MMAMania.com beat me to posting the pictures I took at the weigh-ins Friday, but they didn’t browse far enough into the set to find my lunch with Nick Diaz and his camp. IMMAE co-founder Rara, up here for the fights and originally from Stockton, very graciously brings me to lunch at Suzy’s (I had a tasty chicken enchilada). Nick and Nate Diaz sit in back-to-back booths with many members of their gym all happily eating at surrounding tables. There is a really positive feeling circling the air of this local joint.

After eating, everyone heads out to the parking lot and I chase Nick down for a photo. I recognize Lucas Gamaza from a ShoXC card at Table Mountain Casino, and David “Tarzan” Douglas who will be fighting Marlon Mathias in a swing bout tonight. Nick requested his lieges remove their shirts for a photo. They pose for this picture.

It’s a bit unfortunate that I can’t show you this photo as large as I’d prefer, because it is really amazing, if I may say so myself. As a small web photo, and with the opaque watermark, it seems a caricature. But I find it to be a unique view of a fighter here in the City of Stockton, a look into one of the members of Pacific Coast Martial Arts, and an image of citizens of similar towns suffering from economic crisis.

I have a newfound appreciation and understanding of what Stockton, the 209, mean to Nick and Nate Diaz.

To me, it really solidifies what fighting, training, competing means to the Diaz brothers. It also raises a thousand more questions, but right now I’m in awe and cautious of the faith in this way of life. Those of you readers that fight, what first got you into fighting? What first got you into training? Do they originate from the same motivation for you or was it separate catalysts, one for fighting, one for training, or perhaps it was survival?

Shit, I really ruined my trying to sound more like I belong on Fightlinker goal with this bit.

At least two or three comments I expect will forget or did not notice that I wrote this and call Ryan gay. For that Ryan, I apologize.

P.S. Ryan is gay. J/K.

Click here for photos from the weigh-ins, including Nick Thompson’s buttocks, Thomas Denny and Nick Diaz face off (the reflection of the press and Nick Diaz are in Denny’s shades), and Tonya Evinger molesting Gina Carano’s cardboard cutout.

EliteXC: Smith vs Lawler II goes live on CBS at 9pm for the East Coast, tape delayed for the West.

I’m also a writer at Fightlinker.com, so this is cross-posted from the Fightlinker.com archives, original post here.