Photo by Michael Owens/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC
Now that UFC 243 is in the rear-view mirror, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is putting all of its efforts into the upcoming UFC 244 pay-per-view (PPV) event on Nov. 2, 2019, which will be headlined by a five-round bout between Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal.
And yes, it will be a quasi-championship fight, as the two men will compete for the “BMF” title, which has been the topic of conversation from many who believe the bout is nothing more than a waste of the promotion’s time and money.
Regardless, the showdown — set to go down inside Madison Square Garden in New York, New York — carries plenty of intrigue, as these two combatants are as “real as it gets” whether it be in, or out of the cage.
Fighting out of Stockton, Calif., Diaz made his triumphant return to the Octagon after more than two years away from the fight game to defeat Anthony Pettis at UFC 241 a few months back, marking his first win since choking out Conor McGregor in 2016. Much to everyone’s surprise and delight, the Stockton slugger opted not to go on another extended hiatus, instead calling out Masvidal to a fight.
As for Masvidal — who fights out of Miami, Florida — he has enjoyed a career resurrection, scoring back-to-back knockout victories, including his come-from-behind win over Darren Till, and his record-setting knockout over Ben Askren at UFC 239. And a win over Diaz could earn “Gamebred” his first-ever crack at legit UFC gold.
To see who else is fighting at UFC 244: “Diaz vs Masvidal” click here.