Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley Conference Call: Nick Diaz Highlights

Yesterday, Nick Diaz joined Paul Daley, Gilbert Melendez, Tatsuya Kawajiri and Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker on the Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley Conference Call.

While Diaz showed respect for his opponent, Daley, during the one-hour question and answer session, the free-wheeling Strikeforce Welterweight Champion was still full of quotable material.

After arriving on the call fashionably late, Diaz was first asked about his thoughts on Daley's striking. Although Diaz has been quick to point out Daley's lack of all-around MMA skills since this fight was announced, he did compliment Daley's striking game.

"(Daley's) probably better than anybody else we've got in MMA."

After having been cut from the UFC for throwing a punch at Josh Koscheck well after the final round had ended, Daley's motivation heading into this fight is clear. Meanwhile, Diaz's will to win this fight against Daley is driven by his desire to help his training partners. 

"I've gotta be in great shape to train with these guys. My brother is depending on me, my team is depending on me, my partner Jake (Shields) is depending on me to stay in great shape through this fight, so I can get back in the gym with them."

While Diaz is feeling pressure to perform well in order to be able to assist his teammates, he is less concerned about what a win over Daley would mean for him.

Diaz is aware that a win over Daley would be an important win, but he doesn't believe it will do much in the way of proving that he is any better than he has shown to be in past fights.

"As far as upping my status by winning, I don't feel any pressure. Not that I don't think beating Paul Daley is a big accomplishment, I just think that as far as the rankings they have me ranked above him."

Knowing that Daley's strength is in his striking, Diaz has not been offended by Daley's comments that he plans on knocking out the champion.

"Well that's what (Daley) does. Like he said, he throws punches. I'll take what I can get. I'll try to win any way necessary."

A former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter, Diaz has been criticized by UFC President Dana White for his out-of-the-cage behavior in the past. When asked what opportunities he saw in Zuffa's, the parent company of the UFC, purchase of Strikeforce, Daley explained that he isn't worried about the business side of fighting at the moment.   

"I try not to get stressed out over all this part of fighting. I just worry about the fighting part. I think that's important. That's why I've got somebody to take care of all that. I've got the same people managing me and the same team I'm on since the beginning.

I would hate to have to deal with all that stuff that most fighters have to go through. I spend all my time training in the gym. I focus all my hard work and efforts towards training, getting better, stronger, faster, technically better at mixed martial arts."

Finally, Diaz was asked about his thoughts on Rashad Evans and Jon Jones' hesitance to fight each other and his opinion on whether or not he would ever compete against one of his training partners. Diaz was quick to dismiss any comparison between him and Evans or Jones. 

"(Evans and Jones) are not even real training partners. They're like ten years apart and they didn't grow up training together ... I mean they don't even pay me close to enough money to think about that sort of thing."

Diaz and Daley will fight in the main event of Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California. The event will take place on April 9, 2011 and will be broadcast live on Showtime.

Strikeforce Diaz vs. Daley: Results, News and More

Sean Smith is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @BR_Sean_Smith