Former UFC champion-turned-pundit Daniel Cormier has entered a verbal spat with fan-favourite fighter Nate Diaz.
The feud was sparked when Cormier, in a YouTube video on February 28, brushed aside the idea of Diaz returning to headline UFC 306 at the Vegas Sphere.
"While the name value is exciting, Nate Diaz the fighter isn't that guy anymore," Cormier remarked. "And he might get mad at me and he might say something to me when I see him --- I don't know, I don't really care."
Cormier's prediction was correct as Diaz posted a scathing Tweet the day after, alleging that Cormier "is not a fighter."
"This b**** is not a fighter," Diaz wrote in a caption paired with an image of Cormier crying. "Complete opposite. Good talk DC."
Cormier responded with a video dedicated to the matter on March 1. The former double-champion went in on Diaz, explaining that they "are not in the same stratosphere in terms of fighters."
"The reality is, one thing we will not do is compare myself to Nate Diaz," Cormier explained. "Because it's different levels --- Much different, I'm a champion. Two weight classes. I lost three times in my career. .... We are not in the same stratosphere in terms of fighters. We're not, and it's time for me to stop allowing people to attack or come at me in these ways when I'm doing my job.
".... So to wrap it up, Nate, here’s the deal. I don’t have a problem with you. If I see you, I’ll tip my hat to you. If you want to say something to me, come up to me. Tell me. Tell me what the issue is. We can discuss it like men. But I don’t really play all that b**** and other stuff. So lay off that. Lay off that and I’ll lay off you."
Cormier was the second-ever UFC double-champion, claiming both the light heavyweight and heavyweight titles simultaneously. He's most well-known for being a 2008 USA Olympic wrestling team member and for his extended rivalries with Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic.
'DC''s MMA resume includes victories over Jeff Monson, Bigfoot Silva, Josh Barnett, Frank Mir, Roy Nelson, Dan Henderson, Anthony Johnson (x2), Anderson Silva, and Stipe Miocic --- hardly the resume of a non-fighter.
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