Islam Makhachev dishes on Nate Diaz water bottle incident pre-UFC 311: ‘He showed me the middle finger’

Just a week out from his title return at UFC 311, Islam Makhachev has spilled on his backstage altercation with Nate Diaz during a pre-fight event last month, which involved the Stockton veteran launching water bottles in the direction of his team.

Makhachev, the current undisputed lightweight champion and pound-for-pound number one fighter under the banner of the promotion, is set to return at UFC 311 next weekend, rematching number one contender, Arman Tsarukyan in the headliner.

As for Diaz, the former lightweight title challenger and Ultimate Fighter winner has been out of action since UFC 279, where he fought out his contract in a fourth round come-from-behind submission win over former interim gold holder, Tony Ferguson.

Linked with a return to action later this year in a deal to re-up with the promotion, Diaz cornered training partner, Kron Gracie at UFC 310 last month, with the Brazilian suffering an eventual knockout loss to Bryce Mitchell following a barrage of ground strikes.

However, positioned backstage ahead of the ceremonial weigh ins, Nate Diaz and Islam Makhachev’s team traded verbals behind the curtain, before water bottles were launched in each other’s direction, with security personnel and UFC officials keeping both teams separated.

Islam Makhachev reveals backstage spat with Nate Diaz

And sharing his story of how the event unfolded, Russian star, Makhachev claimed Diaz — who was previously respectful of him, flipped the script and flipped him off backstage before the fiasco.

“You know, and next day they [the UFC] put me inside, like close to the cage,” Islam Makhachev told Demetrious Johnson. “I sit with Dana (White), and Dana com to me and say, you are troublemaker, you know. I say, Dana, it’s not my fault. We sit in the, before the fight day. I have press conference, the fighters have official weigh-in. We sit and (Nate) Diaz start to show them like, you know. Your middle finger. Yeah.For what? Yeah.

“You know, maybe for someone it’s good, no problem, but it’s not our style because one of the guy, he wear the mask, you know. Maybe he’s sick a little bit, he wear the mask and maybe Diaz thinking, oh, it’s Khabib (Nurmagomedov) and show him, you know.

“But that day Khabib not in Vegas, he’s in some other country, you know,” Islam Makhachev continued. “…You know what the interesting [thing is], like maybe five, six months ago, I meet Diaz in the elevator in the Wynn hotel. He go to cross to me and say, respect, respect, respect, just walk. But what changed now, when a lot of cameras come, they always people change, you know.”