Nate Diaz returned to the win column this past summer by defeating Anthony Pettis, and Conor McGregor believes his former foe will remain there, following UFC 244.
Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal
At UFC 241 in August, Diaz returned to the Octagon for the first time since 2016, when he dropped a decision to McGregor at UFC 202. The Stockton star faced the aforementioned Pettis, and worked his way to a UD win over the former lightweight champ.
After the bout, Diaz prompted a collective ‘yes’ throughout MMA by calling out Jorge Masvidal, and the welterweights will fight at UFC 244 this Saturday. Masvidal will be fighting for the first time since July, when he knocked out Ben Askren in just 5 seconds.
McGregor weighs-in on Diaz vs. Masvidal
McGregor has been on a sponsor’s promotional tour in Eastern Europe recently. During a stop, he was, not surprisingly, asked to weigh-in on the UFC 244 headliner. Here’s what the former lightweight and featherweight champ had to say (quotes via MMA Fighting):
“I think Diaz beats him,” McGregor said. “He’s got crisper boxing, way more experience. I think Masvidal’s had a good run, he’s had a two fight win streak. The game is very forgetful I believe, our sport is, I think Diaz has enough in him to do it.
“I think he’s in a better space. You’ve got to factor that in, what kind of space is the fighter in because everyone’s the best on their day. I think Diaz beats him.”
So, since McGregor has faced Diaz twice before, and because the latter defeated him in their first encounter back in 2016, the comments above shouldn’t be shocking. Further, McGregor surely isn’t the only person who believes Diaz has better boxing than Masvidal.
But, his comments about Diaz having “way more experience” are interesting. Diaz has been in more, big-time fights to date (his bouts with McGregor were massive) than Masvidal. Sure. But, “Gamebred” has fought in nearly 50 pro bouts, while Diaz will be competing in his 32nd at UFC 244.
If you’re curious, currently the betting odds have Masvidal as a slight favorite to beat Diaz, with odds ranging from -160 to -185.
Here is the line-up right now for UFC 244, which will take at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
170 lbs.: Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz
155 lbs.: Kevin Lee vs. Gregor Gillespie
265 lbs.: Blagoy Ivanov vs. Derrick Lewis
205 lbs.: Corey Anderson vs. Johnny Walker
135 lbs.: Katlyn Chookagian vs. Jennifer Maia
185 lbs.: Kelvin Gastelum vs. Darren Till
170 lbs.: Vicente Luque vs. Stephen Thompson
185 lbs.: Krzysztof Jotko vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
170 lbs.: Lyman Good vs. Chance Rencountre
145 lbs.: Julio Arce vs. Hakeem Dawodu
265 lbs.: Andrei Arlovski vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
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