Diaz Explains Khabib Brawl Eight Years Later: ‘I Slapped Him For Making Fun Of Me’

The younger Diaz brother explains how the feud between him and Khabib Nurmagomedov started back in 2015

Why did Nate Diaz slap Khabib Nurmagomedov in the face way back in 2015?

The confrontation between Diaz and a group of Dagestani fighters led by Nurmagmedov has gone down in MMA history, but Nate’s own explanation for what happened hasn’t gotten as much attention as it should.

The initial brawl went down during a Word Series of Fighting event in August 2015. The Diaz brothers were there to watch Jake Shields fight (and lose to) Rousimar Palhares in the main event. Khabib’s group was there to support his brother Abubakar Nurmagomedov, who beat Jorge Moreno on the main card. After an initial dust-up in the stands, a full on brawl ensued outside the WSOF event in the lobby of Planet Hollywood.

In an October 2019 interview with Ariel Helwani for ESPN, Nate Diaz explained how things went down from his point of view.

“When I ran into him and his team at the World Series of Fighting, they were taking a group picture because I was standing there watching Jake [Shields], my friend, fight,” Nate said. “And they took a picture, a group picture with me behind them, just to laugh at me, like make fun of me. You know what I’m saying?”

“I’m trying to watch my friend walk out, trying to watch his fight. And then he’s like ‘Hahaha, c’mon man, shit, haha,’ and they’re all laughing, like twelve Russian dudes.”

“Yeah, I slapped him in his face for making fun of me,” he continued. “I was like ‘What, bitch?’ and he didn’t do nothing. Security came in and he was like [chill]. And then I got kicked out, didn’t even get to see my friend fight. I was so furious. So I waited for his motherf—ing a— to come outside of there, and I went to get his a— again, and he ran off.”

“I shouldn’t have done that,” Diaz reflected. “I shouldn’t have done that. It was reckless, it was stupid, you know what I’m saying? I was mad. But he was picking on me!”

A proper fight between Nate Diaz and Khabib Nurmagomedov never came about, though. Nate went from fighting three or four times a year to just once a year through 2014 and 2015. In 2016 he stepped in last minute for Rafael dos Anjos to fight Conor McGregor, beating “The Notorious” via rear-naked choke in round two. After losing a rematch several months later, Diaz wouldn’t compete in the Octagon again until August 2019.

As for Nurmagomedov, he spent his 2015 on the sidelines with a torn meniscus in his knee and a rib injury. He’d return in 2016 and win three more fights to earn a title shot, taking the vacant lightweight title in a fight against Al Iaquinta in 2019.

Speaking of 2019, Nate and Khabib would have another run-in that year at UFC 239 when some foolish UFC staff member seated the two fighters a little too close. Words were exchanged, security was called in, and Diaz was escorted away from cageside.

Our chances at seeing the two compete in the Octagon are extremely low. Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from competition in 2020 and Nate Diaz has left the UFC to explore free agency. We wouldn’t rule out another run-in at a UFC show or casino parking lot, though.