Jorge Masvidal doesn’t flinch on the prospects of combating Nate Diaz in a boxing match. Masvidal has been there earlier than, and overwhelmed Diaz, when the pair starred at UFC 244 on Nov. 2, 2019. Since then, each 39-year-olds have spewed a wholesome dose of venom at each other, highlighted final month by a brawl between the 2 camps over the last press convention attempting to construct the combat.
This Saturday on the Honda Heart in Anaheim, California, Diaz and Masvidal, two past-their-prime MMA stars, will combat in a 10-round mild heavyweight. There might be actual boxers on the cardboard, with former WBA middleweight titlist Danny Jacobs fights Shane Mosley Jr. in a brilliant middleweight bout, because the co-feature on Fanmio/DAZN/UFC Struggle Move PPV (9 p.m. ET).
In his one professional boxing match, Diaz misplaced to Jake Paul by unanimous resolution by which he was dropped twice in August 2023. The final time Diaz gained a combat goes again to September 10, 2022, when he choked out Tony Ferguson in an MMA combat on UFC 279.
“I might care much less about Nate’s background, however anybody with two palms, you all the time need to be involved with and provides them respect,” stated Masvidal, who might be competing in boxing for the second time.
The final time he gained a combat was by beating Diaz 5 years in the past at UFC 244.
“I really feel that Diaz may be very restricted from what I noticed in his combat towards Jake Paul,” Masvidal stated. “What I do know is Nate may be very hard-headed. He doesn’t change. He simply comes ahead and tries to tire guys out. That is boxing, and he might be a par with me. July 6 will present that I’m firmly a scholar of this sport. I’m trying to be as violent as doable. I really like being sharp and intelligent that you could be in boxing. I’ll take his ass out by spherical 4. I’m excited.”
Masvidal’s first professional boxing match got here in June 2005 towards a fighter named Joseph Benjamin, who was 1-11-2 getting into the combat.
“I all the time requested UFC to field, and they’d not let me and I used to be all the time bummed out about that, however ultimately, I received the permission,” he stated. “I received permission to combat thrice, and as soon as I received that, I used to be going to take this significantly. I received to coach with Roy Jones Jr. for 10 days and received an opportunity to coach below Freddie Roach. It was superb. I’m dedicated to this. I skilled from night-to-day.”
The hate comes from their one MMA match. That spilled over into what occurred final month, when somebody from Diaz’s workforce threw a punch at Masvidal. Then, Masvidal’s coach, Jorge Capetillo, received concerned and a brawl erupted between each groups. Curiously sufficient, Diaz was nowhere across the brawl.
“That is actual, and it didn’t need to be like this, as a result of it began out with mutual respect,” Masvidal stated. “After he took his as kicking in New York, at UFC 244, when he wanted a medical skilled to avoid wasting his life, he took to the web and began saying some issues like how I used to be a coward and all these excuses. He didn’t make sense. I whooped his ass for quarter-hour. It stored coming and I used to be combating for world championships when he was out of the UFC.
“I signed up with Fanmio for boxing, it simply occurred to be towards Nate Diaz. However he needed to be excessive. His camp (allegedly) attacked my coach and I assumed he was a coward. That is for Nate Diaz and his entire workforce, and he pays for that. I positively will put this within the purest method doable: I wish to break his face; I need him pissing blood for a month. This won’t be Hagler-Hearns, as a result of I’d not examine Nate Diaz to any a kind of greats.
“This won’t be a conflict. This might be an ass kicking, just like the U.S. invading Barbados.”
Joseph Santoliquito is a Corridor of Fame, award-winning sportswriter who has been working for Ring Journal/RingTV.com since October 1997 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Affiliation of America.
Observe @JSantoliquito
