Nate Diaz avenged his 2019 UFC defeat to Jorge Masvidal with a majority decision victory (95-95, 97-93, 98-92) after an entertaining 10 rounds in Anaheim on Saturday.
The Californian southpaw did enough to get the nod on two judges' cards on the back of trademark relentless volume and durability in the face of some hard counter shots from his opponent.
Masvidal felt he was unlucky not to get the decision.
“I thought I won, I thought I hit the harder shots, he did land more volume but I definitely thought I landed the way, way better shots,” Masvidal told Fanmio in the ring post-fight.
“We can do it again, we’re 1-1, I thought I won that one, we’ll find a place to do it and do it again.
“The harder shots, 100 per cent I landed them, everybody saw that.”
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Masvidal sprung a minor surprise when he opened the fight in southpaw but it was Diaz who brought the action in the opening stages, combining the odd power shot with his typical barrage of slappy arm punches, slipping in a clean left hand to set the tone.
Miami’s Masvidal worked into the bout in the second, finding the target with overhand lefts and right hooks to the body and upstairs as Diaz looked to continue his high-pressure strategy.
The aggression continued from Masvidal to open the third, seeing Diaz briefly shell up in order to weather the storm before the Californian mounted some offense of his own to help the pro-Diaz crowd in Anaheim find their voice.
That pattern continued for the next few rounds, Diaz pressing the pace with lots of volume while Masvidal looked to sit down on hard counter shots and combinations.
No Diaz fight would be complete without some gamesmanship and this was no different, with the southpaw occasionally turning his back on his opponent and acknowledging the 18,000-strong crowd at the Honda Center.
All that while eating some clean power shots which temporarily halted Diaz’s forward march in the fifth round as Masvidal started to edge ahead.
Diaz’s legendary chin was on display late in the sixth when he shook off an overhand left like it was nothing, then in the seventh, his showboating backfired when he was caught with a right hook with his guard down while taunting taunting “Gamebred”.
Through eight, both men had slowed slightly but their output remained impressive considering their shared age of 39 and respective mileage in combat sports.
It was more of the same down the stretch, though plenty entertaining nonetheless, as Masvidal thudded hard shots around Diaz’s guard while Stockton’s own continued to land jabs, hooks, slaps, uppercuts and everything in between.
Neither man could land a decisive blow in the final round but the action was willing to the last bell.
After the victory, Diaz named some potential future opponents and flagged a possible return to MMA.
“I’m gonna beat Jake Paul’s f—in’ ass and I’m down to fight the highest-ranked boxer I can find,” Diaz said on Fanmio.
“My main objective, like it’s always been, is to be the best fighter in the world so I want to go back and get a UFC title.
“Leon Edwards, Jake Paul and anybody the f— else, you’re dead.”
Both men now sit at 1-1 as professional boxers.
In the chief support, Shane Mosley Jr. scored a one-sided unanimous decision victory (99-91 x2, 100-90) over a faded Daniel Jacobs to collect his fifth consecutive victory.
Chris Avila scored a points win over former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, 18-year-old phenom Curmel Moton remained undefeated with a second round knockout, while Amado Vargas forced the stoppage of Sean Garcia.
The Sporting News brings you all the results below:
Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal results
- Nate Diaz def. Jorge Masvidal via MD10 (95-95, 97-93, 98-92)
- Shane Mosley Jr. def. Daniel Jacobs via UD10 (99-91 x2, 100-90)
- Chris Avila def. Anthony Pettis via UD6 (58-56, 59-55 x2)
- Curmel Moton def. Nikolai Buzolin via TKO2
- Amado Vargas def. Sean Garcia via TKO5
- Devin Cushing def. Manuel Correa via UD8 (77-75, 78-74, 80-72)
- Luis Lopez def. Alan Sanchez via UD8 (77-75 x3)
- Gabriel Aguilar Costa def. Steven Dunn via KO2
- Bryce Logan def. Jose Aguayo via KO3
- Kenny Lopez Jr. def. Andres Martinez via UD6 (59-54 x2, 58-55)
Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal start time
- Date: Saturday, July 6
- Time: 9 p.m. ET | 2 a.m BST (Sun) | 11 a.m. AEST (Sun)
- Location: Honda Center — Anaheim, California
The Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal main card starts at 9 p.m. ET. The main event should start around 12 p.m. ET, depending on how long the the undercard fights last.
How to watch Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal in Australia
- Fanmio PPV: $49.99
The Diaz vs. Masvidal fight is available on Fanmio PPV worldwide.
Alternatively, fans can purchase the event through streaming service DAZN.
