Nate Diaz has voiced his strong disapproval of the animosity between Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev, labeling their rivalry as manufactured ahead of his own upcoming bout. This critique follows the recent UFC 328 event.
Strickland and Chimaev engaged in a months-long war of words leading up to their middleweight championship clash on May 9, 2026. The verbal sparring touched upon sensitive topics such as religion, family, and personal lives. The tension escalated at a press conference when Chimaev unexpectedly kicked Strickland in the leg, despite the presence of security. Security personnel intervened to separate the fighters as the verbal confrontation threatened to turn physical. In response, the UFC took measures to keep the fighters apart, including housing them in separate hotels and implementing additional security, such as metal detectors at one hotel, a decision Strickland attributed to Chimaev’s large entourage.
Ultimately, Strickland secured a split-decision victory with the judges’ scorecards reading 48-47, 47-48, and 48-47. While Chimaev initially dominated the first round with his grappling and submission attempts, Strickland staged a comeback over the subsequent five rounds, effectively countering takedowns and landing significant strikes. This loss marked Chimaev’s first defeat in his professional MMA career of 16 fights and solidified Strickland’s second reign as the middleweight champion. Immediately after the official decision, the two fighters embraced in the Octagon. Strickland later expressed his respect for Chimaev on social media, acknowledging that their intense pre-fight trash talk was primarily a strategy to boost the event’s sales.
Nate Diaz Addresses Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev’s Confrontation
Diaz shared his perspective during an appearance on Ariel Helwani’s show, coinciding with a face-off with Mike Perry for the MVP MMA 1 event. This event is scheduled to stream on Netflix on May 16, 2026, in Inglewood, California. The fight is a five-round welterweight contest contested under Unified Rules within a hexagonal cage.
“It’s weak. They were putting on a fake show. They were acting crazy and talking all this garbage to each other, and then hugging and acting like lovers, like cowards. Fake puppets. I’m done with that kind of nonsense. I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I was deceiving everyone like that.”
Diaz drew a clear distinction between the Strickland-Chimaev situation and his own upcoming bout with Perry, a seasoned veteran of bare-knuckle boxing. He emphasized that their matchup requires no fabricated drama, as they share mutual respect that eliminates the need for theatrical pre-fight antics.
Perry, widely known as the “King of Violence,” is making a return to mixed martial arts after his foray into bare-knuckle fighting. The MVP MMA 1 card also features a highly anticipated bout between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano. The promotion aims to attract a large audience by featuring prominent names on its Netflix debut. Diaz remains committed to his straightforward approach: show up and fight authentically.