"I probably deserved it" - Full Send reporter Shawny Mack reveals why Nate Diaz slapped him backstage at UFC 276

Reporter Shawny Mack recently made headlines after being slapped by Nate Diaz backstage in the aftermath of UFC 276.

In a recent episode of the FULL SEND podcast, Mack revealed what prompted Diaz to plant a slap on him. Mack harked back to Diaz's training partner seeming shocked when prompted for a potential fight against Khamzat Chimaev in a TMZ video. This led to Mack creating a meme that Diaz kept in mind while being interviewed at UFC 276.

"And he's like, 'Yeah, man.' I made a meme about it, and I took the song that goes, 'Oh no, oh no.' So when the camera pans to Nick Maximov, I played that. And I zoomed in on Nick Maximov's face — that was the first one."

Mack continued by saying he made a second meme to mock Maximov after his loss to Andre Petroski back in May.

"He got tapped out in the first round, so I screenshotted a picture of Nick Maximov obviously slept in the cage, and I put the Nate Diaz quote — 'Khamzat Chimaev, come fight my boy', as he's sitting there [obviously beaten]. So … you know what? F***ing right. I probably deserved it."

Watch Mack reveal the reasons behind Diaz's slap at UFC 276 below:

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Nate Diaz's UFC contract set to expire in October

With one fight left, Diaz has been insistent on getting an opponent and fulfilling his obligations contractually. However, he has also spoken about wanting to move on to a new challenge, while president Dana White has hit back, saying he is vying for a 'logical opponent' for the veteran.

As per Ariel Helwani, Diaz's contract is set to expire on October 19, with one fight left on his contract. With the veteran being out of action for over a year, he will be eager to return one final time inside the octagon before moving to new pastures.

His last fight came in June 2021 against Leon Edwards, and although it ended in a loss, Diaz almost won the fight with a last-minute flurry that had 'Rocky' in trouble. That said, Diaz will aim to finish his glorious UFC career on a high and leave with a win.

Watch Ariel Helwani talk about Diaz's contract on The MMA Hour below (02:50:00 onwards) :