UFC 173's James Krause steals from Diaz bros., 'Shogun,' Pettis, anyone

UFC lightweight James Krause is a thief, and a successful one at that.

Krause (20-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC), who on Saturday fights Jamie Varner (21-9-1 MMA, 3-4 UFC) at UFC 173, said his secret for winning in the fight game is to copy the moves of the sport’s heroes.

There are the Diaz brothers, Nick and Nate, for boxing.

“They have that kind of pop; they don’t bring their hands all the way back, they just pop their hands right in front of people,” Krause told MMAjunkie Radio. “I like to do that a lot.”

There’s early-career Mauricio “Shogun” Rua for reckless abandon.

“I just love the way he’s so aggressive; I love the leg kicks,” Krause said.

And then there’s UFC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis for – what else? – kicks.

“We call it right body, right head,” Krause said. “I’ve knocked five people out with that kick. I stole it from him, basically.”

UFC 173 takes place at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The event’s main card airs, which opens with Krause vs. Varner, live on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

There are probably dozens of others from whom Krause has stolen to reach this point in his career. He’s had some rocky stretches in his career, and yet, he keeps getting brought back my the industry-leading Zuffa.

“Either they love me and they think very highly of me, or they hate me and they want me gone, because they keep giving me great guys to fight,” said Krause, who was booted from the now-defunct WEC and brought back to the UFC after a 10-2 run.

On Saturday, he meets Varner six months after a kick ended his night against Bobby Green at UFC Fight Night 31. Krause took two illegal kicks to the groin before a questionably low third shot was ruled legal, and he suffered a TKO loss.

Krause might wish to mimic former WEC champ Varner’s wrestling and the all-around scrap that’s won him “Fight of the Night” bonuses in two of his past four performances, despite coming out of them with a loss.

That said, Krause doesn’t want to be in the position where he’s lost three of four. There’s only so far being liked will take you.

“Jamie’s good; I’m not going to sit here and say, ‘Ah, it’s an easy fight,’” Krause said. “He’s very well-rounded. I think I pose physical attributes that he’s never really faced before, as far as the length goes. I know he fought (Donald) Cerrone, but Cerrone doesn’t fight super long. He kicks a lot, and he doesn’t mind being on the inside.

“But I think my jab is probably better than anybody else he’s fought. I think I pose different threats when he shoots with the guillotine; he’s been guillotined before, so you’ve got to address that. But you could say the same thing about me. I think it’s an evenly matched fight, and I think we’ve got a super good chance of being ‘Fight of the Night.’”

Krause said it’s a matter of keeping his sanity to move past the Green fight and press forward with his career.

“You can’t have a long memory in this sport, or you’re going to live a terrible life,” he said. “It’s unfortunate how it happened. At the end of the day, Bobby has the win, and I have the loss, and there’s no comments box whenever you look up (the record of) a fighter. That’s how I have to look at it.”

Krause knows that as long as the skills he’s stolen lead to exciting octagon fights, he’ll probably be employed for a while.

“I say this every time: I fight for the fans, and I want people to watch me,” he said.

For the latest on UFC 173, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia, MMAjunkie lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.