In the runup to his Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale matchup with Gray Maynard, Nate Diaz tweeted that he couldn’t go to the fight because he had to attend his high school reunion.
As it turns out, Diaz finished his fight with Maynard so fast Saturday night, he might have been able to hop a flight back to Stockton and catch the end of his reunion after all.
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In a main event in which it was clear the winner was going to remain relevant in the lightweight division and the loser would no longer be a major factor, Diaz made his statement loud and clear: He’s still a force at 155 pounds.
Diaz put on a brutal boxing clinic in finishing Maynard on Saturday night, picking him apart before referee Yves Levigne stopped the bout at 2:38 of the first round.
Maynard (11-3-1, 1 NC), who was 1-2-1 in his past four coming into the evening, actually got off to a decent start, scoring a takedown in the early going off a single. But Diaz got back up, and a short left hand ended the fight. Diaz put on on a classic Diaz Brothers “punches in bunches” performance, and while the ultra-tough Maynard stayed on his feet, he couldn’t respond.
Seconds after Levigne waved off the fight, Maynard, attempting to scamper away, fell face-first to the mat.
In his postfight interview, Diaz profusely thanked his Skrap Pack teammates. Jon Anik asked Diaz whether he might go back to 170 pounds, considering teammate Gilbert Melendez is also highly ranked at 155. Diaz nixed the idea.
“We going to beat you asses, that’s what’s up,” Diaz (17-9) said.