Tag: Anthony Showtime Pettis

Nate Diaz Explains Why Short-Notice Welterweight Title Fight With Tyron Woodley Never Happened

Nate Diaz has been away from the Octagon for nearly three years. That’s all about to change this weekend (Sat. August 17, 2019) at UFC 241 on pay-per-view (PPV). The Stockton native will return to face Anthony “Showtime” Pettis in the co-main event of the evening. Ahead of the fight, Diaz recently sat down with […]

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Nate Diaz has been away from the Octagon for nearly three years. That’s all about to change this weekend (Sat. August 17, 2019) at UFC 241 on pay-per-view (PPV).

The Stockton native will return to face Anthony “Showtime” Pettis in the co-main event of the evening. Ahead of the fight, Diaz recently sat down with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto for an interview to preview the upcoming bout, and discuss his long layoff from the sport. During the conversation, Diaz talked about his inactivity and why he hasn’t fought in so long.

With the notion being presented by the UFC that Diaz is consistently turning down fights, Diaz noted that most of the offers he received from the Las Vegas-based promotion were “lame.” However, there were some he was down for, but the UFC either failed to meet the Californian’s monetary expectations, or the fights simply fell through. One fight that didn’t take place, Diaz reveals, was a short-notice 170-pound title fight with Tyron Woodley.

Diaz was down to face “T-Wood” on short-notice for the welterweight strap, but it sounds like the UFC wasn’t able to pony up enough money to get Diaz to sign on the dotted line.

“So, why am I going to fight for these people and go out of my way to try and fight when it’s like that?” Diaz asked. “And what I’m saying is, is that, with all the criticism that I got for not fighting too, especially for any fighter talking, you’re out of pocket. Shut your a** up, I still have more fights than any of you not fighting.

“Like, I never called you guys, like ‘Can I fight Khabib and Conor and “GSP?” Can I fight Tyron Woodley?” That fight [Woodley] fell through because, they were like, short-notice, I’m 172 pounds, 174 pounds. They were like, ‘Hey, you want to fight welterweight title in like f*cking three weeks or something?’

“And I’m like yeah, lets do this, but yo, give me some – we gonna have to money up for this. But I’m with it whenever and I showed up, too. I’m like, I’ll pop up and do my thing. And then, that’s how that fight went.”

Now, Diaz will face Woodley’s longtime teammate and friend in Pettis. The pair will co-headline UFC 241 on pay-per-view (PPV) this weekend from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, in what’s likely the most anticipated fight on the card.

Would you have liked to see Diaz face Woodley for the welterweight title on short-notice?

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UFC 241 Poster Revealed (Photo)

The upcoming UFC 241 pay-per-view (PPV) has a very nice card on tap. In the main event of the night, UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier defends his title against Stipe Miocic. This will be a rematch from their initial bout last year, in which Cormier knocked Miocic out in the first round to capture the […]

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The upcoming UFC 241 pay-per-view (PPV) has a very nice card on tap.

In the main event of the night, UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier defends his title against Stipe Miocic. This will be a rematch from their initial bout last year, in which Cormier knocked Miocic out in the first round to capture the heavyweight title. “DC” believes the result will ultimately be the same when they run it back.

Also, in the co-main event, former UFC lightweight champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis welcomes Nate Diaz back to the Octagon. Diaz hasn’t fought since 2016 when he fought to a Majority Decision loss against Conor McGregor.

And of course, two middleweight powerhouses collide, when Yoel Romero meets Paulo Costa as well. UFC 241 goes down on PPV from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California on August 17.

The UFC has released the official UFC 241 poster. Check it out here:

UFC 241 Card

  • Heavyweight: (C) Daniel Cormier vs. Stipe Miocic
  • Welterweight: Anthony Pettis vs. Nate Diaz
  • Middleweight: Yoel Romero vs. Paulo Costa
  • Bantamweight: Raphael Assuncao vs. Cory Sandhagen
  • Middleweight: Derek Brunson vs. Ian Heinisch
  • Featherweight: Gabriel Benitez vs. Sodiq Yusuff

What do you think about the UFC 241 poster ahead of the August PPV?

