'Outright fraud': Nate Diaz sues for $9 million after promoter allegedly says he can't pay because his wife might divorce him



Fan favorite UFC star and boxer Nate Diaz is suing a digital company Fanmio and its CEO for allegedly failing to pay the bulk of his fight purse after a recent boxing match.

Diaz defeated fellow MMA star turned boxer Jorge Masvidal late in the evening of July 6, 2024. With several press conferences and more social media promotion than is typical for Diaz, the fighter seemingly put a lot of effort into getting eyes on the fight.

After selling out the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, it may now be clear why Diaz put so much time into promotions.

According to a new lawsuit by Diaz and his legal team, he is still owed $9 million for the fight after Fanmio and CEO Solomon Engel allegedly failed to pay the vast majority of his fight fee.

Journalist Ariel Helwani revealed the lawsuit on his show "The MMA Hour" after being sent the legal filing by Diaz's manager, Zach Rosenfield. Helwani read the introduction of the complaint — filed in the Southern District of Florida — live on the air and said it explained the lawsuit in detail.

"This case involves an outright fraud committed by defendants Fanmio and its president and owner, Solomon Engel, upon famed mixed martial artist and boxer Nathan Diaz," Helwani began.

He added that "Diaz and his representatives were skeptical that Fanmio and its representatives" had enough money to pay Diaz but were assured "repeatedly" that the company had the "financial resources" to pay him and that the payments would be guaranteed.

$1 million was to be paid up front, with $9 million after the fight, the lawsuit alleged.

"Fanmio and Engel are now reneging," the lawsuit continued, with the company allegedly having made a "flurry of desperate calls" to Diaz's representatives to provide excuses as to why it couldn't pay.

Diaz's representatives alleged that Engel said that he was going to lose more money than anticipated from the event if he paid Diaz in full and that his wife may divorce him over further financial losses.

He also allegedly claimed that if he paid Diaz the full amount, he might have to claim bankruptcy.

The Fanmio CEO released a statement that called Diaz's lawsuit "frivolous:"

"Nate Diaz has filed a frivolous lawsuit against Fanmio which claims that fraud and breach of contract were committed by Fanmio, yet neither has taken place. In fact, Diaz has already been paid seven figures in connection with the fight."

Engel continued, alleging that the comments that have been made about him rise to the level of defamation.

"Making salacious and defamatory statements to the media in order to harm my family and I has only strengthened my resolve to ensure that the truth will triumph."

Solomon also said that he looked forward to "resolving this dispute through the appropriate process" and that he was "confident that justice will prevail."

— (@)

Diaz's manager said that the fighter would not be making public comments about the lawsuit.

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'I will be juiced up': Chael Sonnen says he will break every rule if 'stupid' Jorge Masvidal wants to fight him

'I will be juiced up': Chael Sonnen says he will break every rule if 'stupid' Jorge Masvidal wants to fight him



Former UFC fighter and All-American wrestler Chael Sonnen went on a tirade about the sheer "stupidity" of an offer Jorge Masvidal made to him for a fight proposal.

Talking to host Ariel Helwani on "The MMA Hour," Sonnen was asked to comment on the upcoming boxing match between UFC legends Masvidal and Nate Diaz.

From the onset, Sonnen jokingly confessed that he supports "anything that Nate does" and at the same time hates "anything that Jorge does."

Sonnen remarked that he thought the event had been doomed from the start due to its poor timing and poor promotion.

"I remember thinking 'this thing is going to fall on its face,'" he told Helwani.

However, he admitted that the first press conference changed his mind when he saw it was packed and most certainly didn't "fall on its face."

Sonnen then revealed that he was contacted about being a backup fighter for the boxing match should one of the fighters not be able to show.

"Yeah, and I don’t like that [backup] word, they used a different word because there’s no scenario where I would fight with Nate, and they knew that," Sonnen stated. "It was a different word. But they meant if Nate can't do it, will you take on Masvidal? I said absolutely I will."

