UFC president Dana White prefers not to fight with anyone if he can avoid it. Most fighters on the UFC roster like to keep their fights inside the Octagon. Nate Diaz is not one of them.
Diaz, who is set to face Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 279 this weekend, revealed to ESPN that he and Dana White once came moments from a full-blown fistfight at a nightclub.
Diaz vs Dana: The Time the UFC President Almost Fought Nate Diaz at a Nightclub
“I almost beat up Dana White in a club one time here too, you should’ve seen it. He was talking s**t. You should ask him. He was talking s**t and I was arguing with him. I was mad at him — I shouldn’t have been mad at him, I understand. It was a long time ago, when Gilbert [Melendez] did The Ultimate Fighter.
Everybody had gotten off the show and then we went to the club when Dana and them were having a big afterparty, and then Dana’s all [intoxicated]. He’s all, ‘What’s up, motherf***er?”
I was like, what’s up? And he’s telling me about, ‘What do you want?’ I was like, ‘What the f**k do you think I want? More money and more f***ing better fights than everyone here.’ It’s because I was never on the destination (path) for a title though, at the time.”
Nate Diaz, 37, seems to have mellowed and matured a little, and conceded that he’s “on Dana White’s side too”. “I’m on Dana White’s side too, it’s all good but I understand business. It’s all good with me. Me and Dana always got along with everything too.”
Dana White was asked about the altercation at the UFC 279 pre-fight media day, to which he answered: “Allegedly. Allegedly. We were drinking.”
Nate Diaz’s appearance this weekend may well be his last under the UFC banner. It’s set to be the last one on his UFC contract, and Diaz has made no secret of his desire to part ways with the promotion. Nate Diaz was one of the UFC’s earliest stars, rising to prominence when he won the fifth season of The Ultimate Fighter. Nate Diaz recently announced the launch of his own fight promotions company, Real Fight Inc., which he claims will deliver “real fights” based on his own reputation as being “for real”.
Nate Diaz has frequently, of late, blasted the UFC’s business practises, particularly concerning his wish to leave the organization. Perhaps this isn’t the last we’ll see of the Diaz-White feud.
Do you think the failed fistfight went down the way Nate Diaz describes? Let us know in the comments.
