Tag: Nate Diaz

Jon Anik pitches Dustin Poirier as Nate Diaz’s return fight in the UFC

Jon Anik would like to see Nate Diaz handle some unfinished business if he comes back to the UFC.

[autotag]Jon Anik[/autotag] would like to see [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] handle some unfinished business if he comes back to the UFC.

Diaz called out welterweight champion Leon Edwards after defeating Jorge Masvidal by majority decision in their boxing match this past Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Anik isn’t sure if Diaz should be fighting the upper echelon in the UFC, but sees multiple entertaining options for him. He likes what he saw out of the Stockton superstar against Masvidal.

“Nate Diaz back in the UFC, I don’t know to what extent that is possible in short order, but it’s very encouraging that that is one of the first things sort of on the tip of his tongue,” Anik said on his “Anik & Florian Podcast.”

“Far be it for anyone to bet against this guy in a high-profile setting against an elite fighter. Yeah, there’s certain matchups, right? Maybe you don’t like him against Sean Brady, but there are plenty of matchups that are good for Nate Diaz. Conor McGregor is another fight, and I think he’s got a lot of fight left.”

Anik suggested [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC), who contemplated retirement after his submission loss to lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 302. However since then, “The Diamond” has teased his itch to compete again.

Poirier and Diaz have history. Their November 2018 fight booking fell through, and the pair have since tried numerous times to get their fight rescheduled. Poirier mentioned in July 2023 that he’d be willing to welcome Diaz back to the UFC.

“Dustin Poirier and I were talking at UFC 303 as he was there doing the television work,” Anik said. “There just aren’t that many fights right now for Dustin. It seems like he has the appetite to go out on a win. … Right now, Dustin Poirier’s last fight was an undisputed championship loss to Islam Makhachev.

“Dustin has intimated that he wants to fight one more time, and on the very short list of opponents that actually makes some fiscal and competitive sense is Nate Diaz. So, we’ll see if that is something that actually materializes.”

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Video: Was Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal boxing match a success, and did judges get it right?

The boxing match between Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal was, if nothing else, pretty entertaining. We discuss the fight and more on “Spinning Back Clique.”

[autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] defeated [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] in the highly anticipated boxing match between the two former UFC stars but not without a little controversy.

After going a hard 10 rounds, Diaz claimed a majority decision win over Masvidal this past Saturday in front of more than 18,000 fans at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. The fight certainly didn’t lack action as Diaz put constant pressure with punches in bunches while Masvidal landed the most significant shots.

In the end, the judges scored it 95-95, 97-93 and 98-92 in favor of Diaz much to the chagrin of Masvidal. Did the judges get it right? Now that it’s over, do we consider this event a success?

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King, Matthew Wells and host “Gorgeous” George answer those question.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube or in podcast form.

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Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal recap, featherweight title picture, UFC Denver

On “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel discusses Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal, the UFC featherweight title picture and much more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Matthew Wells and Nolan King  joined host “Gorgeous” George Garcia to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • Two of the biggest stars in MMA threw down in the ring Saturday when [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] defeated [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] in a competitive boxing match that ended in majority decision. Did Diaz really do enough to beat Masvidal? What should be next for each ? We discuss the boxing match, which was the biggest fight of the weekend, along with other results from the card.
  • The UFC’s featherweight division seems to be in a stalemate. [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag], who became champion in February, has yet to get booked for his first title defense. This past week, both Topuria and former champion [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] got into a social media back-and-forth and blamed each other for the delay in their expected title fight. What’s going on? Is the UFC mishandling the title picture at 145 pounds? We make sense of the latest at featherweight.
  • Several fun and important matchups were recently booked, but which one stands out the most and why? The panel highlights some of the bookings from this past week.
  • Saturday, the UFC returns to Denver. In the main event, former women’s strawweight champion [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] takes on rising flyweight contender [autotag]Tracy Cortez[/autotag]. What does this bout mean for the women’s 125-pound division? Could it determine the next title challenger? We break down the main event of UFC on ESPN 59.

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Nate Diaz ‘a world-class fighter’? Kamaru Usman says ‘that’s absurd’

Kamaru Usman is flabbergasted by Henry Cejudo’s campaign for Nate Diaz to get a UFC title shot.

[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] is flabbergasted by [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag]’s campaign for [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] to get a UFC title shot.

