Nate Diaz made a mega-event in the UFC in 2019 almost out of nowhere. He fought Anthony Pettis at the Honda Center on Aug. 17, 2019, on the main card of UFC 241, which was headlined by a rematch for the heavyweight title between then-champion Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic.
After Diaz defeated Pettis, he called out Jorge Masvidal, who was seated in the crowd and had no idea his life was about to change.
Diaz and Masvidal met in the main event of UFC 244 on Nov. 2 at Madison Square Garden in New York, annually one of the UFC's biggest shows. They fought for the mythical "BMF title," and the event marked the first time that an incumbent U.S. president attended a UFC card.
Now, they'll get the opportunity to make yet another massive show, though the second time around might prove a bit more difficult without the UFC's enormous publicity machine behind it. They'll meet at the Honda Center on Saturday in a 10-round light heavyweight boxing match, long after their UFC careers peaked and in a sport where neither of them excels. The fight is available on pay-per-view via PPV.com, Fanmio and UFC Fight Pass.
Diaz was one of the most popular fighters in the UFC but he left the promotion when his contract ran out. He wound up boxing Jake Paul and lost a 10-round decision. But he's confident he'll perform better Saturday, well enough that he'll be able to reverse the outcome of their BMF title bout, which Masvidal won when the fight was stopped by the ringside physician after three rounds because of cuts Diaz suffered.
“I just feel like over time, I’m getting sharper," Diaz said. "I’m always working and improving. I’m going to do what I always do. I’m here for the fun and I’m here for the business. I’m here to get the job done.”
The fight would be far bigger were it contested in MMA, where both have excelled and where their first bout was so memorable. There was a major brawl between the camps at one of the early news conferences to promote Saturday's boxing card, but Diaz, who notoriously has made things personal while promoting fights, insisted this time, there's nothing personal at all.
It is, said Diaz, just another sporting event.
“There’s nothing heated for me," he said. "I’m here to do my job and get the job done. I trained hard and we’re here to win."
Masvidal is 1-0 in his pro boxing career, but he began as a backyard street fighter under the late Miami legend, Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson. He's lost his last four UFC bouts, though two were to Kamaru Usman, one was to Colby Covington and the other to Gilbert Burns. Those three are all among the elite of the elite.
Masvidal has always been known for his hands, and is pleased he won't have to find ways to cope with Diaz's jiu-jitsu skills.
“I’ve gotten more time to hone in on the craft, [to get] sharper at boxing," Masvidal said. "Every day [I've been] working on getting a little bit better, craftier and more efficient. All that just means more violence come [Saturday]. On July 4, come celebrate the United States’ birthday and on [Saturday] come see me end him. I’m meaner. I’m faster. I’m more explosive. And when it comes down to it, I think I’ve got the best hands in MMA. On [Saturday], I get to prove that. No questions. No nothing. We’re going to find out. There’s none of that jiu-jitsu shit, none of that hugging. It’s just straight hands.”
There is a solid undercard, with Daniel Jacobs meeting Shane Mosley Jr.; Pettis fighting Chris Avila and highly touted boxing prospect Curmel Moton facing Nikolai Buzolin.
The fight that is going to sell the tickets and the pay-per-views, though, is Diaz versus Masvidal. There were so many news conferences to promote the show that by the end, the fighters seemed to be going through the motions.
Diaz, who has never been crazy about news conferences, wasn't shy about expressing his frustration with all of the interviews and all of the talking and posing.
"I’m sick of this shit," he said. "I’m ready to fight. I’m ready for the show to go on."
Masvidal is eager to show his improvements as a boxer, as well. He said there are hard feelings toward Diaz as a result of the news conference brawl between the camps.
He wants to repeat his win from the first time, but make it more emphatic.
“At the end of the day, all that matters is that I’m in shape and like I said earlier, it’s not going to the judges," he said. "And that's not because of a cut, or nothing, but because of a clean KO. That’s what I’m training for."
Esther Lin/FanMio
Nate Diaz's last fight was a boxing match with Jake Paul in which he lost a 10-round decision.