"He can use his right hand, he can kick me in the nuts, he can do anything he wants. I will be juiced up, and I will beat Jorge Masvidal anytime."

The now-analyst and commentator also remarked on an offer that Masvidal proposed about a possible fight in the future. Sonnen said that he has been trying to get Masvidal to keep his word about the "stupid" offer.

"You want to know what p***ed me off about that? First off, I never got the credit for it, and second, Masvidal came out and said he would do a contract to pay me my biggest bag and not throw his right hand. Now those are just stupid things to say."

"I told him, 'Put it in the contract,'" he ranted. Sonnen then asked where the "stupidity" ends with offers like this.

"Whatever he keeps on saying, I accept, Jorge. Keep limiting yourself. I’m going to do all those things and more, that's why they call me a cheater."

"I will fight Masvidal right now. He can use his right hand, he can kick me in the nuts, he can do anything he wants. I will be juiced up, and I will beat Jorge Masvidal anytime. But I won't take the fight from Nate, and this is exactly what I told these jabronis, word for word," he reiterated.


Masvidal and Diaz had recently moved their bout from June 1, 2024, to June 6 in order to prevent a head-to-head broadcast with UFC 302.

At the time of this publication, fight promoters Fanmio had yet to update the date on its website. This lends credibility to another remark Sonnen made in the interview, when he said "as soon as you move the date" it's going to fail.

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UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal reveals why he wasn't allowed to fight 'pervert creep' Jake Paul

UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal reveals why he wasn't allowed to fight 'pervert creep' Jake Paul



UFC fighter and now boxer Jorge Masvidal explained why the UFC never allowed him to have any combat against online sensation Jake Paul.

Masvidal, who retired from MMA in April 2023 only to reveal that he was still signed to the UFC, has forayed into professional boxing with a match against fellow UFC alumnus Nate Diaz.

During an appearance on "The MMA Hour," Masvidal explained why he never had a fight against Paul in boxing nor mixed martial arts. Paul has consistently called out Masvidal for a fight since 2020.

"I’ll address this little coward right now because I know he’s watching this s**t like a little creep," Masvidal told host Ariel Helwani. "This little pervert creep be peeping on your show, brother."

"Listen [Jake], the UFC doesn’t like your b***h a**. Dana White, don’t like your b***h a**. Obviously, Hunter Campbell doesn’t like your b***h a**. They said, ‘We’re not going to let you make money with this guy,’ because at the end of the day, we’re partners. Me and Nate, we’re going to make money right now.”

Masvidal explained that the UFC's top executives were not interested in making Paul any type of money or increasing his brand. In fact, the Cuban fighter revealed that UFC President Dana White had even sponsored Paul's opponent, Mike Tyson, for their boxing match.

"They don’t care for that motherf**ker ... I get why they don’t want me to f**k with him and make him any notoriety or money. They don’t give a f**k about him. [If] Jake runs up on me somewhere else where it’s not a ring or something, we can find out, bro," he said threateningly.

"Whether he likes me or not, we’re going to make a f**king ton of money," Masvidal said of his fight with Diaz.

Paul publicly called out Masvidal again following a press conference he had with Diaz.

"Two of the biggest names in MMA can’t keep my name out their mouth at their press conference that nobody watched," Paul wrote on X. "Already told both of these bozos to come see me in PFL [because] in boxing they got no shot. $10M for either of them."

Masvidal took issue with Paul's suggestion that they could have an MMA fight in the competing promotion, PFL.

"You’re talking about the PFL, the f**k are you going to do in MMA? Are you kidding me? You can’t even box. Now, you’re going to fight in MMA? I would kick your f**king kneecap off your fragile body,” Jorge Masvidal stated.

Masvidal, 39, also suggested that $10 million would be a pay cut for him, and a fight in the other promotion was completely unrealistic given his relationship with the UFC.

"Under no circumstances" would the UFC allow a "top draw" to go to PFL and make them, Masvidal said.

— (@)

Masvidal and Diaz will box on June 1, 2024. Paul and Tyson will box on June 20, 2024.

