Diaz vs Masvidal Preview

The beginning

This BMF clash started back in August 2019, when Diaz had defeated Anthony Pettis by unanimous decision at UFC 241. The Stockton-born fighter would call out Masvidal in the post-fight interview after he was impressed with his five-second KO win over Ben Askren at UFC 239.

These two fighters were arguably seen as the most entertaining in the UFC, due to their unique fighting style as well as their antics inside and outside the Octagon.

Both Diaz and Masvidal would take each other on in the Main Event of UFC 244, with the special edition of fighting for the inaugural BMF title as the winner would get the belt wrapped around their waist by Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.

The Welterweight war would go on for three rounds as Diaz would land some heavy punches, while the Miami-born fighter would earn two knockdowns during the fight which would give him the winning edge after the third round.

Just as the crowd in MSG were ready to see a wild fourth round, the ringside doctor would check a cut above the right eye of Diaz. The cut looked deep and was in a bad position as it meant that Diaz could not see out of the right eye if it did start bleeding.

In an unfortunate event, the doctor would advise referee, Dan Miragliotta, to stop the fight as any more damage could do some serious harm as the bout would be stopped in the third round by Doctor's Stoppage. Of course, the fans were disappointed and so were Diaz and Masvidal as they did not finish the fight how they would have liked to.

Both of these Welterweight warriors wanted to run it back and fight again with a proper outcome, but sadly for many MMA fans that would never happen.

a rematch in a different sport

On 11th September 2022, Diaz would have one more fight in the UFC before he decided to take on a different sport. He would earn redemption from a two-fight losing streak, defeating former UFC Interim Lightweight Champion, Tony Ferguson, by fourth-round submission with a Guillotine Choke.

The Californian said in his post-fight interview that he wanted to conquer another sport before possibly returning to the UFC. With no real surprise, Diaz would enter the Boxing scene and take on American Youtuber, Jake Paul, at the American Airlines Center.

The Problem Child and Diaz were set for 10-rounds in Dallas, Texas in the beginning of August. Unfortunately, the outcome would not go Diaz's way as he would lose by unanimous decision as his Boxing debut did not go as planned.

Meanwhile, on 9th April 2023, Masvidal aimed to get some redemption in the UFC after going on a three-fight losing streak which included two title losses to former UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman. Gamebred would desperately need a win in his hometown as he would fight Gilbert Burns in the Co-Main Event of UFC 287.

Sadly for the Miami fans, Masvidal would lose by unanimous decision after three rounds and would retire from the sport, leaving the Kaseya Center happy as they got the chance to see the Florida mixed martial artist have his last dance in the Octagon.

After his retirement from MMA, it looked like Masvidal has nowhere to go as he was just going to be seen by fans as a retired MMA legend and former BMF title holder. However, some fighters miss the feeling of not being involved in any Combat Sport.

On March 13th, it was official that Diaz and Masvidal would take each other on in a Boxing match at Anaheim, California, with a lot of Combat Sport fans Over the Moon by this fight announcement.

The bout was originally scheduled to happen on June 1st, but after UFC 302 and Zhang vs Wilder was set to happen on the exact date, the event would be pushed back a month so no major Combat Sporting events would clash at the same time.

Now, two MMA legends are set to face each other on a different level and sport as Diaz looks to redeem himself from his last Boxing performance, while Masvidal looks to succeed on his Boxing debut.

The Co-Main event

A fight which seeks almost just as much interest as the headliner, Nate Diaz's teammate, Chris Avila, takes on the former UFC Lightweight Champion, Anthony Pettis.

Avila has had six fights in his Boxing career, currently putting himself on a five-fight winning streak despite losing his debut.

The Californian last fought Bare Knuckle Fighter, Jake Bostwick for four rounds, winning by split decision at the World Wide Stages Arena in Spring Hill.

Avila has been involved in MMA as well, winning eight out of 17 fights as he has never been stopped in his professional Combat Sports Career. The 31-year-old had two fights with the UFC and three with Bellator.

Pettis has only had one Boxing match which came against former multiple world champion, Roy Jones Jr, which was under Jorge Masvidal's Boxing Event, Gamebred Boxing 4.

After eight rounds, Showtime would defeat Jones Jr by majority decision in his hometown. A win for Pettis could put him in a position to face one of the main eventers in a future Boxing bout.

The Milwaukee mixed martial artist last fought at Karate Combat as he faced Benson Henderson for a third time in his career in a full-contact karate event. Pettis would be victorious and defeat Henderson by unanimous decision.