A prominent internet personality found himself on the receiving end of Nate Diaz’s wrath after disrespecting the MMA veteran at a press conference.
The incident unfolded on Wednesday, as the kick streamer, known as Neon, approached the Diaz-Masvidal pre-fight press conference with the intention of asking Diaz a rather provocative question. Neon inquired whether Diaz would consider retiring if he were to be knocked out by Jorge Masvidal on Saturday night.
Diaz, known for his unwavering respect for the sport and his peers, immediately took offense to the question and proceeded to call out Neon, berating him for several minutes over the disrespectful inquiry.
As Neon attempted to leave the press conference, he was seen running away like a coward, accompanied by his security team, while being chased by Diaz’s entourage. The entire incident was captured on video, leaving many MMA fans and media members appalled by Neon’s lack of respect and his subsequent cowardly retreat.
Prominent figures in the MMA community, such as Ariel Helwani, were quick to condemn the boxing promotion for allowing the influencer to ask such a disrespectful question at the high-profile event. Helwani stated, “This sh– is so weak. Maybe I’m out of touch, but this trend of planting these losers – and make no mistake they are plants – at pressers to disrespect fighters who are about to put their lives on the line is lame and embarrassing.”
Helwani went on to emphasize that while he is supportive of new media outlets covering the sport, asking “dumb, disrespectful questions like this to fighters just to create a stupid viral moment that will do nothing to sell a fight is tired and dumb.”
The incident has once again highlighted the growing tension between the traditional MMA community and the influx of internet personalities and influencers who have made their way into the sport.
But sadly, with the need to captivate a young male audience many streamers and prankster are now doing MMA coverage part time.
