Brandon Royval defends Nate Diaz’s involvement with Team Khabib in bottle-throwing incident at UFC 311 presser
UFC legend Nate Diaz's ally Brandon Royval talks about their fight with Islam Makhachev's team at UFC 310.
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Brandon Royval clears the air around the altercation between Islam Makhachev and Nate Diaz's teams (via Imago/X)
Stockton native Nate Diaz never really liked Khabib Nurmagomedov and his team. Both the parties have been in various altercations and the latest one was at UFC 311. This time, Diaz and Islam Makhachev‘s team threw bottles at each other and UFC flyweight Brandon Royval was there to experience it.
Brandon Royval is extremely close to Nate Diaz and was at the event along with the Stockton native. In a latest interview, he opened up about the viral incident. Royval defended Diaz’s actions during the heated exchange and also shared insights into what sparked the altercation.
I know exactly who threw the water bottle. It was the flyweight Russian kid [Tagir Ulanbekov]. Yes, he was the one who first threw the water bottle. Like I turned around and …It flew past my f***g head….Bad throw you know. The video shows Nate throwing the first water bottle, but somebody didn’t record it because someone threw it at him first.
Brandon Royval via MMA Fighting
Diaz attended UFC 310 weigh-ins to support teammate Kron Gracie. Islam Makhachev, UFC lightweight champion, arrived after finishing the UFC 311 press conference. A brief verbal exchange between Makhachev and Diaz escalated quickly.
According to Brandon Royval, Diaz showed little concern about clearing his name regarding who initiated the altercation. Royval also shared that he was prepared to back Diaz if the situation escalated further. For fight fans, this clash wasn’t particularly surprising, as it’s far from the first time such incidents have occurred.
Nate Diaz talks about slapping Khabib Nurmagomedov during an altercation
Nate Diaz and Khabib Nurmagomedov share a contentious history that has been around for some time now. Diaz has frequently dismissed ‘The Eagle’ as ‘boring’ and criticized his fighting style, while Nurmagomedov called Diaz disrespectful and unprofessional. Despite the rivalry, the two never fought in the Octagon, leaving fans to wonder about their styles.
Diaz’s relentless pressure and Nurmagomdov’s dominant grappling would have matched up but never happened. This rivalry started during the WSOF 22 in 2015 where both parties threw bottles and drinks at each other. In an interview, the UFC legend talked about it in detail.
When I ran into him and his team at the World Series, I was standing there watching Jake, my friend, fight. And they took a group picture with me behind them, just to laugh at me, make fun of me… They’re all laughing, 12 Russian dudes. I slapped him in his face for making fun of me
Nate Diaz via ESPN MMA
Diaz doesn’t like it when he feels that others have disrespected him and definitely doesn’t care about the consequences. Since his retirement from UFC, the fighter has been a part of multiple altercations. His last fight with a security official has also put Diaz in a tough situation with the law.
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Ameetosh Dash
(981 Articles Published)