UFC 196 just got a whole lot more interesting.
While the withdrawal of Rafael dos Anjos from the March 5 co-main event might seem like a bad thing on the surface, trust us when we say that the addition of Nate Diaz to the bill has the potential to make the night even more memorable.
Conor McGregor may be the master of the mind games, but we doubt his new opponent will care too much.
Diaz has already shown that he won’t give an inch to The Notorious, and it’s no surprise when you take into account his recent history.
Back in August of last year, Diaz was banned from all World Series of Fighting events after clashing with fellow UFC lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov at WSOF 22 in Las Vegas.
World Series of Fighting vice president Ali Abdel-Aziz told MMAFighting.com. “They exchanged words and Nate threw a punch. I saw Nate throw a punch…Â I can’t have Nick and Nate [Diaz] come to a World Series of Fighting event again.”
After Nate Diaz was led away, his older brother Nick reignited tensions by seemingly throwing a drink on Nurmagomedov.
Things quickly moved outside the main arena, with the brawl taking in members of the public as it spilled over into the hotel bar.
At one point, it appears that Nate Diaz – as well as the brave fool taking the video – narrowly misses getting a flying stool to the face.
Diaz was then led away from the scene in handcuffs, although he was not formally arrested.
