content: I'm a huge Diaz brothers fan. The difference between their trash talk and Alex Hernandez's trash talk, is that the Diaz brothers absolutely 100% mean what they say. It's not fake. It's not done in an attempt to impress anyone- the vibe I got from Alex was that "I am afraid of this man. I can't let him or the world see that fear. I'll run my mouth and hopefully that will mask my insecurity." You can tell that's not really his character, and we're seeing a lot of this bullshit ever since McGregor became a superstar.  Everyone's trying to copy his blueprint for shit-talking. But most of them lack the talent, wit, sense of humor, mean streak, or genuine "street toughness" needed to make it work. Alex just came off cringe. Also, I think Alex defeated himself just as much as Cowboy beat him. When you talk all that shit in front of the world, you're putting unnecessary pressure on yourself. When you get into the cage, you'll be thinking "Man, I'll look like a real asshole if I get my ass beaten after saying all that bullshit"- this will affect your nerves, make you tense and thoughtful. You'll be analyzing everything as it happens instead of just flowing on instinct. My MMA coach has a saying "Analysis leads to paralysis", and it's totally spot on; you start thinking "Oh he just hit me with a good right hook, I'll bet I could counter that with a lead uppercu-" WHAM!! You get socked in the face before you can finish the thought.