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Rafael dos Anjos recently revealed that he had an unexpected run-in with Nate Diaz that almost turned into a fight. It came just days after the Stockton native's win against Conor McGregor at UFC 196.
During an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, the former UFC lightweight champion revealed that Nate Diaz started "sizing him up" when they crossed paths at a Whole Foods store in Santa Monica, California. Rafael dos Anjos, McGregor's original opponent at UFC 196, who had to withdraw due to a broken foot, was ready to fight. However, Diaz simply wished him well and walked away.
"Funny thing. I went to see the doctor for a check-up and I went to a Whole Foods in Santa Monica. Guess who I see at the hot bar getting food? Nate Diaz. I looked at him and he starts sizing me up. We look at each other and I'm ready to fight with my broken foot. My wife was near me and she was afraid that we were going to fight. But he said 'get better' or something like that and I congratulated him before he walked away. He should have brought me dinner for pulling out," said dos Anjos.
Here's Rafael dos Anjos recapping the incident:
Rafael dos Anjos pulling out of his lightweight title defense against Conor McGregor at UFC 196 gave Nate Diaz one of the biggest breaks of his career. The younger Diaz became an even bigger box-office attraction after defeating the Irishman. Their rematch at UFC 202 was the most-bought pay-per-view in the company's history until UFC 229.
Check out the full episode of The MMA Hour here:
Rafael dos Anjos and Nate Diaz fought each other in the UFC prior to their run-in
After a year of inactivity, Nate Diaz returned to the octagon on December 13, 2014 to fight Rafael dos Anjos. A clearly unmotivated Diaz missed weight and was beaten soundly by RDA, who won by unanimous decision. This was RDA's last fight before he defeated Anthony Pettis to win the lightweight championship.
Diaz, on the other hand, took another year off before he returned to take on Michael Johnson at UFC on Fox 17. He was back to his best and scored a victory via unanimous decision. After the fight, the Stockton native unleashed a tirade on Conor McGregor, making him the perfect fill-in for dos Anjos after the Brazilian fighter pulled out of his title defence at UFC 196.
