DALLAS – Things took a violent turn Thursday at the conclusion of the Nate Diaz vs. Jake Paul news conference after a heated stare down at The Factory, Deep Ellum in Dallas.
Diaz and Paul were kept at distance, with Paul’s advisor Nakisa Bidarian and former Bellator matchmaker Rich Chou keeping the fighters apart. Both men were joined by large posses. Diaz turned his attention away from Paul at one point to get close with Bidarian. The two exchanged words and the fighters went in separate directions.
As the two sides jostled for stage position upon exit, a man who appeared to be a security guard from Paul’s crew shoved the pile multiple times, eventually resulting in punches being thrown by who appeared to be members from both sides. Eventually, things cooled down as the crews trickled off the stage.
“It don’t matter. Whatever happens, happens,” Diaz said on the DAZN broadcast of the event when asked about the altercation. “It usually can go better or worse. It’s all good.”
The Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz EXPLODES as teams start to scuffle. 😳 #PaulDiaz pic.twitter.com/efa35vIcrh
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) August 3, 2023
The security guard at the center of the altercation appeared to be the same man who was involved in a previous altercation with Diaz backstage at the Paul vs. Anderson Silva event in October.
Paul vs. Diaz takes place Saturday at American Airlines Center and streams on DAZN/ESPN+ pay-per-view.
