Nate Diaz Beats Jorge Masvidal By Majority Decision in Boxing Fight of UFC Rivals
July 7, 2024
Nate Diaz got some revenge against former UFC rival Jorge Masvidal with a majority decision win in a light-heavyweight boxing match from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
Masvidal didn't waste any time and got to work right away with an aggressive first round.
It didn't take long for Diaz to get up to his usual antics either, though. Diaz fired back with some punches of his own and arguably won the opening round.
Both fighters threw heavy leather trying to get the other one out of the ring. But Masvidal's punches seemed to have more impact as he mixed up attacks to the body and head.
Both fighters had their moments as the bout advanced to the middle rounds. Diaz attacked with more volume and was constantly in front of Masvidal. But Gamebred scored with more power punches and took a more economical approach.
That dynamic continued throughout the fight and left the judges with a very difficult job to do.
Nolan King @mma_kings77-75 Masvidal on my card entering Round 9, but a handful of these have been relatively close. It's going to come down to volume vs. power, and whatever translation rate these judges use <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LastManStanding?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LastManStanding</a>
The win marks Diaz's first in the sweet science. He lost a 10-round unanimous decision to Jake Paul back in August.
Perhaps even more important for Diaz was the fact that he got a chance to even the score against Masvidal. The pair of fan favorites met at UFC 244 in 2019 with the promotional "BMF" title on the line and Masvidal won with a third-round TKO via doctor stoppage.
Diaz only fought two more times in the UFC, losing a unanimous decision to Leon Edwards before finishing with a fourth-round submission win over Tony Ferguson.
The UFC star has now dabbled in boxing for two fights, but he doesn't sound like someone who is convinced it's his new home. His latest plans seem to be targeting a return to the promotion that made him a star.
Specifically, he'd like a third fight against Conor McGregor.
"I see it as a fight that needs to happen," Diaz said, per Manouk Akpyan of BoxingScene. "I want to get this fight out of the way to think about the future. UFC 306 [at the Sphere in Las Vegas] would be great if that is even an option. I want to do big fights against the best opponents for the rest of my career."
A bout against McGregor feels like a longshot at this point. McGregor just made news by dropping out of his scheduled bout against Michael Chandler with a toe injury and he hasn't fought since 2021.
Still, if there's someone who could goad him into coming back and generating one more massive payday, it would be Diaz.