The second meeting between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz will come under boxing rules.
The popular UFC veterans will square off in a 10-round boxing match on June 1 at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. The bout will be contested at 175 pounds and be available via pay-per-view through Fanmio. The event can be purchased for $49.99 through April 12, but after that the price point will rise to $79.99. The matchup was initially announced on "The MMA Hour” on Wednesday.
Masvidal and Diaz initially fought for the inaugural BMF title at UFC 244 in November 2019, with “Gamebred” winning via doctor stoppage after three rounds. Masvidal would lose his next four Octagon appearances — including a pair of title fights against Kamaru Usman — before announcing his retirement. The 39-year-old Miami native revealed plans for a combat sports return at the beginning of the year.
Diaz fought twice more under the UFC banner following the loss to Masvidal. After dropping a five-round verdict against Leon Edwards at UFC 263, the Stockton, California, native parted ways with the promotion on the heels of a submission win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 279. More recently, Diaz dropped a unanimous decision to Jake Paul in a boxing match in Dallas last August.
“Nate’s a dead man walking,” Masvidal said in a statement. “I can’t wait to prove that last time was no fluke. He got saved by the referee. Now we are boxing, which he says is his forte, but he’s got no shot at beating me. I’m not going to give him an inch in that ring to even breathe. If he thought our MMA match was bad, this is going to be much worse. I’m going to drown him. I want to put away any talk that him and I are the same, or that the referee saved the day. All of that talk ends June 1.”
More must-reads: