Nate Diaz (Photo by Sam Hoad/Getty Images)
Anderson Silva vs. Nate Diaz vs. Chael Sonnen in the same folder as “fight”. Do not file Jorge Masvidal’s boxing match.
To be frank, Saturday night’s fight at the Honda Center in Anaheim was fun and the Silva-Sonnen exhibition wasn’t a real contest.
Diaz won by majority decision over Masvidal, but it was an open-and-shut case with the judges’ scorecards (97-93, 98-92, 95-95). The 39-year-olds showed off their amazing stamina by throwing 1,400 punches in the fight.
Diaz’s relentless action, while not overpowering, impressed the judges with his work rate. However, there is no doubt that Masvidal’s punches were more powerful and visually damaging.
Diaz’s chin continues to impress. Diaz didn’t back down from any shots he took and kept throwing punches throughout the fight. Check out some of Diaz’s shots here.
The judges favored Diaz’s sound over Masvidal’s power punches, and that explains the two-thirds call for the Stockton, California native.
After the fight, Diaz called his victory “mission accomplished.” The two met in the first BMF title fight in the UFC. Masvidal won by TKO when the doctor stopped the fight due to a nasty cut above Diaz’s eye.
During the post-fight interview, Diaz expressed his desire to fight Jake Paul again. He fought Paul in a boxing match in August 2023, losing a unanimous decision. Paul scored a knockout in the fifth round of that fight.
Paul, who is under contract with the Professional Fighters League, offered to face Diaz in a rematch at the PFL’s SmartCage, but the latter rejected the $15 million offer.
Paul took to social media A lousy answer To solve it after listening to Diaz’s call. Business ties with the UFC may prevent Diaz from taking Paul’s chance, but we’ll see what happens.
The Diaz-Masvidal fight was a significant commercial success. The Honda Center in Anaheim was packed, loud and excited for the event.
The He announced his arrival The event was 18,040, which is impressive. Perhaps Diaz’s proven marketability will open up new opportunities for him. Diaz also called out current UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards as he still wants to win a UFC title.
Diaz lost to Edwards by unanimous decision in June 2021, but he stunned him in the fifth round, suggesting he could have some success against the reigning champion.
Given his age, that might be a stretch, but Diaz is a proven needle-mover with fans, and that might be something the UFC can’t resist.
