Nate Diaz is ready for one of the biggest fights of his career. He’s set to take on Jorge Masvidal in the main event of UFC 244 in Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. They’re fighting for the BMF title. It’s an honorary one-off belt that won’t be contested again. Hopefully not anyway.
Diaz has fought once in 2019. After returning from a three-year layoff, he took on Anthony Pettis and roundly defeated him by decision. In short, it was a terrific performance and we also saw his drawing power. Many fans were very excited for his return and they came out in droves to support him.
But it could have been very different. He was previously in negotiations to fight Khabib Nurmagamedov. Diaz has confirmed that he was in talks to fight the Russian. He’s also addressed his beef with the lightweight champion. The pair have confronted each other in the past. However, now Diaz regrets his involvement.
Reckless
The pair clashed at a WSOF event in 2015. Both men were there in support of their teammates who were fighting on the card. Then tensions escalated between the two camps and a ruckus broke out. Neither man is a stranger to a brawl. Diaz was massively involved in the infamous carnage of Strikeforce: Nashville. Meanwhile, Khabib kicked off the post-fight brawl at UFC 229.
“I shouldn’t have done that. It was reckless, it was stupid,” Diaz said. “I was mad, but he was picking on me. So now he’s trying to act like ‘Mr. Make It Right’. ‘I’m Mr Good, this guy’s a piece of sh-t, I don’t need this trash talk. Whatever, you were gonna pick on me … trying to act like the victim, that Conor was picking on him.”
Not Happening
Diaz also confirmed that he was in talks to fight the Russian. His stock was at its highest after beating Conor McGregor. But for whatever reason, it just didn’t happen. Such is the way of combat sports. It’s worth noting that Diaz was also booked to fight Dustin Poirier but that fell apart too.
“Didn’t I already try to fight him?” They asked me who I wanted to fight,” Diaz said. “I said Khabib. They said no. I said I’d fight Pettis, then Masvidal for the BMF belt. I was (willing to fight Khabib) when it was interesting. Now, it’s like kicking a dead dog.”
Wild
The BMF title is one of the craziest events of the year. If it wasn’t for Diaz and Masvidal nobody would take this seriously. Yesterday, Masvidal got fans to fight during his open workout. It was insane and definitely dangerous, but you’ve got to love it. Finally, the UFC intervened.
Meanwhile, Diaz has had his own drama. One of his test results came back positive. This ended with the Stockton fighter issuing an ultimatum to USADA and the UFC to clear his name. If you don’t believe in his pull power then that will change your mind. This fight is going down