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Anthony Pettis’ Manager Believes Conor McGregor Matchup Is ‘On The Horizon’

Anthony Pettis’ manager, Abraham Kawa, believes that a fight between “Showtime” and Conor McGregor is “on the horizon.” Kawa joined MMA Junkie Radio recently and discussed the matter. In regards to McGregor’s efforts of landing a rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov, Kawa said he doesn’t think now is the time for such a matchup. Instead, he […]

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Anthony Pettis’ manager, Abraham Kawa, believes that a fight between “Showtime” and Conor McGregor is “on the horizon.”

Kawa joined MMA Junkie Radio recently and discussed the matter. In regards to McGregor’s efforts of landing a rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov, Kawa said he doesn’t think now is the time for such a matchup. Instead, he thinks McGregor should be eying his client, a fellow former 155-pound champion:

“Even Conor fighting Khabib, I don’t think that’s the fight,” Kawa said. “I actually don’t want to see that fight right now. Maybe after a while, yes. But right now I think Conor vs. Anthony is the fight. I’m looking at it as (if) Anthony beats Nate, and I think Conor is next on the horizon.”

However, before Pettis can hope for a fight with McGregor, he has some business to take care of in August. He’ll co-headlined UFC 241 on pay-per-view (PPV) against Nate Diaz. Diaz himself is a former McGregor foe, as the pair had one of the most beloved rivalries the sport has ever seen.

Diaz hasn’t fought since his 2016 rematch with McGregor, where the Stockton native came up short via Majority Decision. He’ll remain at 170 pounds to face Pettis, who comes off a knockout win over multi-time welterweight title challenger Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson.

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Photo: Nate Diaz Looking Shredded Ahead Of UFC 241 Return

Nate Diaz is looking shredded ahead of his Octagon return later this year. The Stockton native will be competing at the UFC 241 pay-per-view (PPV) on August 17 from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. He’ll be taking on ex-lightweight champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis. Diaz is certainly taking his training seriously ahead of the bout. […]

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Nate Diaz is looking shredded ahead of his Octagon return later this year.

The Stockton native will be competing at the UFC 241 pay-per-view (PPV) on August 17 from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. He’ll be taking on ex-lightweight champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis. Diaz is certainly taking his training seriously ahead of the bout. In recent photos on social media, Diaz is looking to be in phenomenal shape.

Check out the following photo of Diaz while in the middle of sparring:

Diaz posted some more on Instagram:

View this post on Instagram

Pull the fuck up

A post shared by Nate Diaz (@natediaz209) on

Diaz hasn’t competed in mixed martial arts (MMA) competition since August of 2016. He had a two-fight win streak snapped by Conor McGregor in their rematch at UFC 202. Despite putting on a hard-fought bout, Diaz lost the contest via Majority Decision. The bout was contested at welterweight, and marked the second time in a row the Californian was competing at 170 pounds.

Now, Diaz will return to welterweight to take on Pettis, who also just made the jump up in weight from 155 pounds. He comes off a vicious knockout win over two-time welterweight title challenger Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson.

UFC 241 Card

  • Heavyweight: (C) Daniel Cormier vs. Stipe Miocic
  • Welterweight: Anthony Pettis vs. Nate Diaz
  • Middleweight: Yoel Romero vs. Paulo Costa
  • Bantamweight: Raphael Assuncao vs. Cory Sandhagen
  • Middleweight: Derek Brunson vs. Ian Heinisch
  • Featherweight: Sodiq Yusuff vs. Gabriel Benitez

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Results From Grappling Event Featuring Jorge Masvidal vs. Anthony Pettis, Yoel Romero

Last night (Sat. June 15, 2019) was a rare night for mixed martial arts (MMA) fans. It was a Saturday night that didn’t have a UFC show on tap. However, combat sports fans weren’t left completely high and dry, as Bellator 222 took place this past Friday night, while Tyson Fury returned to glory with […]

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Last night (Sat. June 15, 2019) was a rare night for mixed martial arts (MMA) fans. It was a Saturday night that didn’t have a UFC show on tap.

