Daniel Cormier has responded strongly after Nate Diaz took shots at him during a recent podcast appearance, reigniting tension between the two.
Diaz, speaking on This Past Weekend podcast, criticized MMA analysts and singled out Cormier, questioning his credibility and suggesting he was bitter. The comments did not sit well with the former two-division champion, who had previously avoided engaging in back-and-forth exchanges with Diaz.
“Nate Diaz, I think, is reacting to what I said about him and Mike Perry’s fight,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “I don’t know everything about fighting, but my job is to educate people who may not be as close to it as I am. That’s it. That’s my job.”
Cormier made it clear that his role as an analyst comes from experience at the highest level, having won titles in two UFC divisions. He also pushed back on Diaz’s criticism of analysts as a whole.
“Nate clearly doesn’t like when we do that job. I’m talking me, Dominick Cruz, Michael Bisping, Paul Felder — all these different people,” he added.
The exchange quickly escalated when Cormier compared their careers, highlighting what he described as a clear gap in achievements.
“Let’s compare us,” Cormier said. “I lost to two people. You lost to 13 people in the sport you chose. You were in your prime and still got beat multiple times. That, to me, is crazy.”
Cormier did not hold back as he questioned Diaz’s consistency and legacy, despite acknowledging his popularity and financial success.
“You’re up here acting mad because somebody is calling you average,” Cormier said. “The reality is you’re average. You’ve always been. But you made a lot of money — that’s good.”
The former champion also addressed Diaz’s claim that he earned more money, dismissing it as a weak argument.
“The lowest form of insult is saying, ‘I made more money than you,’” Cormier said. “At some point, money is just money. I’m doing fine.”
Despite the harsh words, Cormier insisted he does not personally dislike Diaz but felt compelled to respond after being publicly criticized.
“I don’t dislike Nate Diaz,” he said. “But somebody has to check him. If he asks me to my face, I’ll tell him the same thing — that’s how I feel.”
The back-and-forth adds another chapter to Diaz’s long history of feuds, as the Stockton native continues to call out fighters and personalities across the sport. Meanwhile, Cormier stands firm in his stance, making it clear he will defend both his career and his role as one of MMA’s leading voices.
