‘Shark Tank’ to ‘The Garden’: Jorge Masvidal, Nate Diaz cross paths again at UFC 244

‘Shark Tank’ to ‘The Garden’: Jorge Masvidal, Nate Diaz cross paths again at UFC 244

Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz have plenty in common.

They’re both 34 years of age. They’re two of the most popular fighters in the UFC today. They have exciting, fan-friendly fighting styles. And they both possess a no-nonsense approach to the fight game that has seen them burst out of the UFC’s “entertainment era” and bring MMA back to its roots as a pure, no-frills, one-on-one fight.

In other words, you could say they’re both “bad mother (expletives).”

Masvidal and Diaz come from different states, but their fighting philosophies are certainly in sync. There’s no drama, no trash talk, no prepared speeches practiced in front of the mirror. They’re just two of the most authentic characters in the sport.

The pair will share the octagon Saturday night at UFC 244 as they battle for a specially commissioned belt to proclaim the winner as the “Baddest Mother (Expletive)” in the game. It’s a little fight game pizazz that helps shift a few more tickets. But, in truth, the belt is completely unnecessary. However, the fight itself, as Masvidal will no doubt agree, is “super necessary.”

Diaz has been a UFC-contracted fighter for more than 12 years, and his association with Zuffa stretches all the way back to 2006 in WEC. Masvidal, meanwhile, has been with the organization for six-and-a-half years following tenures in Bellator and Strikeforce. Despite their lengthy careers, the pair have shared a fight card just once, on a night that saw them experience a stark contrast in fortunes.

Sink or swim in ‘The Shark Tank’

Back on April 20, 2013, Masvidal was preparing to set foot in the octagon for the first time against welterweight dangerman Tim Means at UFC on Fox 7.

A former Bellator tournament semifinalist and Strikeforce lightweight title challenger, Masvidal had already racked up a 23-7 record by the time he arrived in the UFC. And the South Florida native pitched up at the SAP Center – known locally as “The Shark Tank” – in San Jose, Calif., looking to kick-start a fresh new chapter as he sought more frequent fights and a possible run towards the UFC lightweight title.

That same weekend, Diaz was a man looking to maintain his position as one of the top lightweight contenders in the UFC. He’d just lost a landslide decision to reigning UFC champion Benson Henderson and found himself booked against recently dethroned Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson on the main card of an event headlined by the man who had just beaten him.

Masvidal and Diaz were in very different places in their respective careers, but both had their sights set on important victories. However, only one man walked away with a winner’s check that night.

That man was Masvidal, who outpointed Means using a well-rounded combination of stand-up striking with takedowns and ground-and-pound to earn 29-28 scores on all three scorecards.

It wasn’t such a happy night for Diaz, though, as he suffered arguably the worst defeat of his career. The Stockton native was cracked by a Thomson head kick, then finished with punches as he fell to his first – and only – TKO loss of his MMA career.

Road to ‘The Garden’

Since his debut UFC victory that night in San Jose, Masvidal has gone 11-6 in the octagon. But while critics may point to that record as being a mixed bag, it’s worth noting that all of those losses came on the scorecards, and four of them came via split decision. Then, after a career spent being there or thereabouts without ever quite breaking through to the very top, everything changed for Masvidal in 2019.

In March he flew to London for UFC on ESPN+ 5 after a more than year-long layoff, starched former welterweight title challenger Darren Till, gave current contender Leon Edwards the now-infamous “three-piece and a soda” backstage, and became a cult hero. 

Then, a short-lived rivalry with Ben Askren ended in an even shorter fight as he registered the fastest knockout in UFC history in the most spectacular fashion imaginable. One flying knee and two “super necessary” punches gave Masvidal a record five-second KO at UFC 239 during International Fight Week and turned him into a bonafide star. Now he’s all set for the biggest stage of his career at “The Garden” this weekend.

Diaz, meanwhile, has fought just six more times, swapping victories with Conor McGregor in two of the most-watched – and best – fights in recent UFC history. He was “not surprised” when he handed McGregor the first loss of his UFC career after first rocking, then submitting the Irishman at UFC 196. It teed up a monumental rematch at UFC 202 that saw McGregor get the nod on the scorecards via majority decision. We didn’t see Diaz again until three years later, when he returned to defeat Anthony Pettis this past August and demonstrate his world-class credentials once more.

Masvidal was a guest fighter at that event and was a grinning spectator from octagonside as Diaz took his opportunity on the microphone to call him out, saying: “Jorge Masvidal had a good last fight. Good last fight. All respect to the man, but there ain’t no gangsters in this game anymore. There ain’t nobody who does it right but me and him.”

And when Diaz took his place on the dais for the post-fight press conference, he created a little bit of UFC history. While some fighters call for UFC title shots, he spoke a brand new title into existence. Nobody had heard of a “BMF” belt before his post-fight comments. Now that belt is a reality.

It’s time

UFC events in New York are a big deal, and UFC pay-per-view events typically boast at least one (often two) world title fights. Yet this weekend’s show features precisely zero UFC title fights. Through the undeniable star power of Masvidal and Diaz, the UFC has found itself with a colossal fight worthy of not only the main event slot at Madison Square Garden, but a unique title of its very own.

Now the pair, who have been proving their legitimacy over a decade-and-a-half of competition on separate career trajectories, are finally set to meet in the main event of arguably the biggest UFC event of the year.

Sometimes fans need a reason to be excited for a fight. Some want to hear about bad blood between the two combatants. Others love a redemption story. Former WWE exec Eric Bischoff coined the phrase “controversy creates cash,” and it has certainly served the UFC well in recent years.

But this fight needs no controversy. It’s just two athletes who were born to fight, who have no interest in jumping through promotional hoops and inventing a rivalry for rivalry’s sake. They’re not promoters of fights. They’re fighters of fights. And, in that regard, they’re kindred spirits who will touch gloves and throw down for our entertainment.

One man will walk away the victor and leave the octagon with the “BMF” belt and the moniker of “The Baddest Mother (Expletive)” in the UFC. But, in truth, both men have already won. They’ve not just beaten the system. They’ve changed the game.

This one’s for the hardcores. Or the MMA junkies, if you prefer.