Tag: Nate Diaz

Jon Anik leaning ‘337’ or King of Diamonds for next tattoo if Dustin Poirier beats Nate Diaz in dream fight

It’s been eight years Jon Anik said he’d get a Nate Diaz tattoo if he upset Conor McGregor at UFC 196 – and then had to follow through.

It’s been a bit since [autotag]Jon Anik[/autotag] playfully suggested he’d get a [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] tattoo if he upset Conor McGregor at UFC 196.

Now about eight years into the now semi-famous “209” ink on Anik’s arm, he’s throwing out potential for a second fighter-themed tattoo. If [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] got matched up with Diaz in the UFC and beat him, Anik said he’d pay tribute to Poirier, as well, after a Poirier suggestion of it.

He even said before he hosted the UFC Hall of Fame induction ceremony, he thought about getting a surprise tattoo to honor inductee Frankie Edgar, a former lightweight champion.

“Certainly, the 209 tattoo will not be the last fighter tattoo or fighter tributary tattoo that I get,” Anik told MMA Junkie Radio. “If you really want to know, I was trying to find a really good fine-line tattoo artist in Vegas the week of the Hall of Fame (induction) to get my Fe Iron element symbol in honor of the great Frankie Edgar right here on the inside of my arm that also dons the 209, incidentally.

“But for Dustin, I’ve always wanted a neck tattoo. Part of me wants to mimic his tattoo with the King of diamonds right behind the ear or just a diamond emoji. We could go 337 – you know, I’m not looking to be ludicrous with different area codes with numbers all over my body, necessarily. But yeah, we would go 337.”

Anik said he thinks the odds for that fight likely would highly favor Poirier, but the longtime fighter and former interim lightweight champion from Lafayette, La., still would be worthy of some ink – and risk irking his wife, even just temporarily.

He said when he got his 209 tattoo in 2016 that it took her a minute to be on board.

“Certainly Dustin Poirier is a fighter I would have no problem immortalizing on my skin forever, even if he’s trying to get me to do it in a fight in which he might be a -400 favorite,” Anik said.

Poirier is coming off a fifth-round submission loss to lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 in June. Diaz beat Jorge Masvidal in a boxing match this past Saturday in California. It’s been nearly two years since his last fight in the UFC, a submission of Tony Ferguson in September 2022.

Darren Till not impressed with ‘fluffy hands’ of Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal

Darren Till didn’t like what he saw out of Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal in the ring.

[autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] didn’t like what he saw from [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] and [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] in the ring.

Diaz defeated Masvidal by majority decision in their boxing match Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. The back-and-forth fight exceeded many expectations but not Till’s.

Till is interested in boxing Diaz next but also wants Jake Paul, Mike Perry, and even Masvidal if offered.

“I wasn’t impressed, mate,” Till said on “The MMA Hour.” “Just like, fluffy hands. Just not a lot of power, both looked like they wasn’t in no fit physical shape. But as I say, Masvidal I fought, and he beat me fair and square.

“I don’t ever like to diss Diaz too much. I’ve always been a fan since a kid. I think he’s a f*cking G of the sport. He’s one of your real ones. Whether you want it in the ring or outside, he’s that guy, and that’s what I respect.”

Originally scheduled to box Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in July, Till wound up lacing up the gloves himself on Saturday when he faced Mohammad Mutie at Social Knockout 3 from Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.

Their bout came to an end when Till hit Mutie with a rabbit punch to the back of the head. Mutie fell to the canvas, prompting the referee and doctor to deem him unable to continue. Till was announced the winner by TKO, but a brawl broke out after the fight.

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Cesar Gracie: UFC needs to throw ‘millions and millions of dollars’ at Nate Diaz for him to return

Nate Diaz’s coach says the UFC must present a very lucrative offer if they want him back.

[autotag]Cesar Gracie[/autotag] says the UFC must present a very lucrative offer to [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] if it wants him back.

After defeating Jorge Masvidal by majority decision in their boxing match Saturday, UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards was among the names Diaz called out.

Diaz parted ways with the UFC in September 2022, but Dana White said the octagon will always be his home. If Diaz was to return to the UFC, his coach expects that he’ll be offered a big bag of money.

