont love that s---.Diaz enjoys training in martial arts. Hell do it his entire life -- in Stockton. He says hell never move away from his roots. The Diaz brothers front doors are within running distance (for them at least) of each other. Mother, father and sister also share a home close by.In a way, Diaz has all but left the fight part of Stockton. He doesnt enjoy being in a fight anymore. Hes drawn to the alpha male part of it and it has provided him a better life. Training for it motivates him, gives him something to pursue on a daily basis.At the same time, it genuinely seems like another part of him would be quite comfortable if he never got into a fight again. Until then, if Diaz is going to be in a fight, hes going to be all the way in. Nike Vapormax Clearance . LOUIS -- St. Nike Vapormax Sale Outlet . Their 38th instalment is arguably their biggest fight card to date, including three-title fights and a main event which was selected by the fans. The promotion boasts 14-straight years of business and is operated by MFC president Mark Pavelich, who is often overlooked in this country for the foundation hes established for MMA in Canada. http://www.vapormaxukcheap.com/ . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. Wholesale Nike Vapormax .C. -- Charlotte Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said after all of these years in the NBA hes still amazed at some of the things LeBron James does. Cheap Nike Vapormax Sale .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. At the end of the first Test against Sri Lanka, Australia faced something like 25 successive maidens. Was this a record? asked Brian Gladwin from Australia Steve OKeefe hit a four from the fifth delivery of the 63rd over of the final innings in Pallekele - his only scoring shot in 98 balls - to take Australia to 161 for 8, after which they faced 154 further deliveries (25.4 overs) without scoring a single run. OKeefe and Peter Nevill faced 138 of those (including the ball that dismissed Nevill), then OKeefe and last man Josh Hazlewood had 16 more. Such a scoreless sequence is easily a Test record - England went 92 balls without scoring, largely against Sonny Ramadhin and Alf Valentine, as they slipped to defeat against West Indies at Lords in 1950. Charles Davis, the assiduous Australian statistician, has pinpointed another possible similar barren run: on the first day of the first Test in Melbourne in 1882-83, Alec Bannerman and Billy Murdoch patted back 22 successive four-ball maidens from Billy Barnes, Dick Barlow and Willie Bates. Thats 88 deliveries without a run, and its possible it was as many as 92 in all.The four opening partnerships in the second Test in Sri Lanka managed just eight runs. Is this a record low? asked Stephen Anderson from Australia The openers certainly struggled in the second Test in Galle. Dimuth Karunaratne of Sri Lanka was dismissed by the first ball of the match, then Joe Burns fell to the second ball of Australias reply. In the second innings, Kaushal Silva fell in the second over with the score on 5, then Burns was again out in the first over, with three runs on the board. There have been two other instances of four opening partnerships adding up to eight runs in a Test: by England (5 and 3) and New Zealand (0 and 0, with Roger Twose bagging a pair) at Edgbaston in 1999, swiftly followed by West Indies (4 and 0) and Zimbabwe (0 and 4) in Port-of-Spain in 1999-2000. But the clear winner comes from another Caribbean Test. In Kingston in 2006, the opening partnerships for West Indies (0 and 0, with a pair for Chris Gayle) and India (1 and 1) amounted to just two runs.At Edgbaston England trailed by 103 runs on first innings, yet won by 141. Is this the biggest turnaround by runs in a Test? asked Richard Shavei-Tzion from Israel Well, there have been three Tests which were won by a team which followed-on - by England against Australia at Sydney in 1894-95 and at Headingley in 1981, and by India against Australia in Kolkata in 2000-01, so I suppose those would be the biggest turnarounds of all. But England at Edgbaston last week provided only the eighth instance of a team winning by more than 100 runs after being more than 100 behind on first innings - and England were also the last to do it, against New Zealand at Lords last year. It happened twice in the 12 months before that, as well: Sri Lanka beat England by 100 runs at Headingley in 2014 after being 108 behind on first innings, while New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 193 in Wellington in 2014-15 after trailing by 135. The first instance was in 1931-32, when Australia (160 behind on first innings) beat South Africa by 169 runs in Melbourne; South Africa turned the tables inn Johannesburg in 1966-67, defeating Australia by 233 runs after trailing by 126.dddddddddddd. India in Kolkata in 2000-01 trailed by a whopping 274 runs, but won by 171 after the heroics of VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid, and finally Australia beat Sri Lanka by 197 runs in Galle in 2003-04, after starting their second innings 161 adrift. Yasir Shah now has 90 wickets from 15 Tests. Is this a record? asked Nigel Cooke from Jamaica Despite his relative lack of success in the second and third Tests of the current series - he struck only once at Old Trafford, and three times at Edgbaston - Yasir Shah still has more wickets after 15 Tests than anyone else in history. The 19th-century England pace bowler George Lohmann had 89, while his contemporary Tom Richardson totalled 88 from just 14 Tests in all. Sydney Barnes, Clarrie Grimmett and Vernon Philander all had 87 wickets after 15 Tests. Lohmann took 12 wickets in his 16th match, against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1895-96, so Yasir has his work cut out in the final Test at The Oval if he is to stay ahead - and equal Lohmanns record for the fewest matches required to reach 100 wickets.New Zealands 582 for 4 in Bulawayo was apparently their highest total against Zimbabwe. But was it also their highest total away from home? asked Joan Fernandes from the UAE New Zealands 582 for 4 in the second Test in Bulawayo at the weekend improved their highest total against Zimbabwe, which was set all of a week earlier - 576 for 6, also in Bulawayo. Before that their highest against Zimbabwe was 495 for 7, in Napier in 2011-12, which also led to an innings victory. New Zealand have made 11 higher totals in all Tests, four of them away from home, including their highest of all - 690 against Pakistan in Sharjah in 2014-15. They also amassed 630 for 6 against India in Mohali in 2003-04, 624 v Australia in Perth in 2015-16, and 593 for 8 against South Africa in Cape Town in 2005-06. For the full list of New Zealands highest Test totals, click here.Who took five wickets from the last 17 balls he bowled in Test cricket? asked Brian Murdoch from Australia The man who produced this stunning finish was the Australian medium-pacer Gervys Gerry Hazlitt, in the last match of the one and only Triangular Tournament, in England in 1912. Bowling cutters to good effect on a rain-affected track at The Oval, Hazlitt took 5 for 1 in his last 17 balls to finish with career-best figures of 7 for 25 in 21.4 overs. His success, though, enabled Englands bowlers to get at the Australian batsmen before the conditions improved: Subsequent events proved that his astounding success was for England a blessing in disguise, reported Wisden, as it led to victory before the end of the day. Australia were skittled for 65, and England won by 244 runs to take the triangular series, that also included South Africa. Australia didnt play another Test until after the First World War, by which time the unfortunate Hazlitt had died. He succumbed to a heart condition in 1915, aged just 27.Send in your questions using our feedback form. ' ' '