Nate Diaz has reportedly filed a lawsuit against promoter Solomon Engel and his business Fanmio, allegedly because he has not been paid $9 million that he is owed as a result of his recent boxing match with Jorge Masvidal. The two former UFC fighters are now about two weeks removed from their rematch, and Diaz claims that he has still not received the majority of his pay. Diaz won the match by decision but apparently only $1 million of his total $10 million purse was paid in advance, and the rest was supposed to have been paid after the event had concluded. He is now suing for both fraud and breach of contract, as he claims the remaining $9 million that was agreed is outstanding.
ESPN acquired the filing that Nate Diaz has made against both Solomon Engel and his business Fanmio, and they also provided the following excerpt from the filing:
“In a flurry of desperate calls to Diaz’s representatives following the event, Engel despondently groveled that he was going to lose more money than he had anticipated on the event if he paid Diaz what he had promised and that his wife might divorce him because of the financial losses. Engel went so far as to threaten he might have to declare bankruptcy to avoid paying Diaz what he owed.”
Engel has since issued an official statement on the matter, and he has rejected the claim that Fanmio has committed fraud or breached contract with Diaz:
“Nate Diaz has filed a frivolous lawsuit against Fanmio which claims that fraud and breach of contract were committed by Fanmio, yet neither has taken place. In fact, Diaz has already been paid seven figures in connection with the fight. I look forward to resolving this dispute through the appropriate process and am confident that justice will prevail. Making salacious and defamatory statements to the media in order to harm my family and I has only strengthened my resolve to ensure that the truth will triumph.”
The situation will now be resolved in the US District Court in Miami, and we will be following the situation as it unfolds.
