"No one from the 209 runs away" - 'Big' John McCarthy defends Nate Diaz following the Stockton native's heated exchanges with Jake Paul and Ben Askren

Nate Diaz (left), Ben Askren (middle), Jake Paul (right) [Images courtesy: @natediaz209, @benaskren, and @jakepaul]

Nate Diaz was recently involved in a heated Twitter feud with Jake Paul and Ben Askren.

After 'Funky' lashed out at Diaz for seemingly running away from Jorge Masvidal in their fight, former referee-turned-broadcaster 'Big' John McCarthy came out to defend the Stockton native.

During a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast, McCarthy said:

"I don't think he is running away. He is coming in for flying side-kick and actually going towards Masvidal because no one from the 209 runs away. That's my story and I'm sticking to it."

Catch McCarthy's comments on the Weighing In podcast below:

McCarthy was referring to Ben Askren's recent Twitter post, in which the former UFC welterweight shared a clip from Diaz's 2019 fight against Masvidal.

In the video, Nate Diaz can be seen backing away from 'Gamebred' as the Miami native threatened to throw a flying knee, a move he knocked Askren out with in July 2019. Sharing the video, Askren also made sure to slip in a powerful verbal jab:

"Real men run towards danger, COWARDS run away @NateDiaz209."

Real men run towards danger, COWARDS run away @NateDiaz209 https://t.co/KAPsB5OKeY

The animosity started when Ben Askren praised Jake Paul's boxing skills during a recent Lex Fridman podcast. The former UFC welterweight, who lost to 'The Problem Child' inside the squared circle earlier this year, said:

"I knew that Tyron was a lot better in boxing than I was. And so I thought that there is a good likelihood that Tyron beats him up but there is a chance that Jake is kind of good at this. I think what played out is he's kind of good at it. And if you saw the way I saw it, he was still impressive in his showing and he has obviously put a lot of time into it. So, he's not bad, I'll say that much."

Catch Askren's comments in the video below:

Nate Diaz quickly interjected and downplayed Paul's victory, saying that Askren is a retired wrestler and lacks boxing prowess.

"Coming from a retired wrestler who can’t fight or box."

@bjpenndotcom @jakepaul Coming from a retired wrestler who can’t fight or box

Jake Paul responded by taking a jab at Nate Diaz’s 21-13-0 UFC record:

"You have 6 times as many losses as Ben Askren. Let that sink in."

you have 6 times as many losses as Ben Askren

Let that sink in twitter.com/NateDiaz209/st…

Nate Diaz further responded:

"He sucks Jake. You’d get smoked n a real fight tho. You can’t really fight. Boxing matches with wrestlers only. Let that sink in."

@jakepaul He sucks jake
You’d get smoked n a real fight tho
You can’t really fight
Boxing matches with wrestlers only

Let that sink in

After Nate Diaz's repeated attacks on Askren, 'Funky' piped into the conversation and challenged the fan favorite to a fight.

"Nate is right, I suck at boxing. He sucks at MMA. If he wants me to prove it I can be in the USADA pool tomorrow. Would be happy to be the last fight on his contract."

Nate is right, I suck at boxing. He sucks at MMA. If he wants me to prove it I can be in the USADA pool tomorrow. Would be happy to be the last fight on his contract.

Who will Nate Diaz fight next in the UFC?

While Ben Askren seems eager to take on Nate Diaz for the Stockton native's final contracted UFC outing, the promotion hasn't expressed any interest in putting the fight together.

UFC president Dana White seems more interested in booking Diaz against rising star Khamzat Chimaev, who made a sensational return to the octagon at UFC 267. When asked if he would be interested in making the fight happen, White told TMZ Sports:

"One hundred percent."

Catch Dana White's interview with TMZ Sports below:

While Nate Diaz has just one last fight left on his UFC contract, there has been speculation that he will not renew his contract with the MMA promotion.

Speaking on episode 195 of the Weighing In podcast, Josh Thomson claimed the younger Diaz sibling could be headed to the boxing ring post-his next UFC bout.

“I want you guys all to know this. He [Nate Diaz] is leaving the UFC and he’s fighting Jake Paul. Just stop, okay? This is his last fight. He’s not fighting in the UFC anymore. He’s going to leave and he’s going to fight Jake Paul.”

Catch Thomson's prediction on the Weighing In podcast below: