UFC 244: Everything You Need To Know About Masvidal vs Diaz

UFC 244 will also see Darren Till make his Middleweight debut against former title contender Kelvin Gastelum.

Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal are scheduled to headline UFC 244 from Madison Square Garden for the BMF Title.

(Photo Courtesy: Facebook/Nate Diaz/Jorge Masvidal)

UFC 244 will be taking place at Madison Square Garden in New York on 2 November and will be headlined by a Welterweight bout between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz.

The co-main event will also see Darren Till make his Middleweight debut against former title contender Kelvin Gastelum.

UFC 229 sensation and former Heavyweight title contender Derrick Lewis will be returning to action against Blagoy Ivanov.

Former Welterweight title contender Stephen Thompson is coming off back-to-back losses and will take on rising contender Vicente Luque.

Lightweight Kevin Lee will also be looking to bounce back from previous losses by beating Gregor Gillespie.

Fight Card

(Bold indicates our prediction)

• Jorge Masvidal vs Nate Diaz (Welterweight)
• Kelvin Gastelum vs Darren Till (Middleweight)
• Stephen Thompson vs Vicente Luque (Welterweight)
• Derrick Lewis vs Blagoy Ivanov (Heavyweight)
• Kevin Lee vs Gregor Gillespie (Lightweight)

Nate Diaz vs Jorge Masvidal: What’s at Stake

Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal were journeyman fighters before they broke out with one win. Diaz (20-11) rose to superstardom after his call out and subsequent win over Conor McGregor. Jorge Masvidal (34-13) and his history making 5-second knockout over the then undefeated Ben Askren catapulted him into the MMA stratosphere.

Diaz and Masvidal will become the first men to headline a UFC PPV without a divisional belt on the line. They will, however, fight over the gimmick of the Baddest M-fer in the world. UFC President Dana White had also made a special belt for this fight.

This fight was almost called off after a possible doping violation by Diaz, but the issue has been resolved, with Diaz being given a green light to fight by the United States Anti Doping Agency (USADA).

Diaz is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist, while Masvidal is a more rounded kickboxer. Current betting odds have Masvidal winning.

The winner of this fight will most likely challenge the winner of Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington at UFC 245. 

Our Prediction

Despite Masvidal having the upper hand against Diaz, we predict that Diaz will emerge victorious in this one.

Masvidal has historically struggled against crafty BJJ specialists. We have seen this against Demian Maia and Gilbert Melendez before.

Diaz’s strong chin and high fight IQ will allow him to stay crafty and avoid a possible knockout.

Diaz has shown competent stand up skills against the likes of Gray Maynard and Conor McGregor, and can be dangerous in a situation where he is being pressured. Diaz’s superior stamina will also help him, as this is a five-round fight featuring two competitors that have gone to a decision a combined 40 times.

Where to Watch?

• When: 3 November 2019 at 7:30 am (main card)
• Where: Sony Six
• Preliminary card: Paid streaming on ESPN+ or UFC Fight Pass.

Other Fights

(Bold indicates our prediction)

Preliminary card:

• Corey Anderson vs Johnny Walker (Light Heavyweight)
• Shane Burgos vs Makwan Amirkhani (Featherweight)
• Brad Tavares vs Edmen Shahbazyan (Middleweight)
• Andrei Arlovski vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (Heavyweight)

Early Preliminary card:

• Jennifer Maia vs Katlyn Chookagian (Women's Flyweight)
• Lyman Good vs Chance Rencountre (Welterweight)
• Julio Arce vs Hakeem Dawodu (Featherweight)