MMA Fighter Nick Diaz Admits He's Never Paid Taxes

Post-fight interviews aren’t ordinarily the place for personal life admissions, but that’s exactly what mixed martial arts fighter Nick Diaz offered following his loss to champion Georges St-Pierre last night. After admitting he doesn’t have it anymore and may retire during a chat with Joe Rogan, the mixed martial arts fighter later admitted he wasn’t particularly prepared for the title bout, still has the mentality of a kid and hasn’t ever paid taxes in his entire life.

Not surprisingly, the last admission has attracted more than its share of headlines since last night. In fact, UFC head Dana White was so flabbergasted by it he told ESPN he may meet with Diaz’s lawyer to try and convince him to use the majority of his paycheck to handle all of those years he didn’t file any returns because, as many different celebrities have found out, the government does not play around when it comes to taxes.

If Diaz’s words are any indication, he at least seems to understand the severity of the situation he’s in. Here’s his exact quote…

"You know what? I've never paid taxes in my life. I'm probably going to go to jail. Nobody wants to hear about that, nobody wants to hear that kind of talk or what's really going on with me. I might as well as be a kid. I've had fight after fight after fight after fight. You don't know what that does to somebody that didn't graduate high school? You don't understand."

Boxing and mixed martial arts are emotionally taxing sports. Like football, they are dangerous and physically draining, but unlike America’s most popular game, one’s success rests solely on the fighter’s shoulders. That can be a heavy burden for a man to carry, especially one who has years of experience and injuries under his belt.

Diaz may not have put on the best showing last night, but over the years, he’s been a very exciting fighter that’s brought a lot of joy to a lot of viewers. Hopefully, he’s smart with his paycheck and is able to satisfy the federal government and keep himself out of the big house.

Mack Rawden
Editor In Chief

Mack Rawden is the Editor-In-Chief of CinemaBlend. He first started working at the publication as a writer back in 2007 and has held various jobs at the site in the time since including Managing Editor, Pop Culture Editor and Staff Writer. He now splits his time between working on CinemaBlend’s user experience, helping to plan the site’s editorial direction and writing passionate articles about niche entertainment topics he’s into. He graduated from Indiana University with a degree in English (go Hoosiers!) and has been interviewed and quoted in a variety of publications including Digiday. Enthusiastic about Clue, case-of-the-week mysteries, a great wrestling promo and cookies at Disney World. Less enthusiastic about the pricing structure of cable, loud noises and Tuesdays.