Nate Diaz might be targeting the wrong man, as he took a dig at Ilia Topuria. At UFC Mexico, King Green defeated Daniel Zellhuber via second-round knockout. And proceeded to call out ‘The Stockton Slugger’ for a fight, promising to send the UFC legend into retirement. However, Diaz appears to be taking out his anger on ‘El Matador.’

“Topuria’s a dumba—,” Diaz wrote on X after Green’s fight. 

The dig appears to have come out of nowhere since the pair is rarely even mentioned in the same sentence. Regardless, this comes after speculations about Ilia Topuria’s return have flooded social media. The Spaniard has been dealing with personal matters, but now that he is done, he is expected to defend his lightweight title for the first time. 

Justin Gaethje, who recently defeated Paddy Pimblett to win the interim title, is most likely to face ‘El Matador’ first in an unification bout. Although some thought the fight could unfold on June 14’s UFC White House card, new reports reveal the UFC might not want to take a chance on a Spanish fighter knocking out an American on America’s anniversary. 

Regardless, even if Topuria doesn’t end up fighting Gaethje, the chances of Nate Diaz landing the fight are highly unlikely. Diaz, who is not under contract with the UFC, hasn’t fought in an MMA setting since September 2022, when he submitted Tony Ferguson via guillotine choke. He did, however, fight Jake Paul and Jorge Masvidal in two boxing matches.

While he couldn’t beat Jake Paul, Diaz managed to secure a majority decision win over Jorge Masvidal. The only reasonable explanation behind Diaz’s callout is that he wants to make some money, and Ilia Topuria happens to be the biggest name in the UFC right now. Regardless, when fans discovered Diaz’s tweet, they went absolutely ballistic. 

Nate Diaz warned about what Ilia Topuria can do

One user agreed with Diaz about his take on Topuria. But warned him about the consequences. “He is, but don’t get yourself hurt,” the user commented. Well, ‘El Matador’ has yet to respond to the callout. 

Another user echoed a similar sentiment, writing, “He’d sleep you though, bruh.” However, of his 17 career victories, Topuria has recorded just seven wins by knockout.

The opinions among fans didn’t change. “He chins you out cold in 2 minutes flat,” the user warned Diaz. Despite not having the best knockout ratio, Ilia Topuria has defeated Charles Oliveira, Max Holloway, Alexander Volkanovski, and several other top names via KOs. 

Someone else reminded Nate Diaz about his recent performances. “Nate, I’m your fan, but you got b—h slapped by a f—king YouTuber, Ilia will murder you,” the user claimed. Not to mention, Diaz is 40, while Topuria is merely 29 and in his absolute prime. 

Another user felt Nate Diaz might have been smoking something when he wrote the tweet. “Stop smoking w—d, it was Green who called you. Meanwhile, Topuria is still sorting out the divorce papers,” the user commented. Ilia Topuria separated from his ex-wife, Giorgina Uzcategui, in August 2025. 

From the outside, it seems like Nate Diaz is either chasing a lucrative payday or simply trying to stay in the spotlight. Why else would he overlook a legitimate potential matchup and suddenly call out Ilia Topuria? What do you think motivated him to take a shot at Topuria?