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Cuban American UFC star Jorge Masvidal slams Colin Kaepernick as a 'coward' for praising Fidel Castro, blasts 'evil communists'



UFC star Jorge Masvidal had some fighting words for former NFL player Colin Kaepernick. The Cuban American UFC fighter blasted Kaepernick for praising Fidel Castro, and condemned the communist regime of Cuba by calling it a "killing machine."

Masvidal shared a Turning Point USA post that reads: "American leftists who know nothing about real oppression & communism wear images of Castro... while Cubans living in the horrors of communism and real oppression are waving the American flag."

The post features a 2016 photo of Kaepernick wearing a t-shirt with Fidel Castro on it countered with a picture of Cubans waving the American flag.

"Know ur history and facts cowards like this fool should be sent to live in Cuba see what they say after a day there," Masvidal wrote on Instagram.

View post on imgur.com

When asked about wearing a t-shirt with an oppressive dictator on it, Kaepernick claimed that he praised Castro for his "investment in education" and "investment in universal health care."

"I agree with the investment in education," the former NFL quarterback told reporters. "I also agree with the investment in free universal health care as well as the involvement in helping end apartheid in South Africa. …I would hope that everybody agrees those things are good things. And trying to push the false narrative that I was a supporter of the oppressive things that he did is just not true."

"One thing that Fidel Castro did do is they have the highest literacy rate because they invest more in their education system than they do in their prison system," Kaepernick continued. "Which we do not do here, even though we're fully capable of doing that."

Kaepernick then used the opportunity to bash the United States, "We do break up families here. That's what mass incarceration is. That was the foundation of slavery. So our country has been based on that as well as the genocide of Native Americans."

Kaepernick was poised to educate the US on its oppressive history, then he wore a Fidel Castro shirt. #irony https://t.co/M2KzSoNkbS

— Jordan Allott (@JordanAllott) 1472527736.0

Last week, Masvidal showed his support for the people of Cuba fighting for their freedom while describing the Cuban government as a "killing machine."

"I use my platforms to do what I feel is correct and I feel everybody should be doing which is fighting against oppression, dictatorships, communism, and anything of that nature," Masvidal said in a Twitter video that used the popular #SOSCuba hashtag that highlights the struggles of Cubans as they fight for liberty.

"My father escaped Cuba when he was 14-years-old and I've only heard the horror stories since I could process thoughts of how sh**ty this communist regime – killing machine is," Masvidal stated. "So I just want to shed some light on Cuba, big SOS signal for them."

"This oppression has been going on for 61 years," he added. "It's not just because of the pandemic, not just because they ran out of medicine, they've been out of medicine, they've been out of resources and food because of the corrupt government, the extreme corruption over there where only a few at the top eat and everybody else has to suffer — those days have to come to an end."

"So I think it's time for the whole world to rally behind Cuba," the UFC star said. "Let's go, spread the messages online, we gotta protest, we gotta get together, get attention."

"Maybe the local media channels in America won't cover this, or in other parts of the world. But I think it's up to us to put the word out there. It's the people against the corrupt governments," he concluded. "Let's defeat these evil communist motherf***ers, man. God bless everybody watching and thank you."

(CAUTION: Strong language):

#SOSCuba English https://t.co/on5Z25H2q0

— Jorge Masvidal UFC (@GamebredFighter) 1626139116.0

Masvidal's father lived in Cuba under the oppressive dictatorship of Fidel Castro. At the age of 14, Jorge Masvidal Sr. decided he needed to flee Cuba, so he and two others desperate to get out of the communist country constructed a jerry-rigged raft out of tractor tires and large water jugs. However, one of the water tanks wasn't fastened properly.

"But somebody messed up and one of the tanks of water wasn't wrapped up right, and it just got f***ed up with saltwater, so their drinking supply was over with," Masvidal said, adding that they were lost at sea because the trio didn't plan properly.

