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I guess Nate Diaz wasn’t paying attention when Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President, Dana White, told the mixed martial arts (MMA) community that he was not interested in booking a Jorge Masvidal rematch after the cageside doctor called a halt to the UFC 244 main event at the end of the third round.
Or maybe Diaz just decided to let the world know that he was no longer available, even if the potential do-over was put back on the table. I’m not sure how else to explain his “fuck the rematch” and “peace out” post on Instagram, unless he’s taking a page from the Conor McGregor playbook and doing that cryptic “maybe he retired, maybe he didn’t” shtick.
As you would expect, his dopey followers were sympathetic to the move, with some even posting CHAMPION!!! in the comments section, perhaps forgetting that champions win titles and don’t get “dominated” in title fights, even fake titles fights with fake belts presented by fake fighters, like pro wrestling superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
In fairness, Diaz did warn us that he might take another extended absence, like the one that sent him to the sidelines in the wake of his “Notorious” rematch back in late 2016. It’s a shame we lost so much of his fighting prime because love him or hate him, Diaz is one of the most entertaining fighters on the roster and a bonafide needle mover.
As for Masvidal, he’s likely to move on to fight the winner of Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington, who collide for the 170-pound strap — and the title of “real American” — in the UFC 245 pay-per-view (PPV) main event next month inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.