Nate Diaz and Team Makhachev threw water bottles at each other backstage 😳
#UFC310 pic.twitter.com/gr3TDd5abt
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma)
December 7, 2024
Nate Diaz claims he doesn’t remember meeting Islam Makhachev in the elevator.
Makhachev and Diaz’s team recently came close to brawling for unclear reasons. Makhachev will defend his title against Arman Tsarukyan on Saturday at UFC 311 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. The lightweight champion was in Las Vegas for a presser last December when he encountered Diaz, who was chasing teammates Kron Gracie vs. Bryce Mitchell at UFC 310.
Both teams threw water bottles at each other and later accused the other side of starting the altercation. Makhachev believes Diaz threw the first water bottle, mistaking one of his teammates for Khabib Nurmagomedov. Mr. Makhachev also recently said that Mr. Diaz had shown respect for him when they allegedly met in an elevator several months ago.
But Diaz claims that Makhachev’s team started a feud for influence. The Stockton, Calif., native doesn’t even remember meeting Makhachev in the elevator. Diaz also harshly criticized Nurmagomedov, who recently sparked controversy by being removed from a Frontier Airlines flight due to the language barrier.
“Come to think of it, I didn’t know Islam was there,” Diaz wrote on Instagram. “I don’t know either. [which] He said yes, I was just there to corner my son. [Ewoks threw] Offer me a bottle for influence. What did I do? (laughs)
“And I had never seen this guy in an elevator before…I thought religious people don’t lie. What the hell is going on? And lo and behold, on the champion… All you had to do was say, “Yes, champ.”
Diaz and Nurmagomedov never met in the Octagon during their UFC careers, but they nearly got into a brawl at a 2015 World Series of Fighting event. Nurmagomedov retired from competition in 2020 with a perfect record and has been coaching his teammates ever since. Meanwhile, Diaz’s last MMA appearance was a win over Tony Ferguson in 2022, and he has since boxed twice, dropping a decision against Paul and rebounding with a win over Jorge Masvidal.
