MMA and boxing crossovers have taken up a lot of headlines in recent times, most notably with Francis Ngannou taking on the world of heavyweight boxing. Not to be outdone by the Cameroonian, former UFC stars Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal recently announced they would be rematching in the ring on June 1. You can find boxing betting online ahead of all big fights, with real money wagering available in legal states.
There’s no question that both Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz are legends of MMA and fan favorites, but does anyone really want to see them box? In this article, we’ll take a look at the details of the fight and ask why so many retired MMA fighters are lacing up their gloves and stepping into the ring.
The Rematch Noone Asked For
UFC 244 saw Nate Diaz take on Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal for the title of “baddest motherfucker”. After his win over former champion Anthony Pettis at UFC 241, Diaz issued a challenge to Masvidal who was riding high in the welterweight division. Masvidal was coming off the back of two successive knockout victories, including the impressive flying knee against Ben Askren.
Diaz and Gamebred were both keen on the fight and Dana White leaned into the personalities of the two fighters, marketing it as a contest for a new title, the BMF. While there were some eyebrows raised over the gimmick belt, most fans were onboard with it as a fun match between two fun fighters.
The bout itself ended in a TKO win for Masvidal after he opened up a bad cut above Diaz’ eye, with the doctor stepping in after the end of the third round. The doctor stoppage of course meant that Diaz got to say after the fight that he would have won if he was allowed to continue, though most fans agreed that Masvidal was clearly the better fighter.
After the fight, Masvidal went on a four fight losing skid, missing out on the title twice including being KO’d before retiring from the sport. On the other hand, Diaz went out on a win over a washed Tony Ferguson before retiring, but has since competed in boxing against Jake Paul.
Now, both men will face off again, this time in the boxing ring. While the first fight was fun, it wasn’t a particularly high level contest, and both have struggled for form since. Some will claim that Nate has an edge in boxing, but he looked bad in his fight against Paul. Additionally, this is the main event of a PPV which is priced at $79.99. It’s hard to imagine even the most diehard fans willing to pay this to watch two guys who should have retired years ago.
Why Retired MMA Stars are Turning to Boxing
Despite the apparent waning interest in boxing, a growing number of MMA stars are choosing to compete in the sport. Conor McGregor might be considered something of a trailblazer after he took on Floyd Mayweather in 2017. Since then, we’ve seen the likes of Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley and even Ben Askren turn to boxing after retiring.
The sad truth about MMA is that even those at the very top of the game are often not making a huge amount of money. Even Conor McGregor, MMAs biggest ever PPV star, earned more in his one boxing match than he earned in his entire career to that point. Other fighters such as Askren, Silva and Woodley have been tempted out of retirement for the chance to earn a relatively easy check.
