When two UFC lightweights were in the middle of a verbal battle, Nate Diaz took some time to talk to a familiar face.
Nate Diaz, a fighter who never really embraced media, got the biggest cheer of all the fighters present at the UFC 25th anniversary press conference in Los Angeles. The Stockton native showed up fashionably late, as usual. He gave some short, humorous answers, as usual. And then he let the rest of the fighters do the talking.
While Justin Gaethje and James Vick engaged in a heated back-and-forth, Diaz had to find some entertainment. So, the man who headlined two of the biggest UFC PPVs ever caught up with a fighter who’s just starting to make a splash in the sport.
As Gaethje and Vick were at each other’s throats, Diaz leaned over to rising middleweight Israel Adesanya and initiated a conversation.
Diaz: Where you fighting?
Adesanya: New York.
Diaz: Who?
Adesanya: Brunson.
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Diaz recognised the name. Judging by his response, he was waiting a little while backstage before making his entrance. He must have heard Brunson talking shit about Adesanya’s physique directly before he walked out onto the stage.
Diaz: Oh Brunson. Was he talking shit? Was he talking shit right now?
Adesanya: I don’t even think so.
Diaz: Yeah. I met you at Excess, right? Excess, we was chilling.
Adesanya: Yeah.
Diaz: Yeah yeah, Just making sure.
Another thing Diaz knew about Adesanya was that he recently appeared on the Joe Rogan MMA Show. Adesanya admitted he was excited about appearing on the popular podcast. He also was surprised by the length of the interview. What he thought was going to be a 20-minute talk ran for two hours.
Adesanya: Are you going to go on there?
Diaz: Maybe sometime when it’s right. When the time is right.
A lovely moment between the two warriors. One that was almost lost.
