Nate Diaz and UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev got into a scuffle backstage after the UFC 311 press conference in Las Vegas.
Nate Diaz is known to ruffle many feathers and incite chaos in and out of the Octagon. While he isn’t currently signed to the UFC roster, he’s in Las Vegas to support one of his teammates and had a not-so-friendly run-in with Islam Makhachev.
Diaz, who defeated former BMF foe Jorge Masvidal for his first professional boxing win earlier this year, departed from the UFC following a win at UFC 279. Since then, he’s teased a potential return to the Octagon, although he appears set to return to boxing after watching Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson.
Diaz and Khabib Nurmagomedov have a heated past, including multiple near-brawls during their legendary careers. This time, Diaz opted to take a shot at Nurmagomedov’s pupil, Makhachev, in the form of a water bottle throw.
Nate Diaz re-ignites feud with Team Khabib during backstage altercation
As filmed by ESPN MMA, Diaz, and Makhachev can be seen barking from a distance before Diaz tells Makhachev to “pull up”. He then heaved a water bottle toward Makhachev and his team, and chaos nearly ensued before security regained control backstage.
Makhachev was in Las Vegas to promote UFC 311, featuring his rematch with Arman Tsarukyan in the main event. He returns to the Octagon after defeating Dustin Poirier by submission at UFC 302 earlier this year.
As of this writing, Makhachev nor Diaz have publically addressed the incident on their social media pages. But for now, it appears cooler heads have prevailed, although it’s uncertain how long that’ll last.
Diaz slapped Nurmagomedov during a 2015 run-in, sparking a years-long feud with one of the most decorated teams in MMA.
Diaz and Makhachev weren’t involved in the lone backstage altercation at the UFC 311 press conference. Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov stoked the flames of their beef before the press conference started, nearly coming to blows before security separated them.
Nate Diaz is on the verge of a fighting return after rematch win over Jorge Masvidal
During his UFC tenure, Diaz was one of the UFC’s biggest draws, particularly after his back-to-back fights with Conor McGregor. He pulled off one of the greatest upsets in UFC history when he tapped out McGregor in a days notice bout at UFC 196.
Diaz could potentially return to the UFC for a trilogy fight with McGregor, despite the latter’s ongoing hiatus from fighting. McGregor hasn’t competed since injuring his leg at UFC 264.
Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan 2 kicks off what should be another star-studded year for the UFC in 2025. The champion Makhachev defeated Tsarukyan in their first clash by unanimous decision in 2019.
While UFC CEO Dana White is focused on UFC 310 on Saturday, he’ll likely address the Diaz/Makhachev incident this weekend. Expect UFC security to step up next time these two are in the same vicinity at another venue.
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