Nick Diaz will promote his first event as he launches WAR MMA 1 on June 22 from the Stockton Arena in Stockton, Calif., and now the debut card has been released.
The recently retired UFC welterweight decided to make the move into promoting following his last fight—a loss to UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre at UFC 158 in March.
Now Diaz will try his hand at promoting a fight from behind the scenes instead of competing inside the cage.
The first card is scheduled for June 22 with tickets going on sale for the card on May 29.
According to a press release from the new promotion, the headline fight will feature former UFC welterweight and Diaz teammate Daniel Roberts against Justin Baesman in the main event.
Roberts most recently competed in his home state of Oklahoma, where he choked out former UFC and Bellator fighter Brian Foster in the first round. When not training at home, Roberts is a mainstay with the Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu team headed up by Diaz along with his brother Nate Diaz and fellow UFC fighters Jake Shields and Gilbert Melendez.
In addition to the Roberts vs. Baesman main event, the card will feature former UFC and WEC veteran Antonio Banuelos vs. Benny Vinson, Caleb Mitchell vs. Evan Esguerra, Roy Broughton vs. Liron Wilson, Mike Persons vs. Clayton McKinney and Darin Cooley vs. Cody Gibson. More bouts are expected to be added to the card in the coming days.
WAR MMA fights will take place inside of a ring instead of a cage according to the promotion and will be competed under MMA’s unified rules with one additional stipulation—no elbows are allowed to the head of a grounded opponent.
The rules are similar to those used in Strikeforce up until the promotion was purchased by Zuffa, LLC in 2011.
The only roadblock left to jump by the fledgling organization is the promoter’s license needed to put on a show in the state of California.
On Tuesday, California State Athletic Commission Executive Director Andy Foster told Bleacher Report that WAR MMA had not been approved for a promoter’s license because they had not submitted all the necessary information required for review.
Once they receive that information, Foster says the approval process is fairly simple, but until that documentation is completed he cannot give the promotion a license.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report
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