Contrary to Dana White‘s recent accusations, Nick Diaz doesn’t believe he is at fault for the UFC’s botched Countdown tapings.
The former Strikeforce welterweight champ has been somewhat of a headache for the UFC throughout his career.
If he isn’t throwing down in nearby hospitals and skipping out on press conferences, White says Diaz is missing multiple interviews for UFC Countdown—a promotional show highlighting his journey leading up to his UFC 158 title fight against Georges St-Pierre.
Bleacher Report was live at the post-fight press conference for UFC on FUEL 7, where White clued the rest of the MMA world in on the turbulent Diaz situation.
Nick Diaz would be an interesting Countdown show too if we can get him to show up for those…Imagine how f****** good that would be. But first we gotta get him to show up for the f****** interviews, then we could do it. How many did he miss? Four? Three? Three. He missed three interviews.
We’ve had a crew in Stockton, for two weeks. When he doesn’t do an interview, you know how much it costs us? A shi*load of money. We’ve got a f****** crew, rolling around Stockton, not doing a f****** thing. It costs us a lot of money, and we can’t properly sell the fight or Nick Diaz.
It would be an understatement to say Diaz disagrees with his boss’ remarks.
In a Twitter post, he summed up his feelings for White’s accusations with only two words: “some bulls***.”
In an interview with MMA Mania, Diaz‘s legal counsel claimed White was clearly mistaken. According to the counsel, Diaz didn’t “miss three interviews,” and there weren’t any film crews “rolling around in Stockton.”
In fact, several earlier dates were arranged without Nick’s knowledge and with no notice to Nick. When Nick learned what had happened, I assisted him in arranging a date and time directly (Thursday, February 14). Nick arrived early and was in good spirits at that February 14 date — the one and only date he knew about in advance. Nick requires things to be done in an organized and orderly manner. That is the kind of professional he is.
UFC 158: St-Pierre vs. Diaz is already slated for March 16, which could put a strain on the film crew’s scheduling.
Is Diaz in the wrong once again, or should White take the blame for yet another monetary hiccup surrounding his controversial welterweight star?
Fans have been looking forward to Diaz fighting St-Pierre for years, and less than a month away from the event, the fight is already in jeopardy. A bit of déjà vu could be in store if problems persist between Diaz and the UFC promotional team.
With top welterweight contender Johny Hendricks also competing at UFC 158, there is always the possibility White pulls another switcheroo, pitting St-Pierre against Hendricks and Diaz against Jake Ellenberger.
Diaz is on thin ice, and it would behoove him to tread lightly.
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