Nate Diaz is not a happy camper.
Not long after the return of Nate Diaz was announced, his comeback was thrown into doubt.
The Stockton native, who hasn’t been seen inside the Octagon since dropping a majority decision to Conor McGregor in August 2016, is set to fight elite lightweight contender Dustin Poirier in UFC 230’s co-main event in Madison Square Garden on November 3.
After showing up late to the press conference promoting the bout, Diaz left early. He stormed out of the presser once the promo for UFC 229’s main event was shown on the big screen. A few hours later, he sent the following tweet:
I’m not fighting on that show fuk the @ufc
— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) August 3, 2018
This sparked a humorous response from welterweight contender and former lightweight king Rafael dos Anjos.
RDA has one of the most underrated MMA Twitter accounts. The Brazilian has a great sense of humour.
I’m not fighting in Argentina too, F ufc 😜
— Rafael dos Anjos (@RdosAnjosMMA) August 3, 2018
That being said, Diaz didn’t appreciate the joke.
Diaz decided to play the wallet card with his reply. He was part of two of the most successful UFC PPVs of all time and he wasn’t afraid to let his former foe know that fact.
U mocking me? How much u get paid ?
Jokes on u 😎— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) August 4, 2018
RDA was quick to remind Diaz of what happened when they met inside the Octagon.
In 2013, Diaz dropped a comprehensive split decision to RDA in a three-round contest. Diaz came in 4.6 lbs over the upper lightweight limit and then had his lead leg relentlessly kicked for 15 minutes.
Dos Anjos jokingly vowed not to kick his legs if they were to fight again.
Nah I make money cause I made that shit happen then went and took that shit u couldn’t make it to war only the strong survive step ur game up u got slapped to start acting like it …
— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) August 4, 2018
Perplexed
At the time of writing, the headliner for UFC 230 has yet to be announced. Perhaps Diaz knows something we don’t. Maybe he’s unhappy about the fight he’s playing second-fiddle to. Maybe he’s just being a master promoter and building hype for his inevitable return. That McGregor-Nurmagomedov promo may have even rubbed him the wrong way.
UFC president Dana White hasn’t got a clue what’s up with Diaz, as he explained at the UFC 227 post-fight press conference.
“You tell me if everything’s alright with Nate Diaz. You know way more athan I do. If you can decipher that code, call me tomorrow and let me know.”
“No (I haven’t spoken to him since he posted the tweet). What are we going to talk about? His lawsuit? I don’t know. I don’t know what he’s talking about.”
After another question was asked, White made a point of releasing another snippet of information about Diaz. Apparently, he was supposed to show up for the event, but of course, he was a no-show.
“Did he show up tonight? Was he at the fight tonight? Did anybody see him? He asked for tickets and then we called and said, ‘You coming, right?’ He says, ‘Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.’ I guess he didn’t come.”
If his goal was to get people talking, mission accomplished.
