- Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal will meet in a boxing match on June 1 at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California.
- In 2019, Masvidal defeated Diaz for the ‘BMF’ title in controversial fashion at UFC 244.
- Diaz enters the boxing ring for the second time in his career after an uncompetitive loss to Jake Paul in August 2023.
Fighting fans, set your calendars for Saturday, June 1, 2024! Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal have agreed to a rematch of their controversial fight at UFC 244. This time, Diaz and Masvidal will fight in a boxing ring at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California.
Diaz and Masvidal’s first fight ended early, due to a deep cut over Diaz’s right eye before the start of the fourth round. Consequently, Masvidal was declared the winner by TKO and awarded the ‘BMF’ title from The Rock.
“The Stockton Slugger” required 25 stitches after the fight to repair the cut. It was an unpopular opinion to end the contest at Madison Square Garden. The capacity crowd rained down boos and expletives following the doctor’s decision.
Diaz and Masvidal Trade Octagon for Squared Circle
Dana White never got around to booking a rematch between Diaz (21-13) and Masvidal (35-17) in the UFC. Both fighters were 34 at the time, and their MMA careers went downhill shortly after UFC 244.
Diaz only fought in two more fights in the promotion, with a loss against current welterweight champion Leon Edwards by unanimous decision at UFC 263, and a win in his latest fight versus Tony Ferguson by submission at UFC 279.
Currently, Diaz is listed as a free agent and has not officially retired from MMA. In 2022, he said he wanted to fight Dustin Poirier for a retirement fight, though that never came to fruition. Rather than wait for a UFC contract, Diaz stepped into the boxing ring to lose to Jake Paul by unanimous decision.
Masvidal, however, officially retired in April 2023 from fighting following a three-round loss by unanimous decision to Gilbert Burns at UFC 287. It was the fourth straight loss for Masvidal in the UFC. Only eight months later, the 39-year-old announced he was coming out of retirement.
With no calls from the UFC, Masvidal will prepare for his first boxing match since 2005. In his pro boxing debut, he defeated 1-11-2 Joseph Benjamin by unanimous decision in Miami.
The 38-year-old Diaz’s fight against Paul was his pro boxing debut. It didn’t go particularly well, with the UFC star gassed and out of shape in the losing effort. Diaz is a tough fighter and has a chin that can survive plenty of abuse.
Nonetheless, if Diaz doesn’t take this fight against Masvidal seriously and is out of shape, it’s difficult to expect a different result than his boxing debut.
Diaz vs. Masvidal Set for 10 Rounds
The Diaz and Masvidal boxing match will feature 10 rounds at 175 pounds. Diaz has fought in the lightweight and welterweight division during his MMA career. In 2016, he transitioned to welterweight full-time, which has a 170-pound weight limit.
Like Diaz, Masvidal has experience in the lightweight and welterweight division. He was most recently fighting in the UFC at roughly 170 pounds. Diaz has a two-inch reach advantage at 76” as opposed to 74” for Masvidal, but it didn’t come into play in 2019 at UFC 244.
With less than three months remaining until the fight, the “Gamebred” is confident in his chances in the rematch against Diaz:
“Nate’s a dead man walking,” Masdival said to MMA Fighting. “I can’t wait to prove that last time was no fluke. He got saved by the referee. Now we are boxing, which he says is his forte, but he’s got no shot at beating me. I’m not going to give him an inch in that ring to even breathe. If he thought our MMA match was bad, this is going to be much worse. I’m going to drown him. I want to put away any talk that him and I are the same, or that the referee saved the day. All of that talk ends June 1.”
The Diaz vs. Masvidal “Last Man Standing” fight will be broadcast live on Fanmio PPV. The pay-per-view will cost $79.99, with an early bird price of $49.99 available until April 12.