Welterweight champion Leon Edwards was among the names Diaz called out following his majority decision boxing win over Jorge Masvidal on Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Diaz fought Edwards in a non-title fight at UFC 263. Edwards was dominating Diaz until he got rocked in the final minute of the fight. Edwards survived and won by unanimous decision. Cejudo argued that Diaz is a lucrative enough name to get a rematch against Edwards, but Usman wasn’t having any of it.

“Nate Diaz is on the completely tail-end of his career,” Usman said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Henry Cejudo. “Yes, of course he’s made a great name for himself and big shoutout to Nate Diaz for still having that notoriety to be able to go out there and still get paychecks like this because he’s getting all these good fights on the outside, but come on. This ain’t Nate Diaz is going to come in and walk into fighting world-class mixed martial arts fighters right now in the UFC. Come on. That’s absurd.”

Diaz is no longer with the UFC, but Dana White said the octagon will always be his home.

“So are you saying Nate Diaz ain’t a world-class fighter?” Cejudo asked.

“He can still fight, but he’s not a world class fighter,” Usman responded. “Are you crazy? Throw Nate Diaz in there with Shavkat Rakhmonov, throw Nate Diaz in there with myself, throw Nate Diaz in there with JDM (Della Maddalena), throw Nate Diaz in there with Justin Gaethje. Come on!”

Diaz also expressed interest in fighting Jake Paul, and that’s a fight Usman thinks he should take.

“Nate Diaz, PFL and Jake Paul offer you $15 million to fight him in MMA, I’m taking that Nate Diaz,” Usman said. “I actually think he wins that fight. Shout out to Nate Diaz, I think he actually wins a fight like that.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Diaz vs. Masvidal 2.

Nate Diaz has a few ideas for next bout – but a Jorge Masvidal trilogy isn’t one of them

Well, there’s one fight Nate Diaz doesn’t really want next.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] is always planning ahead.

Following his majority decision boxing match victory over [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] on Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., Diaz had multiple names on his brain – all of which are fighters he’s fought in the past.

During his in-ring interview with Brian Campbell, Diaz mentioned [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] as an idea for a next opponent, but later clarified why his former foe’s name was mentioned first.

“(Paul) was just off the top of my head that I would like to whip his ass,” Diaz told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “I’d like to get a win against [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag], who is the best fighter in the world right now at 170.”

Diaz’s next move remains unclear. Will it be boxing or MMA? No one knows. But one thing is for certain: Diaz wants the fights that will earn him the most respect – and the most money.

“That’s the only thing I’ve got in my head, is whoever thinks they’re f*cking tight can get their ass whooped,” Diaz said.

One fight that Diaz is not interested in, however, is the one he just had.

Despite their head-to-head lifetime combat sports record tied at one win apiece, Diaz rejects the notion the time is now for a third clash with Masvidal.

“That’s a whole other situation for later,” Diaz said. “I think we’re 1-0 on each other. He got a win in MMA and I got a win in boxing. Who knows what’s going to happen with him… but at some point, something.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Diaz vs. Masvidal 2.

Jake Paul responds to Nate Diaz’s callout: ‘You’re a hoe who ducked my PFL $15M MMA offer’

Jake Paul responded to Nate Diaz’s callout by claiming he ducked a $15 million offer for an MMA fight in the PFL.

[autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] didn’t take long to respond to [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag]’s callout.

After pulling off a majority decision victory in the boxing ring in a rematch with Jorge Masvidal, Diaz turned his attention to a few past opponents, including Paul.

During his post-fight interview with Brian Campbell, Diaz had a few choice words for his former opponent, who he lost a unanimous decision to in their boxing match last August.

“I’m going to beat Jake Paul’s f*cking ass, and I’m down to fight the highest-ranked boxer I can find,” Diaz said. “… And my main objective, like it’s always been, is to be the best fighter in the world, so I want to go back and get the UFC title. Leon Edwards, Jake Paul, and anyone else: You’re dead.”

“Oh, the heart is still beating,” Paul said in a video response to Diaz posted to social media. Paul, who was watching the post-fight interview, mocked his former foe’s stutter in the video, along with a caption that claims the UFC veteran ducked a lucrative MMA fight under the PFL banner.

“F*ck you Nate Diaz you’re a hoe who ducked my PFL $15m MMA offer,” Paul wrote in the caption of the video on X. “Masvidal trash too smh.”

