UFC star Nate Diaz has long been regarded as one of MMA’s leading fan-favorites, stemming from his memorable antics both inside and outside of the Octagon.
With regard to the ‘outside’ section, the former UFC fighter recently returned to headlines after being involved in another brawl.
Plans for Diaz and Jon Jones to appear on ALF Reality, a Russian show similar to The Ultimate Fighter, were canceled after a brawl erupted on set.
In recent years, the Stockton native’s appearances as a combat sports competitor have been largely few and far between. Diaz has competed in MMA just twice in the last six years.
But during his long stints of inactivity, the 40-year-old has often appeared on social media to give his two cents on a number of topics. And one notable instance saw Rogan and McGregor enter his sights.
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Nate Diaz defended Stephen A. Smith against Joe Rogan, Conor McGregor backlash
One of the leading stories at the start of 2020 was the return of MMA’s leading superstar.
In his return fight at UFC 246, McGregor destroyed Donald Cerrone in just 40 seconds, busting the American’s nose up with shoulder strikes before forcing a TKO with a head kick and an onslaught of punches.
Present at the T-Mobile Arena for the event coverage was US sports broadcast personality Stephen A. Smith. After the fight, Smith claimed that Cerrone “gave up,” rubbing both Rogan and McGregor the wrong way.
But while the longtime UFC color commentator slammed Smith and pushed back on his involvement in MMA, Cerrone later admitted that he “didn’t want to be in there.”
Because of that, according to Diaz, Rogan and McGregor owed Smith an apology.
“Rogan and Conor should give Stephen Smith [an] apology,” Diaz wrote on X. “He said what it was. The fight was over before it started.”
What Dana White said about Stephen A. Smith’s controversial Donald Cerrone take
Rogan and McGregor weren’t the only high-profile names who disagreed with Smith’s public criticism of Cerrone.
Among plenty of fans who immediately pushed back on Smith’s crossover into the mixed martial arts world, UFC CEO Dana White also expressed his disappointment with the renowned broadcaster’s analysis.
“Listen, you’re tuning in and buying the pay-per-view because you love these guys and you respect these fighters, and you’re a fan of the sport,” White said to MMA Junkie. “The last thing you want to do is hear somebody ripping them apart.
“I’m not into it. Rogan is not into it. You don’t see that in the UFC. There will be times where I’m p—ed off at a guy, and I’ll voice my opinion on what he did or whatever – or if a fight is really bad or somebody did something. What we don’t do is, when a fight is over and a guy loses, we don’t go in and rip them apart. It’s just not our style.”
In the years since, Smith has remained a peripheral figure in the MMA space but has still discussed a number of topics related to the UFC on his ESPN show, First Take.