Nate Diaz may have only needed five seconds to start a new trend.
UFC superstar Nate Diaz may not have fought in forever, but he was a central character in arguably the greatest 60 seconds of 2018.
Derrick Lewis kicked off the incredible moment after knocking out Marcin Tybura in the co-main event. When Jimmy Smith stepped into the Octagon to conduct the post-fight interview, you could see the cogs inside the heavyweight’s brain turning. Sure enough, he seized the opportunity to use one of the few words the UFC avoid like the plague in their promos and live broadcasts.
“That’s the way I fight. I know you’re new to the game, coming over from Bellator but that’s the way I do it baby.”
After dropping the ‘b’ word, Lewis closed off with a warning to his ‘baby’ April. He told her to get ready because he planned on ‘going deep’. The director of the broadcast must have thought there was only one way to save this car crash – a celebrity cameo.
The camera panned to Nate Diaz in the crowd. He was only on screen for five seconds, but man did he make the most of his time.
*nate diaz is on camera for one second*
*throws joint in his mouth* pic.twitter.com/iXwr5I81Jt
— Robbie Fox (@RobbieBarstool) February 19, 2018
Paying homage
Anyone who tuned into UFC Glendale in the wee hours of Sunday morning may have n0ticed the iconic Diaz moment being recreated in the crowd.
Undefeated UFC starlet ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley, who is a huge fan of Diaz’s, paid homage to the Stockon native when the cameras cut to him during the event. As soon as he was shown, he pulled out a joint and pretended to light it.
His MMA Lab teammate and fellow UFC starlet Mackenzie Dern was sitting beside him and seemed to really enjoy the antics. She shook her head and burst into laughter when she realised what O’Malley was doing.
BAH GAWD Sean O’Malley channeling his inner Nate Diaz! 🧐 #UFCGlendale pic.twitter.com/pQ9LJzS3T5
— Mike Solano (@Solano66) April 15, 2018
