Nate Diaz was sliced and diced by Jorge Masvidal in the UFC 244 main event back in Nov. 2019, a technical knockout loss that cost the Stockton slapper the “BMF” belt. But dopey Diaz fans insist their hero would have reigned supreme had the bout reached the fourth and fifth rounds.
Fifth-Round Diaz now joins Full-Camp Masvidal on the recent list of would haves.
Diaz will battle top-ranked welterweight contender Leon Edwards in the upcoming UFC 262 pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event, scheduled for May 15 in Houston, Texas. But 25 minutes against “Rocky” only means longer punishment for Diaz.
“It’s just longer punishment for Nate than anything,” Edwards told ESPN (via Middle Easy). “Everyone saying it benefits Nate because when he fought Masvidal rounds four and five were where he was starting to turn on, so we’ll see. If that’s his gameplan then it’s going to be a long first three rounds.”
The soon-to-be 36 year-old Diaz has pretty good cardio for an athlete who’s only competed twice since 2016 and missed all of last year being grumpy over the state of the division. Edwards, 29, also sat out during the promotion’s 2020 fight campaign after bouts against Tyron Woodley and Khamzat Chimaev went down in flames thanks to COVID-19.
“I’ve never been stopped, never been submitted, never been knocked out, so I don’t understand what difference it will make,” Edwards said about his five-round fight. “I’m coming in there to hurt him, I’m coming in there to put him away, I’m coming in there to prove that I am levels above these guys. I truly believe that. I think my combinations of punches, elbows, and kicks is going to hurt him. My grappling, my cardio, I just think I’m the better man in all areas.”
He’ll get no argument from the UFC Sports Books.