UFC Star Wants to Fight Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Amid Shoe Controversy

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

Getty Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

Actor and WWE superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is apparently sitting in the crosshairs of UFC icon Nate Diaz.

Diaz recently completed the last fight on his UFC contract by finishing Tony Ferguson with a fourth-round guillotine choke at UFC 279 on September 10.

He now stands as the biggest free agent in mixed martial arts history, however in an early-morning tweet on September 21, Diaz indicated that either he’ll fight The Rock or he’ll be “good.”

“Im only going to fight the rock,” Diaz tweeted. “Otherwise I’m good.”


Diaz Had a Problem With The Rock After His ‘BMF’ Title Fight at UFC 244

Diaz has had beef with The Rock since Johnson participated at UFC 244 when Diaz competed for the “Baddest Motherf*****” belt against Jorge Masvidal. The Rock was tasked as the man inside the Octagon to wrap the strap around the winner’s waist.

As history has it, the cageside doctor stopped Diaz from entering the fourth round of the November 2019 fight after he sustained a gruesome cut over his eye. Masvidal was declared the promotion’s “BMF” and The Rock presented Masvidal with the belt in the middle of Madison Square Garden.

During the night’s post-fight press conference, Diaz took aim at Johnson who, like Masvidal, is from the Miami area. “If you’re the baddest motherf*****, you gonna take that as a win?” Diaz said per Sporting News. “And f*** The Rock too. I saw him smiling with Masvidal. He can get it too.

“(The Rock’s) on that side, f*** him,” Diaz continued. “I’m on the West Coast side. Mike Tyson should have been here anyway. He’s the baddest man on the planet, right? He should have been the one.”

Diaz continued about Johnson, lightening up his take on the WWE superstar.

“I’m too hard on The Rock,” Diaz said. “You guys caught me at a bad time. The Rock’s cool. I like ‘Ballers’ (Johnson’s HBO show). But he picked the wrong side, so he can get it too. He can get his a** whipped too, straight up. With all due respect, he can get it too.”


Diaz Recently Ripped Johnson’s Shoe Line, Which Is a UFC Sponsor

Johnson’s “Project Rock” Under Armour shoe line is an official sponsor of the UFC and athletes wore the shoes during UFC 279 and fight week. So, as a UFC athlete, Diaz had to wear The Rock’s brand. Well, Diaz ripped Johnson’s shoe line while speaking with ESPN’s Megan Olivi.

“These shoes f****** suck,” Diaz said. “Look at these shoes. They make me put this s*** on.”

“F*** these shoes,” Diaz continued, taking off one of the shoes and pointing at it.

Diaz isn’t the only one to take issue with “Project Rock.”

According to a report from Bloody Elbow, the outlet spoke to “multiple sources” who disclosed that fighters won’t receive any extra compensation for wearing the shoes during fight week and as they walk to the Octagon on fight night.

“According to several fighters and managers who wished to remain anonymous, athletes have not received any additional compensation for wearing the new brand,” Bloody Elbow reported. “This was also confirmed by one fighter from UFC 279, who wore The Rock’s products during fight week.”

Multiple fighters have commented on the shoe line. For example, heavyweight UFC fighter Chris Daukaus called them “the f****** worse,” and lightweight combatant Terrance McKinney asked The Rock to “get in our corner and support us.”

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