On the third day at sea, a starving Masvidal Sr. hunted down a seabird, then drank its blood and ate the bird. They luckily ended up in the Virgin Islands. Masvidal Sr. was then brought to Florida, where he met Jorge's mother, who was from Peru.

WATCH: UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal tells Crowder that Kamaru Usman 'hits like a B***H'



Steven Crowder interviewed UFC fighter and outspoken Trump supporter Jorge Masvidal about predictions for Saturday's #UFC 261 fight against Kamaru Usman.

In the first clip, Crowder asked Masvidal what made him so confident he could beat Usman in their first fight? Masvidal said he [Usman] "hits like a b***h" and predicted the fight would "start violently and end violently."

In the second clip, Crowder asked Masvidal about the skillset of former Disney Channel actor turned professional boxer Jake Paul. Crowder was surprised to hear what Masvidal had to say about Paul because Masvidal had trained Paul in the past.

"What is your impression of Jake Paul ... how good would you say his skillset actually is," Crowder asked.

Masvidal said that Paul "is a good athlete and has some coordination, so given his background at Disney, he is doing pretty well."

Masvidal later added that Paul should stay away from "real fighters" because he isn't "mean" like the seasoned MMA fighters who make a living off fighting.

Crowder expounded on Masvidal's "mean" comment with a personal story from when he competed in Jujutsu.

"When people say Jorge Masvidal is mean, I say no, he has a killer instinct ... there's a big difference between being mean and having a killer instinct," Crowder said. "I don't have a killer instinct unless someone has personally wronged me. One time, I was in a Jujutsu tournament and I had a guy in tough crossface in side control. I liked the guy a lot, and was winning but when I heard him groan I said 'I'm sorry' and let him go, and he put me back in guard."

"It was at that point I realized I didn't have the heart for fighting ... that is not mean ... but you [Masvidal] would have probably broken his jaw," Crowder said.

Masvidal agreed adding that he would have "for a fact secured a victory."

Watch the clip below for more. Can't watch? Download the podcast here.



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Jorge MASVIDAL: Saturday FIGHT Predictions! | Louder With Crowder

Jorge MASVIDAL: Saturday FIGHT Predictions! | Louder With Crowder

UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal says he may start attending conservative rallies 'to keep the peace' after seeing left-wing violence



Jorge Masvidal, a conservative supporter of President Donald Trump, says that he may show up at conservative rallies after witnessing the violence leftist extremists carried out over the weekend at pro-Trump rallies.

What are the details?

On Saturday, Masvidal took to Twitter with his displeasure over the antics, writing, "I bet I can get a couple of teammates and start attending these things #supernecessary. And I say this not to promote violence. To keep the peace. We are all in this together. #theressurection [sic]."

As reported by the Daily Wire, the famed fighter's remarks came as a caption to a video he retweeted featuring some of the violence that took place over the weekend in places such as the "Million MAGA March" in Washington, D.C.

The video has apparently since been deleted from the tweet, but Masvidal's remarks remain.

And I say this not to promote violence. To keep the peace. We are all in this together #theressurection
— Jorge Masvidal UFC (@Jorge Masvidal UFC)1605412049.0

You can watch the original video here and below.

Content warning: Rough language, violence:

What else?

Masvidal, an unapologetic Trump supporter, stumped for the president during the 2020 presidential election as part of a movement called "Fighters Against Socialism."

In a video for the campaign, Masvidal said, "I'm gonna let you in on something. The Democrats just think that they're entitled to the Latino vote. They think that we just have to hand it over to them. That's right. We sure as hell don't. They've got to show us what they can do for us, what they can do for our communities. We're not going to buy the same wolf tickets and false promises that destroyed great countries like Venezuela and Cuba. It's not gonna happen."

Taking a swipe at former Vice President Joe Biden and his 2020 presidential campaign, "You know what else is not gonna work for them? Playing 'Despacito' on your cell phone to pander to us. Hell no. You gotta give us some credit for having heads on our shoulders. I'm going to wrap this up for some words of Barack Obama. He said, 'Elections have consequences.' That is true. And those words have never been more true than they are today. We either re-elect President Trump and keep America great ... or we let Joe Biden destroy the greatest country the world has ever seen."

