Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) attempt to book a sure-to-be thrilling Welterweight collision between Nick Diaz and Jorge Masvidal apparently weren’t strong enough to convince the “Stockton Slugger” from stepping back into the cage.
The bout was rumored to be going down t the upcoming UFC 232 pay-per-view (PPV) event on March 2, 2019, but Diaz wasn’t too committed to the fight, citing contract issues with the promotion.
According to UFC president Dana White, it’s pretty clear that the fight is no longer happen, and all you have do is become a social media detective to figure out why.
“I think that’s pretty clear,” said White during the UFC 232 post-fight press conference (via MMA Fighting). “All you’ve got to do is look at [Diaz’s] Instagram. I don’t think it looks like he’s training for a fight.”
Diaz was recently given the green light to return to action from Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) following a lengthy suspension for a failed drug test. Nick hasn’t competed since 2015, losing to Anderson Silva, though it was eventually overturned to a no-contest due to this.
The defeat was his third straight, bringing his winning less drought to seven years and counting.
As for Masvidal, he hasn’t competed in over a year since he suffered a decision loss to Stephen Thompson at UFC 217. Prior to that, “Gamebred” came up short against Demian Maia, as well. Though he hasn’t been competing inside the cage, Jorge has kept busy participating on a Latin American television show titled Exatlon.
Now, Jorge will have to find a new dance partner for the upcoming pay-per-view (PPV event), though he already has a backup plan in mind.