Nate Diaz isn’t impressed with the way the Sean Strickland vs. Khamzat Chimaev fight was marketed to fans. The former UFC star openly criticized the manufactured hostility, trash talk, and confrontations that the two fighters generated ahead of their bout. During his MVP Face 2 Face segment with Mike Perry, promoting their upcoming showdown on Netflix, Diaz called out Strickland and Chimaev for what he described as pure deceit.
“They were faking the whole thing—acting crazy, talking all that trash, then hugging and showing respect like cowards,” Diaz said. “Fake puppets. I’m done with that nonsense. I’m not trying to create some artificial beef with you. I’m not here for a sit-down or a kumbaya moment. Hugging and shaking hands right away—that’s bull. I keep it real. I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I were faking it like them.”
During the lead-up to the Chimaev vs. Strickland title fight at UFC 328, the Chechen fighter threatened to attack Strickland, who responded by threatening to shoot him and his team. The UFC increased security measures, keeping the fighters in separate hotels and intervening when Chimaev kicked Strickland in the shin during a face-off. Security personnel and armed officers stepped in to prevent escalation. On fight night, however, both fighters appeared more composed inside the octagon, with Strickland ultimately winning via split decision. He later admitted the act was partly for fan entertainment.
Interestingly, UFC CEO Dana White fully embraced the manufactured rivalry. White initially ranked the beef between Chimaev and Strickland as the second-most intense in UFC history, behind only Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor. He cited the Brooklyn incident and post-fight chaos for that ranking. When reminded of the Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier feud, which included a fist fight at the MGM lobby, White revised his ranking, placing Chimaev and Strickland at number three.
Now that the rivalry has been exposed as staged, it remains to be seen how White views their supposed bad blood, especially since the Khabib-McGregor and Jones-Cormier feuds were genuine. Diaz’s comments reflect his straightforward mentality: he prefers to entertain fans with action rather than fake drama. What do you think of Strickland and Chimaev’s fabricated feud?
