Jorge Masvidal returns to action on June 1 in Inglewood, California, in a boxing match against Nate Diaz, the man he fought and beat in the UFC’s inaugural BMF title fight.
Originally scheduled for March, the fight between Masvidal and Diaz was pushed back a couple of times before it settled for June 1. The event will coincide with UFC 302, in which a lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier will headline the card. ‘Gamebred’ isn’t best pleased that his fight with Diaz is on the same night but hopes that fans can tune into both.
Before Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz fought for the BMF title in November of 2019, it appeared that both men had respect for each other, both professionally and personally. This no longer seems to be the case, particularly regarding the latter. Masvidal seems unhappy with the way his upcoming opponent handles his business and told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour that during the negotiations for their UFC fight, Diaz didn’t want to fight in New York or Miami. Vegas was fully booked, and the bout eventually took place in ‘The Big Apple.’ However, Diaz’s alleged difficulties were branded ‘diva-like’ by Masvidal, and it doesn’t seem as if he’s forgotten.
Biggest pay-day of Masvidal’s career?
With Diaz vs. Masvidal taking place on the same night as UFC 302, it could potentially affect the pay-per-view numbers negatively. Since Madvidal’s contract entitles him to a cut of the PPV, he understandably wants to maximize the opportunity. This was one of the reasons why Masivdal wanted to either bring the fight forward by a week, or push it back a week to June 8. According to him, Diaz wasn’t keen on the idea and made it clear that he was sticking to the 1st of the month. ‘Gamebred’ reluctantly agreed as he wants the fight to go ahead, but claims it was a bad business move on Diaz’s part not to agree to a date switch.
So, how does a boxing match stack up with Masvidal’s pay-days while fighting for the UFC?
”It’s very good money. This (the boxing match) is very good money, brother. For myself, my family, Mama, we made it!”
The best pay-day ever? Asked Helwani: ”I don’t know if I can say that on camera. If I was just talking to you, and we were to forget about the camera? Brother, it’s a big a** check. It’s not just big, it’s big as f**k, it’s some serious a** money, man” said Masvidal.
Thoughts on Max Holloway Vs. Justin Gaethje
As we know, Jorge Masvidal was the UFC’s first-ever BMF champion. Now he’s out of the MMA game, he has to sit on the sidelines and watch people compete for the belt he used to hold. Despite this, ‘Gamebred’ seemed genuinely happy for Max Holloway after his win at UFC 300 and told Helwani that there was nobody better to hold the title than Holloway.
In the many viral clips that have been doing the rounds on social media of Max’s knockout over Gaethje, ‘Blessed’ can be seen pointing at the ground, goading his opponent to throw haymakers with him for the final few seconds of the fight. Doing so was a big risk for Holloway as he was bound to win comfortably on the judge’s scorecards. His risky behavior impressed Masivdal:
”That’s a BMF. He (Holloway) understands the code of a BMF. One BMF (referencing himself) has the fastest knockout (against Ben Askren), and one BMF has the latest knockout, right? It has to be. It was the greatest f***ing thing ever, and going through that battle (with Gaethje), he’s clearly winning the fight in my book. When that dude (Holloway) points to the ground, do the opposite. You don’t engage. He’s everybody’s favorite fighter. I’ve always loved Max” – said Masvidal.
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