"Nate refused to fight": the head of the UFC refuted rumors of a duel between Dias and Nurmagomedov

Contrary to expectations, the duel between the Russian fighter of mixed style Habib Nurmagomedov and the American Nate Diaz will not take place in the near future. This was announced by the president of the Absolute Fighting Championship (UFC) Dana White in response to a proposal from one of the fans about organizing the meeting.

"Nate refused this fight," commented the functionary post on Twitter.

@EDLEZGIN @TeamKhabib Nate turned the fight down

At the moment, the future opponent of the Russians is still unknown. However, many MMA lovers suggested that one of the most logical options for the continuation of his career would be to meet with Diaz, who performs in the light weight category. In addition, his asset also has a victory over the Irishman Conor MacGregor, won in March 2016.

The additional interest in this fight was fueled by the longstanding conflict between the athletes, who, however, have never met inside the octagon. In August 2015, at one of the WSOF 22 tournaments, where Nurmagomedov came as part of his cousin Abubakar’s team, a scuffle occurred between the athletes, which began at the ground floor of the arena in Las Vegas and ended in the hotel lobby.

According to Nurmagomedov, Diaz was intoxicated and was the first to allow himself to make incorrect statements about the Russians. The Americans were supported by the rest of his team, with the result that a fight ensued. The fighters exchanged several blows, and the organizers had to resort to the help of guards and the police. Subsequently, both declared that they had managed to turn the enemy to flight.

The current UFC lightweight champion several times intended to prove his case by sports and challenged the offender, but the in-person meeting in the ring did not take place. Instead, athletes continued to share caustic comments on social networks.

Another round of conflict unexpectedly provoked MacGregor. On his Instagram page, he posted a post in which he spoke about the reasons for Nurmagomedov’s aggressive behavior after the title battle in October 2018. According to him, at the end of the third round, he openly began to criticize the opponent for his cowardice, which made the Russian mad.

“Habib nyl in every round, even being in a dominant position. It got me off track. If someone was indignant, it should have been me. At the beginning of the fight, he held my legs for four minutes, doing nothing. And he began to complain, like a real coward, when I tried to grab him by the barrel. But the fight is a fight. Only recently it came to me the realization that in the world of martial arts, very many are real whiners, ”wrote the Irishman.

Nurmagomedov’s answer was laconic. He published a photo of his victorious suffocating reception with the signature “You will live with this disgrace all your life.”

Russian manager Ali Abdelaziz could not stay away from the conflict. He urged McGregor to stop "dishonoring himself, his family, and country."

“You are talking nonsense about the man who made you give up after the third round. At first he assured that there is nothing serious between you, and now you accuse him of cowardice. But the most important salesman MMA is you. After Habib won, you should shut up, go back to the gym and make your way to the top yourself, ”said Abdelaziz in his video message to the fighter.

The situation took advantage of Diaz, who decided to remind his abuser conflict three years ago.

“I gave you a slap in the face, and your team couldn't do anything. Live with it, cowards, ”- ridiculed Diaz, the answer of Nurmagomedov to the Irishman.

The Russian did not remain in debt and reiterated his version of events. As proof of his words, he attached an amateur snapshot of a scuffle in the stalls, in which law enforcement officials try to separate the fighters.

“You hid behind the guards and then ran away. All this can be perfectly seen on video That evening we just smeared your team, ”reminded Nurmagomedov.

After the fight for the title of UFC lightweight champion, Diaz was one of the first to express his willingness to go to the octagon against the Russians. However, at the moment he did not comment on White's words about abandoning the battle.