UFC 263: Embedded, Episode 5 - Watch the backstage interaction between Nate Diaz, Ali Abdelaziz, and Marvin Vettori at UFC 263 press conference

The backstage interaction between Nate Diaz, MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz, and Abdelaziz’s client Marvin Vettori has set the MMA community abuzz.

The intrigue surrounding this interaction is particularly due to Nate Diaz and Ali Abdelaziz’s history.

Nate Diaz, seemingly on good terms with Marvin Vettori, met Vettori backstage before the UFC 263 pre-fight press conference. Diaz entered a room where Vettori was seated with his coach Rafael Cordeiro and manager Ali Abdelaziz.

Diaz walked into the room and first greeted Vettori, who appeared ecstatic to meet the MMA legend. A brief snippet of the interaction between Diaz and the aforementioned trio was shown in the UFC 263 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 5.

Nate Diaz exchanged handshakes and hugs with Marvin Vettori, Ali Abdelaziz, and Rafael Cordeiro. The Embedded episode then cut to Diaz making his way through the backstage area for the press conference. The younger Diaz brother also met UFC flyweight title challenger Brandon Moreno backstage.

Watch the episode below:

Nate Diaz’s history with Ali Abdelaziz has been brought to the fore before Diaz's fight against Leon Edwards

Leon Edwards (left); Nate Diaz (right)

The most notable part of the episode has turned out to be the brief footage of Diaz interacting with Vettori, Abdelaziz, and Cordeiro backstage. While Diaz’s cordial relations with UFC middleweight Vettori and world-renowned MMA coach Cordeiro aren’t surprising, the Abdelaziz interaction is something that has piqued the interest of many in the MMA community.

Nate Diaz and his older brother Nick Diaz are generally known for confronting their foes, irrespective of whether it’s inside the octagon or outside the realm of a professional combat sports environment.

Abdelaziz and the Diaz brothers are no strangers to each other. Nate, in particular, has been on the receiving end of a considerable amount of trash talk from Abdelaziz and the latter’s close friend Khabib Nurmagomedov. During the now-retired Nurmagomedov’s legendary UFC career, he and Abdelaziz had time and again clashed with Nate Diaz.

The infamous WSOF 22 brawl between Nate Diaz and his entourage against Khabib Nurmagomedov and his entourage back in 2015 is one of the most notable examples of the Diaz-Nurmagomedov rivalry.

Ali Abdelaziz was the WSOF vice president back then, along with also serving as Nurmagomedov’s manager. Abdelaziz had expressed his respect for the Diaz brothers in the immediate aftermath of the brawl, attempting to deescalate any future tensions. Nevertheless, in the ensuing years, Abdelaziz and Nurmagomedov continued engaging in a war of words against Nate Diaz.

Furthermore, at a UFC event in 2019, Nate Diaz got into a verbal altercation with Ali Abdelaziz, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Nurmagomedov’s entourage. Abdelaziz was one of the primary individuals involved in the verbal altercation with Diaz.

UFC welterweight mainstay and another one of Abdelaziz’s clients, Belal Muhammad, had even warned Nate Diaz to refrain from fighting Abdelaziz. Muhammad had insinuated that Abdelaziz, too, is a fighter and can hold his own against Diaz.

Considering these variables at play, the vast majority of MMA fans and experts were rather surprised to see Nate Diaz greet Ali Abdelaziz in the manner that he did. Presently, Nate Diaz is set to fight Leon Edwards at UFC 263 on June 12th, 2021. A win over Edwards is likely to earn Diaz a shot at the UFC welterweight title.