Undefeated Russian lightweight king Nurmagomedov and US brawler Diaz were seen being separated by security staff cageside at the at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night, where they were in attendance for the event headlined by the light-heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Thiago Santos.
Khabib and Nate Diaz got into it and had to be separated at #UFC239 👀
(via mattwreford95 | IG) pic.twitter.com/mzHDHni03d
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) July 7, 2019
Diaz was seen walking behind Nurmagomedov while shouting something at the Russian.
Nurmagomedov initially motioned for Diaz to walk on, before standing up angrily and gesturing to him, prompting Diaz to step back towards him, at which point security moved in to separate the pair.
Khabib’s father and trainer Abdulmanap posted the footage on Instagram writing in Russia: “This guy is trying to get what he deserves without standing in line.”
Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdelaziz, who was in the vicinity, reportedly played down the incident, as did Diaz’s team.
Doesn’t sound like there’s much (if anything) to the Nate, Khabib (!!) stuff. Ali Abdelaziz, Khabib’s manager, tells me Nate walked by, directed some words towards the camp and security removed him quickly. Member of Nate’s team also indicated there was not much to it.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) July 7, 2019
UFC Boss Dana White said the pair were “talking sh*t to each other” but that “everybody got it before it became physical.”
Both men are preparing for a return to the octagon, with Diaz scheduled to face Anthony Pettis at UFC 241 in California in August.
Nurmagomedov, whose last opponent was also McGregor, defends his lightweight strap against interim champion Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi in September.
Is this just a precursor of what’s to come?
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