Nate Diaz (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
Don’t put the Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal boxing match in the same folder as the Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen “fight.”
To put it simply, Saturday night’s game at the Honda Center in Anaheim was fun and the Silva-Sonnen exhibition wasn’t much of a competition.
Diaz won a majority decision over Masvidal, but it was far from an open and shut affair with the judges’ scorecards (97-93, 98-92, 95-95). Both 39-year-olds showed impressive stamina, throwing more than 1,400 punches in the fight.
Diaz’s relentless action, while not as powerful, swayed the judges with his work rate. However, there was no doubt that Masvidal’s punches were much more powerful and seemingly damaging.
Diaz’s chin remains impressive. Diaz never backed down, no matter what punches he was taking, and kept throwing punches throughout the match. Here’s a look at some of the punches Diaz took in stride.
The judges favored Diaz’s volume over Masvidal’s power punches, which would explain why two of the three judges awarded the punch to the Stockton, California native.
After the fight, Diaz called his victory a “mission accomplished.” The two men met in the first-ever BMF title fight in the UFC. Masvidal won via TKO when the doctor stopped the fight due to a nasty cut above Diaz’s eye.
During his post-fight interview, Diaz indicated that he was interested in fighting Jake Paul again. He fought Paul in a boxing match in August 2023 and lost a unanimous decision. Paul scored a knockdown in the fifth round of that match.
Paul, who has a deal with the Professional Fighters League, offered to rematch Diaz at the PFL’s SmartCage, but Diaz turned down the $15 million offer.
Paul responded on social media with a profane comment to address this after hearing Diaz’s criticism. Business relationships with the UFC likely prevent Diaz from accepting Paul’s offer, but we’ll see what happens in the future.
The Diaz vs. Masvidal fight looked set to be a huge commercial success. The Honda Center in Anaheim was packed, loud and lively for the event.
The announced attendance for the event was 18,040, which is impressive. Perhaps Diaz’ proven marketability will open up new opportunities for him. He also called out current UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards, as Diaz still wants to win a UFC title.
Diaz lost a unanimous decision to Edwards in June 2021, but he defeated him in the fifth round, suggesting he could find success against the current champion.
It may be a bit of an exaggeration considering his age, but Diaz has proven that he can capture the attention of fans, something the UFC probably can’t resist.