"I grew up watching them" - UFC bantamweight Victor Henry talks about the influence Diaz brothers had on his career

Nate Diaz (left), Victor Henry (center) & Nick Diaz (right) [Image Credits- @LightsOutXF & @nickdiaz209 on Twitter]

Victor Henry recently offered fans some insight into the vital role that Nick and Nate Diaz played in his journey in MMA.

Sharing Californian roots with the Diaz brothers, 'La Mangosta' revealed that he had grown up watching their careers unfold. Suffice to say, the bantamweight drew some inspiration from the UFC veterans.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA's Andrew Whitelaw, Henry granted fans a sneak peek into his history as a Nate and Nick Diaz fan:

"Yeah, I mean, the Diaz brothers, of course, they are a part of my fandom. You know, like, I grew up watching them. Especially, you know, [Nick Diaz] in Strikeforce and then, of course, his debut in the UFC, watching [Nate Diaz] come up in the UFC. You know, those are some Stockton boys. They're up in Northern California. I grew up in Southern California. We got a different set of inspirations down here."

Henry further went on to hail their competitive spirits, lauding them for their mindsets. He also talked up their reluctance to stray from active contention, and their desire to constantly compete and stay active.

Check out our full interview with Victor 'La Mangosta' Henry below:

Victor Henry hopes to fight Marlon Moraes

Coming off a decisive unanimous decision win against Raoni Barcelos in his promotional debut at UFC 270, Victor Henry has seemingly taken aim at the No.10-ranked Marlon Moraes.

#UFC270 Official Scorecard: Raoni Barcelos vs Victor Henry (@VictorHenryMMA)

All Tonight's Scorecards: ufc.com/news/official-… https://t.co/TAAWJZkuqh

"Marlon Moraes, I think, would be a pretty good fight. I remember I saw him at World Series of Fighting one time, thinking, 'Man he's got great low kicks.' And this is right before he signed with the UFC. And then he knocked out Aljamain Sterling with that switch kick when he ran into a knee. I think that fight will actually be really good," Henry said.

Victor Henry compared his physical traits to that of Moraes, admitting that 'Magic' eclipsed him when it came to power. However, in terms of speed and conditioning, he opined that he was just as good as the Brazilian.