After missing in action for more than three years, Nate Diaz finally made a return to to competition on August 17 at UFC 241. He defeated Anthony Pettis in style in the welterweight bout which was the co-main event. Nate Diaz dominant performance led to an unanimous decision. It was obvious the crow was happy to have Nate Diaz back to action. His return for many was a confirmation that the 34 year old is one of the biggest UFC biggest stars.
Having defeated Anthony Pettis, Diaz called his shot for his next fight and that fight was against Jorge Masvidal. It was a bout to look forward to, probably the most enticing fight in the welterweight division, more enticing than the bout between Diaz and Masvidal.
Nov 2, 2019; New York, NY, USA; Jorge Masvidal (red gloves) fights Nate Diaz (blue gloves) during UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Sarah Stier-USA TODAY Sports
Just like Jorge Masvidal, it was a fight the fans wanted to see, it was expected to be a fight between two dogs locked in a cage and going for each other’s jugular. According to UFC President Dana White, the bout was a celebratory “baddest motherfucker” (‘BMF’) belt. Everyone including all legal betting sites in the USA were looking forward to the bout and the following tweets are prove of how anticipated the bout was;
God, Diaz vs. Masvidal is going to be huge. Put that as the main of the year-end show with Nunes and it's the highest-selling pay-per-view of the year.
— Shaheen Al-Shatti (@shaunalshatti) August 18, 2019
Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal. Madison Square Garden. 5 rounds. Don't need a title fight in New York. This is the one. Book it. #UFC241
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) August 18, 2019
Everyone including myself thought Diaz will win the bout easily but Jorge Masvidal opened Nate Diaz up with bloody cuts. The cut was so huge that the referee was forced to stop the match and announced Masvidal as the “baddest mother f—–” in the game. And whats more, Masvidal was awarded a $50,000 “BMF” belt by the Hollywood hardman and former WWE superstar The Rock.
Days after the defeat Diaz took to his instagram page and posted a picture of himself smoking alongside his brother Nick Diaz who is also a UFC veteran. He captioned the instagram; “F–k a rematch this s–t was over before it started. I’m goin on out on tour (sic). Peace out fight game (peace emoji).”
Which is an indication he may be retiring from the game. And to further confirm he may be retiring, he was quoted as having said;
“I’ll never have to fight again. I didn’t have to fight a long time ago. But what am I going to do? I’ve got all kinds of other stuff going on, but I don’t like not fighting.
“I’ll take forever off, or I’ll get back to it if anybody comes correct. The only reason we’ve had problems in the past is because you better treat me like it’s supposed to be.”
Nov 2, 2019; New York, NY, USA; Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock puts the BMF belt on Jorge Masvidal (red gloves) after Masvidal defeated Nate Diaz (blue gloves) during UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Sarah Stier-USA TODAY Sports
Although Nate Diaz may not be up for a rematch and stands no chance of avenging his defeat but his older brother Nick Diaz may now have the chance to avenge his younger brother’s defeat. Should the match happen, there will be no Gold belt involved this time, but it is certainly a bout that many UFC fans will be looking forward to and it will certainly offer a big payday for both fighters.
