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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is back in the pay-per-view (PPV) business tonight (Sat., Nov. 2, 2019) as UFC 244 is set to go down inside Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. The event — available through ESPN+ — will be headlined by a five-round Welterweight bout that will see Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal collide for the “BMF” title. In the co-headlining act, Kelvin Gastelum welcomes Darren Till to the Middleweight division, while Stephen Thompson and Vicente Luque collide at 170 pounds.
What’s Hot:
The day has finally arrived to see who “The Baddest Motherf—ker” in mixed martial arts (MMA) truly is, as Diaz and Masvidal will throw down in a highly-anticipated fight for the $50,000 “BMF” belt. Made up gimmicky belt aside, the fight is an interesting one to say the least.
Diaz made his triumphant return to action a few months ago, defeating Anthony Pettis at UFC 241 via unanimous decision. It was perhaps one of Diaz’s best performances inside the Octagon, made even more impressive since Diaz hadn’t fought in nearly three years. After his win over “Showtime,” the Stockton slugger wasted no time in calling for his next fight, challenging Masvidal, who was sitting in the crowd. A few weeks later, the fight was made, proving that Diaz is indeed a “needle mover” and calling his shots is something he can now do. Diaz has stuck to his word since saying world titles isn’t his bag, opting to call for a “gangster vs. gangster” showdown instead of challenging division kingpin, Kamaru Usman. He even chose “Gamebred” over calling for a trilogy fight against Conor McGregor, most likely because he knew a fight against Masvidal was more reasonable and likely to get booked. That, or he really admires and respects Masvidal and wants to show the world there is only one true “gangster” in MMA.
That said, we got a bit of a scare last week after Diaz took to social media to proclaim that he would not be fighting at the event after he was informed he had tested positive for trace amounts of a prohibited selective androgen receptor module (SARM). A few days later, however, the MMA community breathed a collective sigh of relief after UFC and USADA revealed that Diaz had not been suspended despite the positive result. In the process, Diaz pretty much blew the lid on both of those organizations, proving that they can manipulate the system and arrange it as they see fit. Star power at its finest.
As for Masvidal, the “resurrection” is indeed alive and well as he is perhaps the hottest fighter of 2019. After knocking out Darren Till (see it), Masvidal got the ticket to face Ben Askren a few months later at UFC 239. The build-up to the bout was what many expected, as the two men traded barbs, overshadowing the headlining bout between Jon Jones and Thiago Silva, as well as the co-main between Amanda Nunes and Holly Holm.
When fight night rolled around, the fight was over just as quickly as it began, as Masvidal rushed Askren and clipped him with a perfectly-placed flying knee to put him out for the count. Still, Masvidal hit “Funky” with a few more “super necessary” blows to ensure the job was done. And just like that, Masvidal’s star burned a bit brighter, eventually setting him up for the Diaz showdown.
As for the matchup itself, Diaz is probably the more well-rounded fighter of the two — stand up attack is just as lethal as his ground game. That said, I’d give Masvidal the power advantage on the feet, though his pace will be tested, as Diaz’s cardio and pressure is second to none. All in all, this fight is a tough one to pick, though fight fans should be entertained when it’s all said and done. And while Diaz and Masvidal will be thrilled to be crowned the “BMF” in the game, the real prize will likely be a shot at the 170-pound title and a showdown against either Usman or Colby Covington, who throw down at UFC 245 on Dec. 14, 2019.
In the co-main event, Kelvin Gastelum will look to get back in the winner’s circle after coming up short in his bid to capture UFC gold for the first time at UFC 236, losing to the current Middleweight king, Israel Adesanya, in an interim title fight for the ages (see it again here). In his way will be Darren Till, the hard-hitting “Gorilla” who will moving up from 170 pounds to compete in the 185-pound division. Many raised their eyebrows when this bout was booked, as many expected Till to get a less-dangerous fight to ease his transition to his new division, especially since he is coming off two losses.
That said, Till will enjoy a size advantage over Gastelum, who usually comes in as the smaller fighter for most of his bouts. Still, that hasn’t stopped him from enjoying success, as he has taken out the likes of Michael Bisping, Ronaldo Souza and Tim Kennedy. A win for Gastelum puts him right back in the mix, moving him closer to another shot at fulfilling his lifelong dream of capturing UFC gold. Till, meanwhile, needs an impressive showing and win here to remain relevant, as three straight losses won’t do him any favors as far as getting big fights is concerned. Whether or not his late arrival time to “The Big Apple” affects his performance is another story.
What’s Not:
It’s hard to find much wrong with this card — it has a great mixture of fights to entertain fight fans on a busy night of sports. UFC 244’s downside is that it is on the same night as super middleweight champion, Canelo Alvarez, moving up two weight classes to challenge WBO Light Heavyweight king, Sergey Kovalev, in Las Vegas, Nevada, which streams on DAZN.
Original Card Vs. Actual Card:
Krzysztof Jotko was set to face Edmen Shahbazyan in Middleweight action, but after Jotko was removed from the fight for undisclosed reasons, Brad Tavares stepped in to fill the void. Other than that, no major shake ups rattled this card.
Injuries:
No injuries were reported for this event, thankfully.
New Blood:
Sorry, but a card of this magnitude is reserved for veterans, not newcomers.
How The “Prelims” Look:
The underbelly of this event features several interesting bouts, starting with Johnny Walker vs. Corey Anderson at 205 pounds. I fully expected this fight to take place on the main card, but the late addition of Kevin Lee vs. Gregor Gillespie bumped it. That said, UFC likely put it as the “Prelims” headliner to attract more interest leading into the PPV portion. The matchup should be fire — Walker is one of the fastest rising contenders in MMA, boasting the skills and personality to be a star.