He concluded, "I'm a professional athlete, and I've been one for most of my life, so I've seen things through a sports lens — that makes Donald Trump our head coach, and before the global pandemic we were winning Super Bowls. And when you're winning Super Bowls, you don't fire the coach — it doesn't matter if you don't like the plays he runs, the players he puts on the field, or what he says on Twitter. You sure as hell don't replace him for another coach that's been in the business for 47 years at every level and never won a f***ing game."

The Trump campaign is set to release this digital ad featuring UFC Champ Jorge Masvidalin in a matter of hours https://t.co/knOzdPXl6f
— Ryan Saavedra (@Ryan Saavedra)1603159343.0
IN STUDIO: Jorge Masvidal! Why He's Vocal On Trump Support and Politics | Louder With Crowder

IN STUDIO: Jorge Masvidal! Why He's Vocal On Trump Support and Politics | Louder With Crowder

WATCH: UFC superstar Jorge Masvidal joins Steven Crowder LIVE in Studio



On today's show, Steven sits down for a very special Ash Wednesday with UFC fight superstar Jorge Masvidal in studio!


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VIDEO: UFC superstar Jorge Masvidal rallies Latino voters to support Trump in viral speech



UFC superstar Jorge Masvidal recently called out Democrats for their "false promises" and rallied Latino voters to support President Donald Trump's re-election in a speech that is now going viral.

Masvidal's comments came during a stop on the "Fighters Against Socialism" bus tour, which Donald Trump Jr. launched with Masvidal and other Latinos.

What did Masvidal say?

Masvidal, whose father escaped communist Cuba, warned his fellow Latinos that Democrats are attempting to take advantage of them by merely assuming Latinos will vote for Democratic candidates.

"I'm gonna let you in on something," Masvidal said. "The Democrats just think that they're entitled to the Latino vote. They think that we just have to hand it over to them. That's right. We sure as hell don't."

The crowd responded with boos.

"They've got to show us what they can do for us, what they can do for our communities," Masvidal continued. "We're not going to buy the same wolf tickets and false promises that destroyed great countries like Venezuela and Cuba. It's not gonna happen."

"You know what else is not gonna work for them? Playing 'Despacito' on your cellphone to pander to us," he added, referring to what Joe Biden did last month in an attempt to curry favor with Latino voters.

"Hell no. You gotta give us some credit for having heads on our shoulders," Masvidal said, before referring to former President Barack Obama's infamous phrase, "Elections have consequences."

"Those words have never been more true than they are today," Masvidal said. "We either re-elect President Trump and keep America great. Or we let Joe Biden destroy the greatest country the world has ever seen."

Had to come back to share this one 🙌🏻👏🙌🏻👏🙌🏻👏 https://t.co/M45YillmXT
— QualityAnalyst (@QualityAnalyst)1602550476.0

What does the data show?

While Hillary Clinton handily won the Latino vote in 2016 — with the exception of Cubans in Florida — Trump is expected to earn more support from Latinos this year than previous Republican candidates.

From Vanity Fair:

Polls of Latino voters are now consistently more favorable for the president than one might expect. In the latest Economist/YouGov poll, 34% of Latino voters favor Trump, with roughly 9% still undecided. At this point, Trump is running well ahead of his own vote share in 2016 (28%), as well as that of Mitt Romney in 2012 (27%) and John McCain in 2008 (31%). It's still a heavily Democratic vote, but the movement of somewhere between 6% and 15% of Latino voters is potentially significant enough to impact the outcome in states like Florida and North Carolina. The polling has shaken Democrats, who have rapidly expanded their efforts to engage with Latinos over the last month.

Stephanie Valencia, a cofounder of the progressive research hub EquisLabs, told Vanity Fair that the conservative message of personal freedom and economy prosperity resonates with Latino voters.