UFC president Dana White says he’s not interested in a potential rematch between welterweight rivals Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz.
Masvidal and Diaz met in the main event of UFC 244 last November in New York City. After seemingly winning the first three rounds with his striking, Masvidal cut Diaz open around his eye and the doctor stopped the fight in controversial fashion even though Diaz could still see. Veteran MMA official John McCarthy was among those who argued against the stoppage.
Fans and media have suggested a potential rematch at some point given the controversial nature of the finish, and Masvidal recently expressed interest in a rematch as well. Given how well the fight did on pay-per-view with the BMF title gimmick, this seems like the type of rematch that the UFC would be all over. Not so fast, though, says White.
Speaking to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, White said that he’s not interested in a rematch between Masvidal and Diaz at this time. He also said that Masvidal doesn’t plan on fighting again until 2021.
“I don’t think you do an immediate rematch,” White said.
“We gotta see how some of these fights play out and see what’s next for (Masvidal). I mean he’s talking about fighting again after next year. So, you know, still a long ways away and a lot of things can change in that division in the next six-to-eight months.”
Masvidal got his shot for the UFC welterweight title against Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC 251 but he fell short, losing a unanimous decision. “Gamebred” has said that he is hungry to get back in the cage and work his way back towards anther title fight with Usman, saying that he believes he has the “formula” in order to dethrone the champ. But with so many other contenders at 170lbs, Masvidal will be waiting a while for the rematch.
As for Diaz, he hasn’t fought since the loss to Masvidal last November and we all know that he’s only willing to take big-money fights at this point in his career. A rematch with Masvidal certainly makes sense and qualifies as a big fight, but so does a trilogy fight against long-time rival Conor McGregor. It will certainly be interesting to see what the UFC matchmakers and White decide to do with both Masvidal and Diaz next.
Do you agree with Dana White and have no interest in the rematch between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz?