Nate Diaz waited almost five years and moved on to a new sport to get revenge on Jorge Masvidal.
In a highly entertaining 10-round boxing bout between two UFC veterans, Diaz won by majority decision in front of a sold-out crowd at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. The difference between the two judges who awarded the win to Diaz was that Diaz's relentless voice and pressure kept Masvidal on the back foot at all times.
Masvidal clearly landed the more powerful punches, but that didn't affect the scores, which ultimately cost him the loss. In the end, the judges scored the fight 97-93 and 98-92 for Diaz, with the third judge scoring it a draw at 95-95.
Still, it was enough for Diaz to secure a win in just his second professional boxing bout.
“Job accomplished, it feels good,” Diaz said after the fight. “Mission accomplished. I felt the love every time here. Cheers to California. It's all about love. I've always treated every guy I fight with respect. He showed up and came to fight, and I came, so it all worked out.”
The opening round was a classic Diaz performance, as he landed a flurry of punches, targeting the head and body, and forcing Masvidal into the ropes. The 1,000 cuts to death style that has served Diaz so well in MMA seemed to translate to boxing as well, as he showed no fear getting into the pocket while trading blows with Masvidal.
Masvidal's slow start may have been his way of gauging his distance and timing against Diaz's pressuring attacks. Masvidal finally picked up steam in the second round, stunning Diaz with powerful left and right hooks as the two traded punches.
Masvidal clearly had the power advantage and continued to hit Diaz with the harder punches in the early going, but Diaz refused to back down. Diaz fought back and focused on landing a good lead jab with his right hand followed by punches with his left hand, maintaining his punching power.
Diaz continued to land flurries of punches, but as the bout progressed Masvidal began to back off his punches and landed powerful left and right hooks to the head and body.
Still, as the fight entered the fifth round, Diaz was landing a ton of punches and Masvidal was clearly having to keep up with the pace. Masvidal wasn't throwing as many punches as Diaz, but when he finally let go, he looked to do damage with every punch he landed.
Diaz's lightning speed would tire a marathon runner, but he never slowed down, continuing to push Masvidal against the corners and ropes. Masvidal's economical approach was to play defense and pick and choose when to land a heavy counterpunch.
It was a back-and-forth battle for nearly every round, with Diaz landing combinations of four or five punches in quick succession, Masvidal ducking and defending, then firing back with a powerful punch that flipped Diaz's jaw and sent sweat flying.
With time running out in the final round, Diaz dropped Masvidal with a well-timed uppercut, then followed up with a stinging right that was the best punch of the night. Masvidal followed up with another hard left hook, and the two men continued to exchange blows until the bell rang.
Many rounds were decided by the judges' preference between Diaz's vocal prowess and Masvidal's power. In the end, Diaz won, much to Masvidal's disappointment.
“I thought I won,” Masvidal said. “I thought I had a harder shot. I can do it again. It's one-win and one-loss. I'll find another opportunity and do it again. I'm confident I could have landed a more meaningful shot. I 100 percent could have landed a harder shot. Nate wants to do it again. We can do it.”
Considering the crowd reaction and the fanfare surrounding both men, it shouldn't be hard to get them back in the ring, especially after Saturday night's entertaining show.
That's certainly a possibility, but Diaz is already looking to avenge his past defeat and then return to his old home in the UFC.
“I'm going to beat the hell out of Jake Paul, and I'm willing to fight the highest ranked boxer I can find,” Diaz said. “My main goal is to be the best fighter in the world, so I want to get back and win the UFC title. Leon Edwards, Jake Paul, whoever it is, you're dead.”
