UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor may have the best trash talk in combat sports since Muhammad Ali. And Nate Diaz may be better.
The proud son of Stockton memorably dismissed McGregor’s much vaunted Movement Training as “Touch butt in the park.” And when it was over, he told the world “I’m not surprised motherf***ers.”
UFC 196 was expected to do excellent numbers, but when Rafael Dos Anjos dropped out of the fight with McGregor on ten days notice and Diaz moved in, the buys became historic. UFC 196 is expected to become the 2nd biggest PPV in UFC history, behind UFC 100.
A rematch was set for UFC 200, but McGregor was removed for failing to meet contracted media duties. Now Diaz has had time to reflect, and he wants more money.
“I remember when I realized,” said Diaz, as transcribed by Shaun Al-Shatti for MMA Fighting. “I forget how many years ago, I sent a tweet out. I just tweeted something I thought, I can’t even remember. It was about Bryan Caraway. Remember when I sent a tweet out about him? That s*** went viral, man. People were hitting me up everywhere and I was like, that’s crazy, what the f***? After that, I was like oh s*** if I say something, it’ll go f***ing viral, so I would just keep my mouth shut until I had something to say, then I’d spit it on Twitter or something and it’d go everywhere. So that’s when I knew, I’ve got a bigger following than all these motherf***ers. If I could send a tweet out and that many people look at it, how many people are watching me fight?
“I think that’s what fighters don’t realize, that this is a business, and if they don’t start treating it as such, no one is going to get nowhere. If you guys keep saying ‘I’ll fight anybody,’ of course you will. That’s why you started, right? That’s why I started. Like, I’ll fight any-motherf***ing-body. I’m in this s*** to be the best, mother***er. If you’re not in it to be the best mother***er, I don’t even know what the f*** you’re doing it for. If I don’t think I could beat everybody, what the hell am I fighting for? I think I’ll beat everybody still, in every weight class too. I’m not talking about three five-minute rounds. I’m talking about to the realness. I’ll beat everybody. I’ll find a way.
“Treat yourself like a business and quit f***ing (saying) ‘I’ll fight for free’. That don’t help nobody. That’s bad karma for you for even f***ing (saying that). Stupid ass Cowboy Cerrone says that s***. That’s bad karma for everybody. You’ll fight for free, now everybody else has got to? Why wouldn’t they pay us? Because they got dumbs***s like you fighting for free. Start acting like a businessman and start treating yourself like a business and get your ass paid for being in an Octagon. The whole world watches you fight.
“Entertainers are there in the front row. I’m sitting there with Lil Jon and f***ing Mike Tyson and who else? Everybody. Anyone you could think of that’s famous is sitting front row. Baseball players. These guys are getting paid millions of dollars, and we’re entertaining the entertainers. So doesn’t that make us the crème de la crème? Shouldn’t we be paid the f*** out? Why are you fighting for free, you dumbs*** motherf***er. That s*** gets on my last nerve.”
“I’m going to maximize my potential. Whatever I can get out of this, I’m going to get. Rip and take. I’m not going to sit back and say I’ll fight anybody. Nah, I’ve been there. I’ve done that. I don’t have to say that. Now I’m like, f*** you, pay me, motherf***er.
“Even my last fight, they’re like, ‘finally you’re getting paid, congratulations.’ No, that’s reimbursement, is what that is. I haven’t even been paid yet, and I’m going to continue to represent for my s*** and say what’s what and get what’s mine, because no one wants to see no other fight.”