However, combat sports fans weren’t left completely high and dry, as Bellator 222 took place this past Friday night, while Tyson Fury returned to glory with a nasty second-round TKO win in Las Vegas last night. Three UFC stars were in combat sports action last night as well, but it wasn’t inside the Octagon.

UFC fighters Jorge Masvidal, Anthony “Showtime” Pettis, and Yoel Romero all took part in the Dean Toole Promotions charity event, which streamed live on Internet pay-per-view (PPV) via Ryoulive. Pettis and Masvidal competed in a jiu-jitsu bout against one another. The grappling affair was relatively uneventful for the most part. Pettis threw up several jumping submission attempts, but fell hard to the canvas unsuccessfully each time. Masvidal did manage to take Pettis’ back at one point, but couldn’t get a submission.

Their grappling bout ended in a Draw after 10 minutes. Romero had a much different experience. He faced heavyweight Chris Barnett in a grappling contest, submitting Barnett with a kimura after four minutes on the mat. It’s surprising that the UFC allowed the three to compete given they all have fights coming up.

Pettis will face Nate Diaz in the co-main event of the UFC 241 PPV in August. Masvidal is scheduled to face Ben Askren at UFC 239 next month on one of the most stacked cards of the year. And finally, Romero will be fighting Paulo Costa at UFC 241 as well.

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Duke Roufus Breaks Down Anthony Pettis’ Key To Victory Over Nate Diaz

Nate Diaz is finally set to return to the Octagon. The Stockton native hasn’t fought since his 2016 rematch with Conor McGregor. After several failed attempts to lure the fan-favorite back to the Octagon, it looks like Diaz might actually make the walk after three years away. He’ll be facing former 155-pound champion Anthony “Showtime” […]

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Nate Diaz is finally set to return to the Octagon.

The Stockton native hasn’t fought since his 2016 rematch with Conor McGregor. After several failed attempts to lure the fan-favorite back to the Octagon, it looks like Diaz might actually make the walk after three years away. He’ll be facing former 155-pound champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis at welterweight.

All the action goes down at UFC 241 on pay-per-view (PPV) from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California on August 17. Speaking to Luke Thomas on “The MMA Hour” recently, Pettis’ coach, Duke Roufus, broke down “Showtime’s” key to victory over Diaz.

Roufus wants Pettis to take a similar approach to the last man who finished Diaz in the UFC, Josh Thomson (via MMA Fighting):

“I think it’s great for both guys,” Roufus said. “I’m being a little goofy with my metaphors, et cetera, but Nate Diaz is a beast, and he’s going to be a beast at 170.

“But I’ve found Anthony is really strong [at 170]. One thing I know from being a coach in this sport, I see these guys have incredible performances in the gym at their normal weight, and that’s what I’m trying to get a lot of my guys to dial into, being at the weight that they perform the best at in the gym.

“So that being said, it’s going to be a great fight. Stylistically, Nate is an incredible boxer, tough as nails, resilient, got the heart of a champion and incredible jiu-jitsu. I just think Anthony brings more tools to the fight.

“Ironically, a lot of people don’t realize, one of my longtime students … was the coach of Josh Thomson, who helped manufacture that win over Nate Diaz. So that goes back to old-school Roufus gameplan.”

Diving in a bit further, Roufus believes that playing the “up-down game” with kicks could lead to a knockout victory for Pettis as well:

“The up-down game,” Roufus said. “Getting him worried about the low kicks then going high, going to the body, et cetera. The thing is, kicking defense is one of those things you just don’t pick up in a training camp, and that’s what we just saw this weekend — two fights that were strongly effected by the low kick. 

“Anderson Silva, and then as well, another fight was Michael ‘Venom’ Page got off-balance with a low kick and then knocked out by (Douglas) Lima. That’s why I was so confident coming into the ‘Wonderboy’ fight. You don’t always see the effects right away of the low kick, but they throw incredible fighters’ timing off.

“People who have the ability to kick all targets are very hard to beat, and that’s something that Anthony has embraced recently, especially when we don’t fight wrestlers, it’s a lot easier to kick more. It becomes truly a kickboxing fight.”

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