Nate Diaz has slapped a reporter at UFC 276. Yes, you read that right.
Slaps at high-profile events have been in trend of late. Will Smith didnât think twice before cutting himself loose, and he has since been the hot topic.
Diaz didnât take that too well, though, it seems. The American welterweight has slapped an MMA reporter backstage at UFC 276 after being asked an innocent question.
The reporter only took the liberties of asking if heâd be supporting Sean OâMalley, to which, Diaz responded:
âNah. And you better watch your tweets about my dude who was fighting recently."
And then he resorted to madness, first whacking the mic out of the reporterâs hands before slapping the hat off him, too.
There surely will be some repercussions, because itâs clear that the reporter didnât cross a line. He wasnât provocative either, which makes the entire incident a bit strange.
It has been a while since he last stepped in the Octagon - his last fight was a defeat to Leon Edwards - and this incident may mean it does not happen anytime soon. We will see about that.
Itâs a shame it might also cause more delay in a potential fight between Jake Paul and Diaz, a clash that UFC boss Dana White approves of.
Speaking to TheMacLife, he said:
âI mean, I like Nate (but) letâs be honest, Nateâs won one fight in the last five or six years,â White said.
âYou know? When these guys get into these positions, youâve got guys that have been with us for a long time, that we respect, that we care about.
"You know, youâve got Cerrone and Anthony Pettis before he left, and youâve got Nate Diaz and Nick Diaz is still under contract with us. So you want to be fair to everybody, you want to do the right things or whatever. Nate Diaz isnât going to come in and fight Kamaru Usman.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 02: Nate Diaz of the United States enters the ring for his fight against Jorge Masvidal of the United States in the Welterweight "BMF" championship bout during UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden on November 02, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
âWeâre trying not to sh*t on anybody and disrespect anybody, but itâs not like weâre talking about Kamaru Usman here. Weâre talking about Nate Diaz.
"Nateâs won one fight in five years, so weâre trying to figure this thing out with him. He probably should go on and fight Jake Paul. Thatâs a fight that makes sense.â
Diaz vs Paul. That will box-office.