Why did Nate Diaz slap Dana White?

Nate Diaz recently re-uploaded a video of him slapping UFC president Dana White after Will Smith did the same to Chris Rock at the Oscars.

White previously explained the incident and stated why Diaz slapped him. In fact, it was White who wanted the Stockton native to do it. Speaking on an episode of UFC Unflitered, the 52-year-old said:

"So what was happening is, we had just left and were heading back to the arena and we were on Crenshaw, and there was a place called the Turf Hotel. It just came to me, I said pull the truck over, I want Nate to slap me. And Nate looked at me like, what the f*ck? You should have seen the look on his face when I said that. And then we pulled over and he started slapping away." (h/t mmaimsports.com)

Will Smith recently stunned everyone during the Oscars. After a joke from Chris Rock directed towards Smith's wife, the actor walked up to the stage and slapped the comedian, who was about to present an award.

The action shook up social media, with many UFC fighters, including Jon Jones, immediately reacting.

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Nate Diaz recently asked for his UFC release

Diaz recently took to Twitter to ask the UFC to release him from the promotion. The Stockton native last fought at UFC 263, where he lost a decision to Leon Edwards.

He has been wanting to fight Dustin Poirier for a while now. 'The Diamond' is also interested in the bout and has expressed his desire on multiple occasions. However, there has been no word from the UFC.

With that in mind, Diaz has appeared very frustrated. It showed in his post, in which he said:

"I Would like to request to be released from the @ufc @danawhite @hunter. I apologize for asking online but u don’t give me a fight asap I got sh*t to do"

Nate Diaz remains a fan favorite and many want to see him back in action. Stylistically, a fight between him and Poirier should be a barn-burner.

Nevertheless, there are also other big-name opponents, including his former foes Conor McGregor and Jorge Masvidal, who could also face the veteran brawler inside the octagon next.