Why Nate Diaz vs Jorge Masvidal is the Perfect UFC 244 Main Event

Why Nate Diaz vs Jorge Masvidal is the Perfect UFC 244 Main Event

By Jack Maher

The UFC’s annual November trip to Madison Square Garden is edging closer, and we have a blockbuster of a main event.

Dana White and co typically try to build up these MSG events with massive cards, and this years card is certainly heading in that direction, with Johnny Walker vs Corey Anderson, Derrick Lewis vs Blagoy Ivanov and Darren Till vs Kelvin Gastelum all confirmed for the event, and Diaz vs Masvidal will top off the card nicely.

This fight breaks the usual tradition of title fights headlining UFC PPV’s, although that is not a bad thing in this situation; both men are serial entertainers and it is one of those rare fights were you can almost guarantee fireworks.

In truth, I prefer this fight over Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington, the welterweight title fight that was rumoured for the event, but seemingly collapsed in the negotiation stage. There were also rumours of Masvidal taking Covington’s place to fight Usman, rumours which intensified after Masvidal tweeted:

“I’m partying too @USMAN84kg what’s the hold up? Sign the contract”

But the UFC moved in a different direction, which likely means the pairing of Usman and Covington will remain intact, which will allow the division to keep flowing smoothly as Covington is the deserving number one contender.

It feels fitting that Diaz will be in the main event of UFC 244, last year when the UFC headed to MSG for UFC 230, Diaz was booked to face Dustin Poirier, and fans were begging to see this fight headline the event, but the UFC weren’t sold on the idea, booking a different fight to headline.

Poirier later pulled out of the fight, citing injury, leaving Diaz opponentless, so it feels right to see Diaz get his chance to main event the most famous arena in the world after last years debacle. Anyone who has watched Diaz will know that he is as durable as they come, and his superb cardio, crafty boxing and lethal Jiu-Jitsu means Diaz is dangerous wherever the fight goes.

Diaz returned to the cage last month after a near three year layoff, beating former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, and then called out Masvidal who was sat cageside, but this callout has seemingly came from a place of respect rather than a place of hatred or loathing.

Diaz’s callout immediately left fans buzzing with excitement at the prospect of seeing the two meet in the cage, and there is no better way to capitalise on the momentum behind this fight by headlining it at MSG.

Similarly to Diaz, Masvidal also returned to the cage this year after a lengthy layoff, and since doing so he has been a joy to watch. He left British fans both heartbroken and stunned with his brutal KO of Darren Till, and then went on to hand Ben Askren his first ever professional loss with what was the fastest knockout in UFC history, an absolutely stunning flying knee that left Askren unconscious, a piece of MMA history we will likely be talking about for years.

This year has reminded fans that Masvidal is must-see TV, and a win over Diaz would surely pencil him in as fighter of the year.

The UFC have done the right thing booking Diaz vs Masvidal; this isn’t just a regular UFC event, it’s at MSG, roundly regarded as the most famous arena in combat sports.

The UFC learned last year that they can’t headline MSG with a main event that feels flat and expect fans to be on board, after fans roundly rejected the proposed main event for UFC 230 last November, which was Valentina Shevchenko vs Sijara Eubanks for the vacant women’s flyweight championship.

Fan backlash lead to a change of main event on three weeks notice and Daniel Cormier vs Derrick Lewis was hastily thrown together to salvage the event, a situation the UFC is clearly trying to avoid this year by pairing two of their most popular fighters.

Let’s delve further in to what it means for a fight to be ‘worthy’ to headline MSG. This is the same arena that hosted Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier, Joe Calzaghe vs Roy Jones Jr, and Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez, and while this fight may not be quite as big as the three I just mentioned, a fight between two of the best fighters in their division, who are both entertaining, durable and two of the most captivating personalities in the sport is most definitely not out of place at the top of the bill at MSG.

This fight being the main event also means we will see it scheduled for 5 rounds, a privilege we wouldn’t have got if this fight took place further down the card.

The UFC have turned what was a bad situation in their original plan for the main event collapsing, in to a very good situation, by booking a fight that has all the makings of a classic.

It’s refreshing to see the UFC not turn to an unnecessary interim title fight to save the card, a trick they have pulled in the past. Given that there is probably more to be added to the card, this could be one of the best cards of the year, topped off with what is a superb fight on paper.