PHOENIX – Fight fans might like him, but Nate Diaz doesn’t receive the same amount of adoration from Justin Gaethje.
At a UFC 274 pre-fight news conference Wednesday, Gaethje let his true feelings come out when MMA Junkie asked him about a recent exchange he had with Diaz on social media.
“That motherf*cker has lost over 15 times, like, come on,” Gaethje said. “So for him to be criticizing me for one loss, I found it funny. And I think he’s jealous because he’s done. He’ll never be here. He’ll never be fighting for a world championship. He’ll never achieve a world championship. In the history books, I’m already a world champion. I don’t like it. I don’t accept it. I need to make it right on Saturday but I’ll be in the Hall of Fame. He should be, too, but just because the fans love him.”
The beef between the next-in-line UFC lightweight title challenger Gaethje and the all-time fan-favorite Diaz sprouted from a comment made by the latter, which questioned the former’s confidence about his upcoming fight Saturday at UFC 274.
“Bruh got triangle choked from the mount,” Diaz wrote, as he referred to Gaethje’s title challenge loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 254 in 2020. “What he talkin’ bout?”
At the time, Gaethje simply responded, “I ain’t your bruh you jealous b*tch,” via Twitter.
After he elaborated on his disdain Wednesday, Gaethje was asked if he thought Diaz would defeat surging welterweight Khamzat Chimaev if that fight happens. Rumors are circulating about the matchup after footage of the UFC “war room” matchup wall went viral.
“I heard he turned down Khabib about 20 times. So for him to sh*t on me for losing to Khabib, I find that hilarious. But if he’s fighting Khamzat next, then I have to give him some credit. … Of course (I don’t think he’ll win). But I’m a fan of the sport because anything can happen at any time. He’s not going to outwrestle him. He doesn’t even have the power to shut someone’s light out on accident. So, no. No chance. He has a zero percent chance – a one percent chance.”
Diaz has not competed since June 2021. In recent weeks, he’s voiced urgency to fight, but the promotion has not come to terms with him yet on his next bout, which is also the final one on his current UFC contract. Meanwhile, Gaethje battles champion Charles Oliveira for the title Saturday.
UFC 274 takes place at Footprint Center with the main card airing on ESPN+ pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.