“Millions and millions of dollars, whatever they’re paying their highest people,” Gracie told Submission Radio. “Nate is such an icon of the sport. He’s fought and deserves the things he’s gotten. He had to get everything the hard way.

“He brings star power with him. The event (in Anaheim) was sold out. It was all Nate Diaz over there. No one would have gone to that show without Nate Diaz, so I don’t know. It was so huge. His fan base is so incredible.”

With Conor McGregor withdrawing from his return fight against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 due to injury, Gracie would like to see Diaz slide into that opportunity. Diaz and McGregor split their two appearances, and both fighters have always said a trilogy is inevitable.

“I mean, obviously that’s outside of my realm what the UFC is thinking,” Gracie said. “So, it’s almost like I’m speculating. But me in my position, I think that would be great. I think a trilogy probably makes a lot of sense for both of those guys.

“Chandler and McGregor is a good fight too. But I mean, just the history of Nate and McGregor, I think it would be the bigger fan fight if they had a trilogy. In my opinion, that’s what I’m thinking.”

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Michael Bisping says Jake Paul loss was wake-up call for Nate Diaz: ‘He definitely underestimated the Disney boy’

Michael Bisping thinks losing to Jake Paul lit a fire under Nate Diaz.

[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] thinks losing to [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] lit a fire under [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag].

Bisping liked what he saw out of Diaz’s return to the boxing ring this past Saturday, where he defeated Jorge Masvidal by majority decision at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Diaz picked up his first professional boxing win after getting dropped in a unanimous decision loss to Paul this past August.

“This was a different Nate Diaz,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “When you look at Nate Diaz and the way that he performed against Jake Paul, I thought it was going to be a bad night for Nate Diaz, but I was wrong. He came in motivated, in-shape, and super aggressive from the very get-go.”

Masvidal argued that he outlanded Diaz, and thinks the judges were influenced by the pro-Diaz crowd. However, Bisping says Diaz was leading the dance.

“I think he (Masvidal) landed the harder shots however, because of the output, because of the non-stop throwing, and the aggression shown by Diaz, it certainly looked to me without seeing the compu-stats that Diaz was probably just ahead in a very, very, close fight,” Bisping said.

Bisping called Diaz’s loss to Paul embarrassing, but after seeing the version of Diaz that fought Masvidal, Bisping thinks “The Problem Child” caught a break.

“Jake Paul was lucky because the Diaz that showed up against Jake Paul was not the Diaz that showed up last night for Jorge Masvidal,” Bisping said. “It just wasn’t the same guy. It wasn’t the same fighter. The attitude wasn’t the same. He was very nonchalant, he didn’t seem to care.

“He definitely underestimated the Disney boy and that’s his own fault. That’s not Jake Paul’s fault. Jake Paul takes his craft very seriously. … So, for Nate Diaz to show up and underestimate him, that’s on him. But, I think that taught Nate Diaz a lesson. I think that was a wake-up call.”

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Michael Chandler proposes Nate Diaz showdown at Noche UFC while Conor McGregor ‘sits on a yacht’

If Conor McGregor isn’t ready to fight, then Michael Chandler is willing to look at Nate Diaz as an alternate solution.

If [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] isn’t ready to fight, then [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] is willing to look at [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] as an alternate solution.

With McGregor’s status for a long-awaited octagon return in limbo following his UFC 303 withdrawal due to a toe injury, Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) has been the target of criticism for not moving on to an alternate matchup.

It appears Chandler is now willing to look in other directions, and has put a target on Diaz (21-13 MMA, 16-11 UFC) after the ex-UFC star indicated he wants to return to the octagon following this past Saturday’s boxing win over Jorge Masvidal (via X):

Sit down, Ron… better idea – me and @NateDiaz209 fight like real men, while Conor sits on a yacht and watches on PPV in his slippers. #ufcnoche #riyadhseason

The new “Where’s Waldo” – the Mac Daddy had a great run though….

Instill fear…let him pull out of the fight and embarrass himself, be known as the guy who retired McGregor without ever throwing a punch….

Chandler, 38, suggest a fight with Diaz at Riyadh Season Noche UFC, which goes down Sept. 14 at Sphere.

The former three-time Bellator champion was not part of the names Diaz suggested for his next move, as the Stockton slugger name-dropped Jake Paul and Leon Edwards as part of his hit list going forward.

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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.