Since making his UFC debut, Walker has won three in a row, taking out Khalil Rountree, Justin Leddett and Misha Cirkunov all via knockout. In fact, in his last two outings, Walker got in and out, knocking out Misha in 36 seconds (see it), while Ledet was erased in a matter of just 15 seconds.
That said, he won’t be getting through Anderson that easily — he is as tough as they come. Anderson has really turned it around as of late, winning three in a row over Patrick Cummins, Glover Teixeira and Ilir latifi. As a result, Anderson has been campaigning for his shot at a title fight against division king, Jon Jones. While the promotion hasn’t obliged, a win over Walker should be what he needs to get it. On the flip side, don’t be too surprised if Walker gets “Bones” next with a win, too.
In 265-pound action, Andrei Arlovski will look to collect his second straight win when he faces Jairzinho Rozenstruik. It’s not the biggest name for “The Pitbull,” who has been fighting for UFC for nearly 20 years. Jairzinho, meanwhile, only has two UFC fights to his credit. It’s a dangerous fight for Arlovski because Jairzinho has two quick knockouts over Junior Albini and Allen Crowder in a combined time of 63 seconds.
Also, Makwan Amirkhani will look to earn his third straight win when he faces Shane Burgos — who is also on a two-fight win streak — in Featherweight action. These two young 145 pounders are looking to make some noise in a division full of veterans, so a win here goes a long way. This will be the first time Makwan fights stateside, so it could be a big chance for him to get on the radar.
To get a better look at those fights — and the rest of the “Prelims” — click here and here.
Who Needs A Win Badly:
Stephen Thompson has had a rough run as of late after dropping two fights in a row, first losing to Till via unanimous decision and then suffering the first knockout loss of his career after Anthony Pettis cleaned his clock at UFC Fight Night 148 (highlights). Prior to that, Thompson did score a unanimous decision win over Masvidal, which was preceded by a loss to Tyron Woodley in a 170-pound title fight. All said, “Wonderboy” has lost three of his last four, causing his stock to fall in the division. Losing three in a row would be disastrous for Thompson, but getting back into the win column will be a tough task to say the least.
That’s because he has been paired up against Vicente Luque, who has won six in a row and 10 of 11 overall. More impressively, six of those wins have come via knockout, proving that he is more than capable of striking with Thompson, a former kickboxing champion. A win here will be huge for Luque, who can jump up a few spots in the crowded division and get him closer to a shot at the strap. For Thompson, a victory here gets him a new lease on his combat life and helps him breathe easier moving forward.
Interest Level: 9/10
Let’s face it, all of the intrigue here is for Diaz vs. Masvidal, but the rest of the card isn’t too shabby. Aside from the interesting scrap in the co-main event between Till and Gastelum — as well as the aforementioned matchup between Thompson and Luque — the rest of the main card is rather interesting.
Derrick Lewis is always must-see TV, and he will look to get a much-needed win against Blagoy Ivanov after suffering back-to-back losses to Junior dos Santos and Daniel Cormier. “Black Beast” hits like a Mack truck, so if he connects on Blagoy it could be an early night for both men. Still, Ivanov has proven to be a formidable foe since making the switch over from Bellator MMA in 2018, going 2-1 with his lone loss coming to “Cigano.”
Also, Kevin Lee will make his drop back down to Lightweight after a one-and-done fight at 170 pounds (a loss to Rafael dos Anjos). Lee is in limbo at the moment, as he has been unable to find consistency anywhere. He has dropped his last two fights, and three of four overall with his lone win coming against Edson Barboza, bringing his UFC record to 1-3 since 2017.
It won’t get any easier for “The Motown Phenom,” who is facing an undefeated (13-0, 6-0 UFC) wrestling powerhouse in Gregor Gillespie. Even Lee knows taking this fight wasn’t the smartest thing to do, as he can very well earn his third straight defeat against a man who has looked unstoppable so far. That said, if Lee can hand “The Gift” his first loss, it will shoot him right back up and give him a shot of momentum he needs to keep from falling further down the totem pole.
All in all, we should be in store for an entertaining night of fights, so sit back and enjoy the show!
Full UFC 244 Fight Card:
UFC 244 PPV Main Event On ESPN+:
170 lbs.: Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz
UFC 244 Main Card On ESPN+ (10 p.m. ET):
185 lbs.: Kelvin Gastelum vs. Darren Till
170 lbs.: Vicente Luque vs. Stephen Thompson
265 lbs.: Blagoy Ivanov vs. Derrick Lewis
155 lbs.: Kevin Lee vs. Gregor Gillespie
UFC 244 Prelims Card On ESPN2 (8 p.m. ET):
205 lbs.: Corey Anderson vs. Johnny Walker
145 lbs.: Makwan Amirkhani vs. Shane Burgos
185 lbs.: Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Brad Tavares
265 lbs.: Andrei Arlovski vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
UFC 244 Prelims Card On ESPN2/ESPN+ (6:30 p.m. ET):
135 lbs.: Katlyn Chookagian vs. Jennifer Maia
170 lbs.: Lyman Good vs. Chance Rencountre
145 lbs.: Julio Arce vs. Hakeem Dawodu
*Fight card, bout order and the amount of matches subject to change.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 244 fight card this weekend RIGHT HERE, starting with the Fight Pass/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN 2 at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
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