Nate Diaz is suing the co-promoter of his July 6 fight against Jorge Masvidal and the co-promoter’s company, Fanmio Inc., for $9 million, according to court documents.
Diaz says he’s been paid only $1 million of the $10 million he was promised and contractually guaranteed, according to the lawsuit filed in the Southern District of Florida.
The lawsuit cites fraud and breach of contract from Solomon Engel, the co-promoter, and president of Fanmio. The company carried the fight on pay-per-view for a fee of $49.99.
Diaz said he fulfilled his obligations of his signed contract, which included participating in the marketing of the fight, but the money has been withheld, according to the lawsuit.
“Diaz did everything and more to make the fight a success,’’ his attorneys wrote in the court filing.
Diaz, a former UFC star, faced off against former UFC star Masvidal in a boxing match at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, that according to the court records took place in front of a sellout crowd of more than 18,000.
Diaz won the 10-round light heavyweight bout by majority decison.
Engel said he had been negotiating with Diaz before the civil lawsuit was filed.
According to the lawsuit, Engel and Fanmio approached Diaz’s represet in 2023 about the potential fight and
“I knew it was coming,’’ Engel told USA TODAY Sports. “I knew what they were doing because we were talking behind the scenes.
“But they made a lot of false statements and they’re trying to position themselves a certain way. It’s not what it looks like and at least the way they positioned it. But we’ll handle it.’’
Engel did not provide details and said he and his attorneys were working on a written statement.
Masvidal also was listed as a co-promoter of the fight but he is not listed as a defendant in the suit.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nate Diaz suing co-promoter of Jorge Masvidal fight for $9 million
