Nate Diaz: Fighters willing to fight a training partner for millions of dollars don't know what friendship is

Get ready for a lesson on what friendship really is in the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA).

You often hear mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters say time and time again that they will never fight one of their training partners, which is respectable.

But a few moments later they'll change their tune and say that they would consider the bout, as long as a big payday comes along with it.

In Nate Diaz's book, that's not true friendship. Because according to the Stockton slugger, if money is important enough to make you contemplate fighting one your friends inside the Octagon, then your friendship is that real to begin with.

He explained his stance during a recent appearance on Chael Sonnen's podcast "You're Welcome" (via FOX Sports):

"I hear people, 'Oh, I'll fight him if we get paid a million dollars.' My partners are my partners and it's not even a consideration. Other people just give hints and 'ifs,' so it makes everyone curious. People are dumb. They don't know how to answer the damn question...If someone's even considering talking about fighting you, then what the [expletive] are you friends for? I don't think people even know what friendship is in this sport."

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White has often said that training partners like Georges St-Pierre and Rory MacDonald will fight each other -- despite their reluctance to do so -- once they see all the cash that will come their way once it's all said and done.

For Diaz, no amount of coin or title shots will ever make him fight his fellow teammate and No. 1 lightweight contender, Gilbert Melendez. Because as he put it, should "El Nino" win the title when he takes on Anthony Pettis at UFC 181 on Dec. 6, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada, then it's a victory for him, too.

"I'm good with that, because that's my partner. When Gil gets the belt, when Gil wins this fight and gets that belt, I won. That's a win for me. That's my brother. That's pretty much my goal here."

By Nate's logic, I guess these Alpha Males aren't that tight, after all.