New UFC BMF champion Jorge Masvidal was up big on the judges’ scorecards after three rounds in his main event fight against Nate Diaz at UFC 244.
The cageside doctor stopped the bout after the third round due to cuts sustained by Diaz, with many fans, media, and fellow fighters arguing it robbed Diaz of a chance to make a comeback. However, it’s clear he would have needed a stoppage now after seeing how far ahead the judges had Masvidal up on the scorecards.
Check out the judges’ scorecards for the UFC 244 main event below (h/t Damon Martin of MMAFighting.com.)
Jorge Masvidal was up big on the scorecards after three rounds against Nate Diaz.
30-26, 30-27 and 30-26#UFC244 pic.twitter.com/pejkSUV5OD
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) November 3, 2019
Judges Derek Cleary and Sal D’Amato both had he fight scored 30-26 through three rounds, giving Masvidal a 10-8 in the second. Judge Douglas Crosby, meanwhile, had it scored 30-27. Even if the doctor didn’t stop the fight due to the cuts above Diaz’s right eye, Diaz still would have needed to mount a comeback for the ages if he wanted to pull off the victory.
Still, the stoppage didn’t sit well with a lot of people, including Diaz himself, who wants to run it back. In his post-fight interview with UFC color commentator Joe Rogan, Masvidal also said he was open to running it back. However, it sounds like UFC president Dana White isn’t interested in a rematch at this particular time.
The win should give Masvidal a clear path to get a title shot against the winner of UFC 245’s Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington title fight. For Diaz, despite the loss, he comes away with just as much respect as he ever had after taking a beating and receiving nasty cuts all over his face, yet begging the doctor to continue to let him compete anyways.
How did you have the main event of UFC 244 between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz scored after three rounds?