MMA icon Nate Diaz fired back at Ilia Topuria, calling him a “punching bag” after Topuria had similarly insulted Diaz following his loss. Earlier this year, after Diaz was defeated via cut stoppage TKO by Nate Diaz at MVP MMA 1, Topuria labeled Diaz a punching bag. In response, Diaz echoed the same insult towards Topuria following Topuria’s defeat by Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250.
During the Ki MMA press conference, where Diaz attended as a guest of honor, he was asked about a potential rematch between Topuria and Gaethje. Diaz didn’t hold back, criticizing Topuria harshly for his previous comments: “I don’t really care about what they say, but Ilia is weak as hell. He’s a punching bag. He called me a punching bag — well, he’s the real punching bag, he got beaten badly,” Diaz stated, as reported by MMAFighting.com.
When questioned about his interest in competing for Ki MMA, Diaz expressed strong enthusiasm, especially because the promotion uses a ring instead of a cage. Though uncertain about potential opponents, Diaz confirmed, “Absolutely. Especially with a ring involved. I want to fight everywhere for a while. Right now, no one seems that impressive, but I plan to return by at least January and aim to fight twice next year. I’m ready to get active and whip some asses.”
With Ki MMA’s promoter Scott Coker planning superfights alongside a tournament-style format, signing a high-profile fighter like Diaz would make perfect sense for the growing organization.
Fan Take: This back-and-forth between Diaz and Topuria adds an extra layer of drama that fight fans thrive on, building potential storylines for future matchups. Diaz joining Ki MMA could also shake up the promotion landscape by bringing star power and excitement to a new platform, benefiting the sport overall.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
