After losing to him in the UFC in 2019, Nate Diaz has scored revenge in the boxing ring, defeating Jorge Masvidal via majority decision in the main event of a card on July 6 in Anaheim, California.
Diaz and Masvidal both brought it from the opening bell. Diaz set the pace early, but Masvidal fired off solid shots of his own. Masvidal seemingly took control then, continuing to land the more effective and powerful blows. Masvidal continued this into the fourth round, but Diaz started to bring out the volume.
Masvidal worked the body, but Diaz seemed to have more energy as the fight got to the halfway mark. That volume helped him bring forward pressure to Masvidal in the sixth round.
The themes continued into the final few rounds, with Diaz landing noteworthy shots, but Masvidal landing the cleaner and more powerful punches, proving it to be anyone’s battle.
Ultimately, it was Diaz who came out on top, winning on 97-93 and a 98-92 scorecards. The third scorecard was a 95-95 draw.
Fight Fans React To Close, Controversial Decision Win For Nate Diaz Over Jorge Masvidal In Boxing Ring
Diaz went on to call out Jake Paul and Leon Edwards after the fight, looking for revenge against Paul in his next outing before intending to return to the UFC and challenge the welterweight champion.
Masvidal, meanwhile, will look for a trilogy bout with Diaz. His post-fight comments saw some tense words exchanged between the pair.
Diaz and Masvidal first met five years ago in the UFC at UFC 244. At New York’s Madison Square Garden, Masvidal scored a controversial third-round doctor’s stoppage win over Diaz to become the first ‘BMF’ champion. Masvidal then lost his next four fights, retiring in 2023 following a loss to Gilbert Burns.
Masvidal’s sole professional boxing match prior to tonight came in 2005, defeating Joseph Benjamin via majority decision.
Diaz fought twice more in UFC after the loss, dropping a decision to Leon Edwards and scoring a submission of Tony Ferguson. Diaz made his professional boxing debut last year, losing to Paul.
