This time, it wasn’t in the cage. It was in the ring, in front of a passionate pro-Diaz crowd Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
Neither are truly tried and trained boxers, but the entertainment provided was as pure as a championship boxing match. For 10 rounds, Diaz and Masvidal slugged it out. It was volume vs. power, with Diaz flurrying Masvidal, who connected on single or dual-punch power-shot combinations.
The event was entitled “Last Man Standing” but when the 10th end-of-round bell rang both fighters still stood. They each showed respect before Diaz was named the winner by majority decision (95-95, 97-93, 98-92).
Neither fighter was knocked down or significantly rocked despite a large amount of punishment absorbed by each. Masvidal’s most successful attack was his body shots but Diaz was unfazed by the gigantic blows.
Diaz showboated in vintage fashion with smiles, flexes, off-target glances, and pumpfakes. The middle fingers stayed tucked, but the verbal insults came after the fight during his mic time with interviewer Brian Campbell.
“I’m going to beat Jake Paul’s f*cking ass, and I’m down to fight the highest-ranked boxer I can find,” Diaz said. “… And my main objective, like it’s always been, is to be the best fighter in the world, so I want to go back and get the UFC title. Leon Edwards, Jake Paul, and anyone else: You’re dead.”
The California fans showered Nate Diaz with love after he avenged his MMA loss to Jorge Masvidal in their boxing match. #DiazMasvidalpic.twitter.com/BPG30q1311
Diaz and Masvidal first collided at UFC 244 in 2019 in what was the promotion’s inaugural “BMF” title fight. Masvidal defeated Diaz by doctor stoppage due to a cut.
The initial matchup stemmed from mutual respect, but turned into bad blood in the lead-up to Saturday’s boxing match.
Diaz has competed twice in boxing since his UFC departure. Both times he came up shorthanded. In August, Diaz lost a unanimous decision to Jake Paul. While it’s unclear what Diaz’s immediate next move is, he’s long said he plans to return to the UFC eventually.
The boxing match was Masvidal’s first competition since he retired from MMA in April 2023. Since he stepped away from the UFC, Masvidal has remained in the public eye mostly due to his promotion, Gamebred FC. Masvidal, like Diaz, has hinted at an eventual UFC return.
The up-to-the-minute “Last Man Standing” results include:
