Getty Nate Diaz walks to the Octagon.
Comedian Shane Gillis shared an amusing Nate Diaz street fight story that involved UFC star Marvin Vettori.
Having remained out of action for over a year, Diaz is set to take on the top-ranked welterweight contender Khamzat Chimaev in the headlining bout of UFC 279 on Sep. 10 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. His last outing came against the reigning 170-pound champion Leon Edwards at UFC 263 in Jun. 2021, which Edwards won comfortably after going the distance on the judges’ scorecards.
Following an appearance on the popular podcast show “Joe Rogan Experience,” Gillis took the opportunity to hang out with fan favorite Diaz. He shared the comical scenes from the night with Diaz, who may have gotten a bit too drunk.
“We walked outside and he front kicked a stranger,” Gillis said. “He got into a fight with a stranger immediately. Everybody that comes up, he’s like, ‘let’s get a picture, yeah, f**k you,’ and all that. Then, one dude walked up that was jacked and Nate Diaz, just immediately was like, ‘yo, you want to run up on us?’
“As soon as Nate called him out, obviously, the dude was like, ‘what’s up?’ Nate was immediately like, ‘what’s up?’ Then his boys jumped in and pulled him apart. While they are pulling him apart, he threw a front kick. He connected on this dude’s hip. He just flew everywhere.”
Marvin Vettori Was Also Involved in the Incident
Marvin Vettori, a former title challenger at middleweight, took on the former champion Robert Whittaker in the co-main event of UFC Paris this past Saturday. Tensions were high from an intense build-up as the two brawled it out inside the octagon to retain their place in the mix of title contention, with Whittaker successfully shutting down Vettori in a lopsided unanimous decision victory.
Gillis claimed that Vettori was present during the Diaz incident. “The Italian Dream” reportedly warned the rest of the crowd to be careful before picking a fight with him.
“Marvin Vettori was with us also, who’s a middleweight beast,” Gillis added. “He was with us like, ‘don’t f**k with me.’”
Chimaev Is Confident He Will Retire Diaz
Diaz had been in a public feud with the UFC for the better part of the last year. The grizzled veteran refused to extend his deal with the company as he wanted to explore other options as a free agent. When the promotion announced that he would complete the last bout on his current contract against “Borz,” many believed the promotion was intentionally giving Diaz an unfair matchup.
Chimaev has been looking to get his shot at the gold. The undefeated Chechen-born Swede explained his motivations for competing against Diaz, even if it may not get him closer to title contention.
“Actually, I don’t need to fight that guy. I fight the guy just for fun,” Chimaev said during a recent interview (h/t Sportskeeda). “I was a kid when he was fighting. I could wait for the title … I took that fight, that guy is not top, but he’s famous. Everyone loves him, everyone talk about this gangster. I eat gangsters for the breakfast. I’m gonna f**k that guy (up).”