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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 02: Nate Diaz stands in his corner prior to his welterweight bout for the BMF title against Jorge Masvidal during the UFC 244 event at Madison Square Garden on November 02, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
![](https://image-cdn.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/GettyImages-1185153855.jpg?width=600)
via Getty
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 02: Nate Diaz stands in his corner prior to his welterweight bout for the BMF title against Jorge Masvidal during the UFC 244 event at Madison Square Garden on November 02, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
The story surrounding Nate Diaz’s issues with ‘Fanmio’, the organization behind his recent boxing match against Jorge Masvidal, has now taken a different turn! It was recently reported that Diaz had filed a lawsuit against the organization and its CEO, Solomon Engel, for not giving him his agreed-upon payout for the event.
But while the boxing match between the UFC veterans turned out to be an unexpected hit in terms of entertainment, the numbers for the event show that it might not have been the financial success the organizers may have hoped for. And in a surprising statement on social media, Diaz has come out to claim that he isn’t looking for legal recourse in this situation anymore!
Nate Diaz takes a U-turn in the ‘Fanmio’ legal battle
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Nate Diaz was reported to be suing ‘Fanmio’ and Solomon Engel for $9 million in unpaid earnings as he claimed he was promised a payout of $10 million for the event. However, in a recent update on X shared by Kevin Iole, it was revealed that “The #DiazMasvidal fight did a gate of $1.26 million per CSAC. 13,767 tickets sold. Interestingly, ONE $5,000 ticket sold. Zero $3,500 tickets sold, 14 $2500 tickets sold and 6,057 $25 tickets sold.”
The numbers paint a staggering picture as the $1.26 million gate is only around half of Diaz’s disclosed payout of $500,000 from the event. According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer, even the PPV sales of the event were shocking. Meltzer stated, “It did horrible on pay-per-view, it did TNA numbers, I’m not exaggerating… Nobody bought the fight.”
But while the lawsuit reports have drawn a lot of attention to the issue, in a recent post on X, Nate Diaz made a stunning claim as he stated, “i ain’t suing nobody…just so we’re clear”. This has now made the entire situation even more complicated as the original reports of the lawsuit had stated that Diaz had leveled allegations of “outright fraud” by the promoter, Engel, as he claimed that he was promised the $10 million payday, contractually and verbally.
i ain’t suing nobody
just so we’re clear
— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) July 17, 2024
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What’s your perspective on:
Nate Diaz stepping back from the lawsuit—smart move or sign of bigger issues?
Have an interesting take?
With Diaz claiming he has now reversed his original stance, it has raised many questions over the alleged $10 million promise and the future of Diaz’s dealings with ‘Fanmio’. But according to a UFC analyst, the entire affair had already appeared suspicious to him when he found out about the massive payout promised to Nate Diaz!
Chael Sonnen raises an eyebrow on ‘Fanmio’ promises
In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Chael Sonnen weighed in on the Diaz vs Fanmio situation. Sonnen highlighted the unusual assurances given to Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal, noting that the promoters guaranteed them $10 million each based on market testing and positive feedback.
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However, the UFC veteran pointed out that the promise of such a large amount of money should have raised warning signs for the fighters involved in the deal. He further revealed, “So now you’re talking about a guarantee of $20 million just to your main event. There would be no standard within our industry that that would mean, it would be absurd.”
With Diaz claiming that he is not pursuing legal action anymore, the future of this situation remains uncertain, but it does serve as a cautionary tale for other athletes of the potential pitfalls when engaging with promotional organizations. What are your thoughts on the entire saga of Nate Diaz vs Fanmio so far? Let us know in the comments below!
Debate
Nate Diaz stepping back from the lawsuit—smart move or sign of bigger issues?