Ten days ago, on July 6, the UFC legend continued his quest in boxing with a match against Jorge Masvidal in front of over eighteen thousand fans at the sold-out Honda Center. The pair had previously competed for the BMF title inside the Octagon. This time, they faced off inside the squared ring in an event put together by Fanmio. Zach Rosenfield’s manager and representative told MMA journalist Ariel Helwani that they’d filed a complaint in the Southern District of Florida over what they claim are unpaid wages following the conclusion of his fight with Jorge Masvidal.
”This case involves an outright fraud committed by defendants Fanmio and its president and owner, Solomon Engel, upon famed mixed martial artist and boxer Nathan Diaz. Fanmio describes itself as an entertainment company that provides online access to entertainment events, films and celebrity experiences. In 2023, Fanmio and Engel approached Diaz and his representatives about Fanmio promoting a boxing match between Diaz and retired MMA fighter Jorge Masvidal.
Diaz and his representatives were sceptical that Fanmio and Engel had the financial resources to fund the payments, but they were assured repeatedly that Fanmio and Engel had the financial resources to pay Diaz and that any payments owed to Diaz for participating in the boxing event would be fully guaranteed. Engel and Fanmio repeatedly promised and contractually guaranteed in writing that they would pay the sum of ten million.”
Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour (reciting a message from Zach Rosenfield, Nate Diaz’s representative
The complaint alleges that Fanmio agreed to pay Diaz $1 million upfront and $9 million following the event, a promise that hasn’t been fulfilled by Fanmio and Engel. As a result, Diaz is suing Fanmio for the alleged breach of contract.
Although the event was an ‘influencer boxing’ event as opposed to a more traditional boxing occasion, the allegations do not do much to help the reputation of the ‘sweet science’, considering such allegations from fighters have been commonplace in the sport for a number of years. UFC President Dana White has often stated that promoters usually put together boxing events and treat them like a ‘going out of business sale,’ which seems to be the case here, should the allegations be proven true in court.
Nate Diaz Vs. Jorge Masvidal wasn’t the first time that Fanmio have been involved in streaming high-profile combat sports events. On June 6, 2021, they distributed Floyd Mayweather’s boxing match against Logan Paul on their website as they had worldwide rights to distribute the pay-perview.
Following the revelation of the lawsuit, Paul’s brother, Jake Paul, took to social media and said the following:
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