Paul, who is signed with the PFL for MMA competition, has yet to make his debut in the sport.

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Diaz picked up his first professional boxing win in a controversial majority decision win over Masvidal. It was the second time the pair met in combat sports following their first fight for the inaugural BMF title fight at UFC 244 in 2019.

Paul and Diaz have consistently chirped at each other since their meeting at American Airlines Center in Dallas. It’s unclear if a rematch will come together in the future, but for now, Paul has his hands busy with a bout against UFC veteran turned bareknuckle boxing star Mike Perry in July and a rescheduled bout against boxing legend Mike Tyson in November.

 

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Diaz vs. Masvidal 2.

Nate Diaz def. Jorge Masvidal at Last Man Standing: Best photos

Check out these photos from Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal’s main event boxing match in Anaheim, Calif.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag]’s boxing victory over [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] in the main event of the Last Man Standing boxing event at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. (Photos by Ester Lin, Fanmio)

Nate Diaz wins thrilling boxing brawl vs. Jorge Masvidal, ties up score from UFC 244

What a fight! Nate Diaz gets his revenge against Jorge Masvidal.

[autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] finally got one back on [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag].

This time, it wasn’t in the cage. It was in the ring, in front of a passionate pro-Diaz crowd Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Neither are truly tried and trained boxers, but the entertainment provided was as pure as a championship boxing match. For 10 rounds, Diaz and Masvidal slugged it out. It was volume vs. power, with Diaz flurrying Masvidal, who connected on single or dual-punch power-shot combinations.

The event was entitled “Last Man Standing” but when the 10th end-of-round bell rang both fighters still stood. They each showed respect before Diaz was named the winner by majority decision (95-95, 97-93, 98-92).

Neither fighter was knocked down or significantly rocked despite a large amount of punishment absorbed by each. Masvidal’s most successful attack was his body shots but Diaz was unfazed by the gigantic blows.

Diaz showboated in vintage fashion with smiles, flexes, off-target glances, and pumpfakes. The middle fingers stayed tucked, but the verbal insults came after the fight during his mic time with interviewer Brian Campbell.

Diaz and Masvidal first collided at UFC 244 in 2019 in what was the promotion’s inaugural “BMF” title fight. Masvidal defeated Diaz by doctor stoppage due to a cut.

The initial matchup stemmed from mutual respect, but turned into bad blood in the lead-up to Saturday’s boxing match.

Diaz has competed twice in boxing since his UFC departure. Both times he came up shorthanded. In August, Diaz lost a unanimous decision to Jake Paul. While it’s unclear what Diaz’s immediate next move is, he’s long said he plans to return to the UFC eventually.

The boxing match was Masvidal’s first competition since he retired from MMA in April 2023. Since he stepped away from the UFC, Masvidal has remained in the public eye mostly due to his promotion, Gamebred FC. Masvidal, like Diaz, has hinted at an eventual UFC return.

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The up-to-the-minute “Last Man Standing” results include:

Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal 2: Best photos from Anaheim

Check out these photos from the boxing fights at hte Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal 2 boxing event in California.

Check out these photos from the [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] boxing event at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. (Photos by Ester Lin, Fanmio)

(The gallery will be updated throughout the event.)

Conor McGregor says he’s betting $500,000 on Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal 2

Does Conor McGregor’s (alleged) bet make sense?

[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] seems to have taken interest in [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag], now in a financial way.

Although the two fighters are longtime rivals, McGregor revealed Saturday he plans to bet $500,000 on Diaz to beat Masvidal. The boxing match takes place Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

“I’ve decided to put $500,000 on Diaz to win tonight’s boxing match,” McGregor wrote on X before the boxing event. “Range, form, experience, solely hands being used, I can’t see Masvidal causing any problems to Nate in a boxing ring whatsoever. They are both little play around dipsh*ts in a fight, play around bollox, but I feel Nate does him in EASY here for real. $500k gets me back $1,625,000 all in.”

DraftKings currently lists Diaz as a +210 favorite, which means McGregor will pocket $1,050,000 in earnings if he wagers the half-million.

McGregor and Diaz shared in two legendary battles inside the UFC cage. Buzz about a potential third meeting between the two has persisted for nearly eight years.

Since his UFC departure, Diaz has publicly said he plans to return to the promotion eventually. McGregor currently has two fights left on his current UFC deal, as he heals from a toe injury that has delayed an expected bout vs. Michael Chandler.