MMA star Nate Diaz slapped a YouTube reporter backstage at the UFC 276 show in Las Vegas
Nate Diaz slapped a reporter backstage at the UFC show in Las Vegas Saturday.
It apparently was all about tweets the reporter had sent that Diaz took offense to.
"My first weekend on the job and I got Stockton slapped," the reporter said. "What a ride we're on."
LAS VEGAS — MMA star Nate Diaz slapped a microphone away from Full Send MMA reporter Shawny Mack Saturday, then struck the cap off of the creator's head.
The controversy took place backstage at the UFC 276 show inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
It was apparently the first time the MMA reporter had been credentialed for a big, pay-per-view show in the combat sports space for the start-up YouTube channel, and he took home more than he bargained for while interviewing Diaz.
Mack began the conversation by looking into the camera and saying: "OG Full Send MMA, look who pulled up on us."
After Diaz threw a gang sign, Mack called him "Stockton's finest" — a reference to Diaz's hometown in California — before asking if he was in the building to "check out Sugar Sean" O'Malley, who fought Pedro Munhoz in a no contest on the main card.
It is unclear whether the whole thing was choreographed, or if Diaz had an ulterior motive for agreeing to the interview, but the fighter can be heard saying, "You better watch your tweets about my dude who was fighting recently."
He then slapped the microphone out of Mack's hand with one palm before striking the reporter's hat off of his head.
The Full Send MMA clip finishes shortly after.
Watch it right here:
Reacting to the incident on Instagram, Mack said: "Some of y'all forget I started out as a meme page.
"I knew what I was getting into when I signed up for it. Never been one to shy away from putting my opinion out there.
"My first weekend on the job and I got Stockton slapped," he said. "What a ride we're on."
In actual fights on the night, Israel Adesanya defeated Jared Cannonier in the main event of UFC 276; Alexander Volkanovski produced a career-best win in his trilogy bout against Max Holloway; and Alex Pereira scored a thumping first-round knockout win over Sean Strickland.
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