Diaz-Masvidal won’t be sold with trash talk
Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz share mutual respect for each other at their press conference as the two are set to square off at UFC 244. For more UFC, sign up here for ESPN+ http://plus.espn.com/ufc. (1:37)
Editor’s note: You can watch the news conference in its entirety on ESPN+.
Fans packed the beautiful Rooftop at Pier 17 in New York on Thursday night to see Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz on stage for a news conference. The two popular stars will fight in the main event of UFC 244 on Nov. 2 at Madison Square Garden.
While the festivities were short on news and trash talk, the spectators got what they came for: photos and videos of Masvidal and Diaz facing off, and some memorable quotes from the two of them.
Here are the biggest takeaways from Thursday’s scene in Manhattan:
If one thing was clear Thursday night, it’s that Masvidal and Diaz will leave the trash talk at the door during the lead-up to this fight. For anyone expecting the next coming of Conor McGregor versus Khabib Nurmagomedov — OK, McGregor versus anyone — it just isn’t going to happen with these two. It’s obvious how much Masvidal and Diaz respect each other. Several times during the night, reporters asked questions that in most fight news conferences would result in some sort of antagonistic outburst. Not this time.
At one point, someone asked if Masvidal gave Leon Edwards the three-piece-with-the-soda and Ben Askren the MGM Grand buffet, what will he make Diaz eat?
“He’s a different caliber than the guys that you mentioned and I’ve seen him pull through some tough situations and win those decisions,” Masvidal said.
To sell this fight — the biggest of 2019 — expect the UFC to focus on the individuals and their personalities and not what they’re saying about each other.
Ariel Helwani questions Nate Diaz on his quick turnaround after defeating Anthony Pettis and how his fight against Jorge Masvidal came to fruition. For more UFC, sign up here for ESPN+ http://plus.espn.com/ufc.
UFC president Dana White said the topic of Masvidal versus Diaz came up in a matchmaking meeting. When he proposed that the “baddest m—–f—er in the game” title could be an actual, physical belt the UFC would make, White said he thought everyone in the room would call him “crazy.”
Quite the contrary.
White said those in the room loved the idea. So now the wheels are in motion, the design process has started and White said he would have a BMF belt for the winner at UFC 244.
Of course, Diaz first brought up the idea when he called out Masvidal after Diaz beat Anthony Pettis at UFC 241. Diaz interrupted White during the news conference to remind White that he was actually defending the BMF title against Pettis on that night. White jokingly agreed.
Yes, that’s right. White said Thursday that the Masvidal vs. Diaz fight has real welterweight title implications – it’s not only for a made-up BMF title. In other words, if Diaz wins, he could be next in line for a welterweight title shot. It’s a shocking development since Diaz sat out three years following a loss to McGregor in 2016 before coming back to beat Pettis.
But here we are. Masvidal vs. Diaz could be a No. 1 contender bout.
“This fight is a big deal for the division, for who’s next in the title picture and obviously [it’s] a huge fan favorite fight …” White said. “This thing took on a life of its own, it’s a big fight and it’s not only a fight that people want to see, it’s an important fight in the division, in the title picture.”
Masvidal told a reporter Thursday that he was done answering questions about McGregor after White said Masvidal was “too much man” for McGregor. Now, that’s not exactly what White said. White has said he thought Masvidal would be too big for McGregor, even though they have both fought at welterweight.
Masvidal said he was focused on Diaz and the two individuals who are likely to be fighting next for the UFC welterweight title: champion Kamaru Usman and challenger Colby Covington.
If Masvidal wins, though, and the idea of a McGregor fight does manifest itself? You’ll be sure that “Gamebred” might be inclined to change his tune. No one who comes to a news conference dressed like Scarface would be willing to turn down that kind of money.
The UFC clearly wanted Madison Square Garden to be headlined by a welterweight title fight between Usman and Covington. White blamed Covington for the inability to make that happen Thursday. The UFC boss also said Covington turned down a fight with former champ Tyron Woodley. Covington, of course, has said that he wasn’t offered the kind of contract he believes he deserves.
“Colby Covington can say whatever he wants,” White said. “We make fights for a living, that’s what we do. We go after guys and say, ‘This is next, this is the date, do you want the fight?’ And obviously, he wanted more money to fight Usman. We went back and forth.
“This is the second time he’s done it. He had a [title] fight in Dallas [last year], too. So, we said if you don’t want to fight Usman, then we’ll give you Tyron Woodley. He turned down Tyron Woodley, too. You either want to fight or you don’t. When Colby Covington wants to fight, he’ll let us know.”